Barah Maha (Mahala 5)

Rag Majh
Of the thirty-one principal rags in the Guru Granth Sahib, Rag Majh, a musical mode, is designated second place in the sequence. The Bani of five Gurus is recorded under this rag from pages 94 to 150 of the Guru Granth Sahib. This includes seventy-four Sabads by Guru Nanak Sahib, twelve by Guru Angad Sahib, thirty-five by Guru Amardas Sahib, ten by Guru Ramdas Sahib, and sixty-six by Guru Arjan Sahib. The compositions of ‘Din Rain’ and ‘Barah Maha’ were also revealed in this rag.

There is no information about Rag Majh in ancient Hindustani musical texts. According to the scholars of music, Rag Majh is based on a folk-tune prevalent in the Majha region of Panjab. According to Prof. Tara Singh, there are several references wherein folk melodies were systematized and included in the lists of rags of classical music by music scholars. Similarly, Guru Nanak Sahib conferred the name ‘Rag Majh’ to a folk tune of Majha. Later, the second, third, fourth, and fifth Guru also composed Bani in this rag.

Dr. Ratan Singh Jaggi is of the opinion that where the Gurus have used the folk-poetic forms, folk vocabulary, folk metaphors, and imageries to instruct the seekers, they also emphasized folk-tunes because they are a direct connection between the Bani and the people. Rag Majh is an original contribution of Guru Nanak Sahib to classical music. Associated with Panjab, the territorial epoch of that period has been very vividly captured in this rag.

Guru Nanak Sahib revealed a composition entitled ‘Majh Ki Var’ in Rag Majh. In the title of this var, there is an instruction by the Guru to sing this var to a folk-tune prevalent in Rag Majh named ‘Malik Murid Tatha Chandrahara Sohiya Ki Dhuni.’ Rag Majh was so popular in the Guru period that apart from the classical singing styles, simple folk tunes were also sung very proficiently in this rag. The apparent example of this is Majh Ki Var and other compositions by the Gurus in this rag.

Under the rag-ragini classification, Bhai Vir Singh is of the opinion that Rag Majh is a ragini of a different type as per the Gurmat Sangit (Sikh Devotional Music). As a ragini of the Majha region, the regional influence on it is evident and is composed by combining Siri, Madhamadhavi, and Malar rags.

Master Bhai Prem Singh, the author of Ratan Sangit Bhandar, is of the opinion that Rag Majh is the combination of four rags, Sarang, Dhanasari, Bilaval, and Sorath:
sārag aur dhanāsarī, bilāval soraṭh cār. in te paidā hot hai mājh kahit sur tār.

According to ‘Sur Tal Samuh,’ Rag Majh is the combination of five rags, Sorath, Bilaval, Sarang, Dhanasari, and Nat. Hence, some scholars also call it a ragini. ‘Budh Prakash Darpan,’ argues that this rag is composed by combining Siri, Madhvi, and Malar rags:
sirī rāg mādhavī, ar malār sur jāṇ. ih mil mājh bakhānahī, lījo guni jan mān.

According to Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha, Rag Majh is a rag of sampuran jati (class). In this rag, both Ga and both Ni are used, and all other notes are shudh (natural). No information is found about this rag in the ‘Ragmala’ recorded in the Guru Granth Sahib.

This form of Rag Majh is thought to have its roots in various angs (styles). Further, Prof. Tara Singh argues that Bilaval ang, Khamaj ang, and Kaphi ang are Rag Majh’s origins. Rag Majh sung from the Bilaval ang has been prevalent only in the Gwalior gharana (a musical school), and forms of the other two types have been preserved by the Sikh kirtaniyas singers.

Bhai Avtar Singh and Bhai Gurcharn Singh only mention Rag Majh of Khamaj ang and Kaphi ang. In both forms, both Ga and both Ni are used. In Kaphi ang, Ga is usually kept komal (flat), whereas in Khamaj ang, Ga is usually kept shudh. Dr. Gurnam Singh describes three forms of Rag Majh. The first is in Khamaj that and sharav-sampuran jati, the second is in Bilaval that and sharav-sampuran jati, and the third is in Kaphi that and aurav-vakar sampuran jati. The same form of Rag Majh of Kaphi that is accepted by the Rag Nirnayak Committee and recorded by Prof. Tara Singh and S. Gian Singh Abbottabad, etc. is as follows:

Description of Rag Majh
That: Khamaj.
Svar (notes): Both Ga, both Ni, and the rest of the notes are shudh (natural).
Varjit Svar (forbidden notes): Ga and Dha in aroh (ascending scale).
Jati (class): aurav-sampuran.
Vadi (prominent note): Re.
Samvadi (sub-prominent note): Pa.
Aroh (ascending scale): Sa Re, Ma Pa, Ni Sa (tar saptak - upper octave).
Avroh (descending scale): Sa (tar saptak - upper octave) Ni (komal - flat) Dha Pa, Dha Ma Ga Ma, Re Pa Ga (komal - flat) Re, Ga (komal - flat) Sa Re Ni (mandar saptak - lower octave) Sa.
Mukh Ang/Pakar (main part): Pa, Dha Ma Ga Ma, Re Pa, Ma Ga (komal - flat) Re, Ga (komal - flat) Sa Re Ni (mandar saptak - lower octave) Sa.

Singing Time
Usually, the singing time of this rag is believed to be the first quarter of the night, but some scholars consider it the fourth quarter of the day.