Classification of Janya Ragas

VARJA RAGAS: Varja ragas are those janya ragas wherein one, two or three notes are deleted either in the arohana or avarohana or both. From the number of swaras present in the arohana and avarohana, janya ragas are classified under eight heads. The terms, sampurna (all the sapta swaras being represented), shadava (six swaras only being represented ie., one note being varja) and audava (five swaras only being represented ie., two notes being varja) are used to describe the arohana and avarohana in this connection. The tara sthayi shadja is excluded in calculating the number of swaras present in the arohana and avarohana of ragas.

Auduva is the earlier form of Audava

The eight kinds of varja ragas are

Everyone of the 72 melakarta ragas admits all of these eight varieties of transilient ragas. The possible number of audava-shadava-sampurna combinations is 483, and this multiplied by 72, gives the colossal figure 34,776, which is the possible number of varja ragas of this class derivable from all the 72 melakarta ragas.

VAKRA RAGAS: Janya ragas whose arohana or avarohana or both take a crooked or zig-zag course are called vakra ragas. Graphically represented, the arohana and avarohana of non-vakra ragas will be found to be regularly ascending and descending straight lines or curves; but the graphs of vakra ragas will present indeentations and reveal their tortuous character

In vakra ragas, during the course of the arohana or avarohana or both, a prior note will be found to repeat itself. Instances of vakra ragas without the repetition of a prior note in the arohana are:

Vakra svara is that svara in the arohana or avarohana at which a change in the course takes place. It is the svara at which there is the interruption in the regular course of the arohana or the avarohana as the case may be.

Vakrantya svara is the svara at which the vakratva or the change in the course ends and the original course is resumed. Thus in the arohana of Kathanakutuhalam, the ni is the vakra svara and ga is the vakrantya svara. Sometimes, the vakrantya svara may be the note next to the vakra svara; for example, dha in the arohana of Kuntalavarali: smpdnds (herein ni is the vakra svara and the dha following it is the vakrantya svara). Thus the range of vakratva may be a semi-tone as in Kuntalavarali of the interval of a Panchama as in Kathanakutuhalam.

Another example is Sriraga: srmpns / snpdnpmrgrs. Here, the vakra svaras are pa and ri and the vakrantya svaras are ni and ga respectively.

Saranga is an instance of a vakra raga wherein the vakrantya svara is the anya svara itself.

UPANGA RAGAS: Upanga ragas are those janya ragas which in addition to the notes pertaining to their parent ragas, take one or two foreign notes as visitors. These visiting notes come only in particular sancharas and serve to increase the beauty of the raga. The svarupa of the raga is revealed better by these foreign notes. Thus in a bhashanga raga, both the varieties of a svara occur, the variety pertaining so the melakarta being called the svakiya svara and the visiting note, the anya svara, In Bilahari and Bhairavi, the kaisiki nishada and chatussruti dhaivata are the respective anya svaras; the svakiya svaras for the two ragas being kakali nishada and suddha dhaivata respectively.

Barring a few instances like Bhairavi, the anya svara as a rule is not a nyasa svara in bhashanga ragas.

The number of Bhashanga ragas used on Karnatic Music is 26.