Kanha re Nand nandan
Lyrics, meaning and notation.
About this composition
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Raga | Kedar |
| Form | Chhota khayal |
| Tala | Teental · 16 beats |
| Tempo | Drut |
Complete lyrics, transliteration and meanings
| Section | Original script | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sthayi | कान्हा रे नंद नंदन | Kaanhaa re Nand nandan | O Kanha, son of Nand, |
| Sthayi | परम निरंजन हे दुख भंजन | Param niranjan he dukh bhanjan | supremely unstained one, remover of sorrow. |
| Antara | कान्हा कंठ मणि मोतियन की माला | Kaanhaa kanTh mani motiyan ki maalaa | Kanha wears a necklace of gems and pearls around his neck. |
| Antara | पहिरत मुदित भयी ब्रिज बाला | Pahirat mudit bhayi Brij baalaa | Seeing it worn, the young women of Braj are delighted. |
Word notes
Kanha is a name of Krishna; Nand nandan means Nand’s son. Niranjan evokes freedom from stain or taint, rather than a modern personal name in this line. Dukh bhanjan is a devotional epithet. Kanth is neck, mani a gem, motiyan pearls and pahirat the act of wearing. Brij/Braj identifies the cultural landscape; baalaa refers here to its young women.
Complete beat-aligned score
Teental has claps at 1, 5 and 13 and a wave at 9. Every row below retains sixteen beat positions. The separate syllable row shows where the words fit; it is not an additional melodic row.
How to read this notation
Sa is the chosen reference pitch. Note signs used in this score:
M^ = tivra Ma; P = Pa; S = Sa; D = shuddha Dha; n = komal Ni; M = shuddha Ma; G = shuddha Ga; R = shuddha Re; N = shuddha Ni.
↑ marks the upper octave and ↓ the lower octave; an unmarked note is in the middle octave.
Each separate beat position is one matra. Joined notes fall within that beat. — continues the previous sound; · is an unsung position. Padding before an entry or after a close does not add another cycle.
Within a grouped column, spaces separate beats; letters joined without spaces share a beat. The column heading states the beat numbers.
¦ marks a phrase separation, not an octave change or extra beat.
Within-beat durations are exact only where specified. Learn the execution of glides, graces and inflection by listening.
| Section / layer | 1 2 3 4 · sam | 5 6 7 8 · clap | 9 10 11 12 · wave | 13 14 15 16 · clap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sthayi pickup | · · · · |
· · · · |
· · · · |
· M^ — P |
| Syllables | · · · · |
· · · · |
· · · · |
· kaa — naa |
| Sthayi cycle | S↑ D nD PM^ |
P¦ P — M^ |
D P M M |
·¦ G PM S |
| Syllables | re e e-e e-e |
e, nan — da |
na n da na |
·¦ pa rama ni |
| Sthayi close | R — S S¦ |
S↑ D S↑ R↑ |
S↑R↑ S↑S↑ D P |
—¦ · · · |
| Syllables | ran — ja na, |
he e du kha |
bhan-n n-n ja na |
—¦ · · · |
| Antara pickup | · · · · |
· · · · |
· · · · |
· P — P |
| Syllables | · · · · |
· · · · |
· · · · |
· kaa — naa |
| Antara cycle 1 | P — S↑ S↑ |
S↑ — S↑ S↑ |
S↑ D S↑ R↑ |
S↑R↑ S↑S↑ D P¦ |
| Syllables | kan — Tha ma |
ni — mo ti |
ya na ki i |
maa-a a-a laa aa¦ |
| Antara cycle 2 | · G↑G↑ M↑ R↑ |
S↑ R↑ S↑ S↑ |
—¦ S↑N D P |
— M^ — P¦ |
| Syllables | · pahi ra ta |
mu u di ta |
—, bhayi bri ja |
— baa — laa¦ |
Pickups, sam and section joins
The sthayi pickup occupies beats 14–16 and reaches sam on re. The optional antara pickup also occupies 14–16, with kan of kanth on the following sam. Parentheses around the whole pickup mark an optional phrase, not individual grace notes. The sthayi closes at beat 13. The final antara row already contains M held P at 14–16; continue to sthayi sam on upper Sa without adding another pickup.
Common pitfalls
The sthayi uses komal n; do not change it to shuddha N. Both Ma forms occur. Parentheses around a whole three-beat phrase differ from a grace attached to one note. An extra pickup after the final row would add three beats.
The antara pickup kaa — naa (P — P) is optional.