Jaganmohini
A Mayamalavagowla-family raga with five notes going up and Ri added on the way down.
Jaganmohini rises without Ri or Dha. Its descending outline adds Ri, giving the return to Sa a different route from the ascent.
Scale
Arohana: S G3 M1 P N3 Ṡ
Avarohana: Ṡ N3 P M1 G3 R1 S
It is classified under Mayamalavagowla, Melakarta 15. R1 is Shuddha Rishabha, G3 Antara Gandhara, M1 Shuddha Madhyama and N3 Kakali Nishada.
Recognising the movement
Listen for the difference between opening through S G3 M1 and returning through M1 G3 R1 S. Ri is part of the descending shape, not an instruction to make the ascent a straight seven-note scale.
Compare Amritavarshini: its ascending outline uses the higher Ma, whereas Jaganmohini uses M1. Jaganmohini also brings Ri into the descent. Small written changes can therefore describe quite different melodic paths.
Compositions
Sobhillu Sapta Svara by Tyagaraja celebrates the seven svaras themselves. Its text and melody make a useful pairing: read the words of praise while following the raga’s five-note ascent and fuller descent. The pitch outline is a starting point; the composition supplies connected musical phrasing.