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Raga Sorathi appears in the Ragraala as a raging of Raga Niegha; today
it belongs to the Khamaj thata. Besides Guru Nanak, Sorathi was used by Guru Nanak,
Gurfi Amar DAs. Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur for a total of 150
ltvmtns plus numerous slokas. Sorathi belongs to the cold season and is performed in the
first quarter of night. The mood is light and cheerful, with a pleasing sound resembling
Raga Desh. The texts composed to this raga show how the words of the Guru can enlighten
the mind. All fears vanish and one is tilled with bliss.
It is a ragini
of Megh raga and is sung at night. The Gurus have referred to
the darkness of superstition and maya
which envelopes the individual. Guru Nanak says:
“This mammon is the enticer of the world, o brother,
All the deeds done in its wake are sinful”[8].
Aroh : Sa Re Ma Pa Ni Sa
Avroh : Sa Re _Ni Dha, Nia Pa Dha Ma Ga Re Ni Sa
Vadi : Re
Samvadi : Dha
The melodies are characterized by sweeping phrases with glides connecting
all leaps, even the shorter ones. Movement is moderately fast.
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Introduction
According to Hanumant School of Music raga Sorath is a ragini (consort) of raga
Megh.
It is made up of a unison of Sindhvi, Kanra, Kafi and Malar ragas. This raga is included in the
Ragamala listed at the end of Guru Granth Sahib. The scale and notes of the raga are as
follows:
Arohi .(ascending scale) - sa re ma pa ni sa
Avrohi (descending scale) - sa re ni dha pa dha ma ga re ni sa
The vadi (most popular) note is 're' and samvadi (second most popular) note is
'dha'.
This raga is sung at the third part of the night i.e., from 12 a.m. to
3
a.m. The season of its recitation is winter (sharad) i.e., during October and November. In Guru
Granth Sahib it has hymns from pages 595 - 659( 64 pages).
The Composers:
The composers of bath (hymns) in this raga are:
Gurus
- Guru Nanak
- Guru Angad
- Guru Amardas
- Guru Ramdas
- Guru Arjan Dev
- Guru Tegh Bahadur
Bhagats:
- Kabir
- Namdev
- Ravidas
- Bhikhen
The Structure:
The sequence of the structure of compositions in this raga are:
Gurubani:
- Shabads (2, 3 ,4 and 5 padas)
- Shabads (8 padas called Ashtpadis)
- Var
Matrix
VISUAL ANALYSIS
Count of the use of Managals:
Complete Mool Mantar = 1 at page 595
Ik-ongkar Satgur Prasadh = 19
Placement and count of rahau verses:
All shabads and ashtpadis of the Gurus except Guru Tegh Bahadur (pages 595-631)
have
rahau verses in them, but none of the verses has numeral '1' with them. The rahau verses have been
placed after the first padas of the shabads. In Guru Tegh Bhadur's compositions (pages 631 - 634),
the rahau verses have numerals '1' with them and all rahau verses have been placed in the
beginning
of the shabad. In the Bhagat bani the rahau verses have been placed after the first padas of the
shabads.
Diversification of headings & subheadings in
this raga:
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Page number
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Heading/Subheading
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595
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Sorath Mehla 1 Ghar 1 chaupadas
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602
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Sorath Mehla 3 dotuke
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608
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Sorath Mehla 5 Ghar 1 tetuke
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634
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Sorath Mehla 1 Ghar 1 Ashtpadis chautukes
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642
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Raga Sorath Var Mehla 4 ki
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656
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Sorath
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Composers Structure of Bani
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Padas
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Ashtpadis
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Specialist
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Chts
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Specialist
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Var
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Sloaks*
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Gurus
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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8 (padas)
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untiled
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Titled
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Nanak
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9
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3
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4
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2
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Angad
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1
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Amardas
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12
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3
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48
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Ramdas
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8
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1
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1 (29
pauris)
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7
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Arjan Dev
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52
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41
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1
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3
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Tegh
Bahadur
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4
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8
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| Bhagats |
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| Kabir |
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1 |
3 |
7 |
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| Namdev |
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1 |
2 |
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| RaviDas |
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3 |
2 |
2 |
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| Baikhen |
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1 |
1 |
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• All sloaks are included in the var of Guru Ramdas. The comment 'Shud' is
recorded at the end of the var.
*Chts = Chhants
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Excerpts taken from:
Guru Granth Sahib: An Advance Study
Dr Sukhbir Singh Kapoor
Vice Chancellor World Sikh University, London
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