Brindavani Sarang or Brindabani Sarang, also known as Sarang, is a Hindustani classicalraga. It is also called Vridavani Sarang. This raga falls under the category of Sarang ragas.
Theory
Brindabani Sarang is a Kafithaat raga. It was created by Swami Haridas. The associated mythology being that he brought Lord Krishna to earth by singing this raga who took the form of an idol which can still be seen in Mathura. One of the famous Ragas for the Sarang raagang, it is a popular raag of this family, together with Shuddha Sarang, and Madhyamad Sarang. The name Brindavani Sarang is a testament to its popularity in the region around Mathura. The notes Ga and Dha are not used in this raga. A characteristic of all Sarang is the way Rishab is sung. The Rishabh is not accorded embellishments, so it is sung without any meenḍ of adjacent swaras neither with any andolan. This preeminence of Re makes the swar the vadi of this Raga as also for all other varieties of this family. Another dominant phrase is Sa - Ni - Pa, also used in many other ragas, notably the popular Kanhada family. The distinguishing factor being that the Ni in Kanhada's S-N-P takes a kaṇ of the Pa, with a ghaseeṭa effect, whereas the Ni of Sa-Ni-Pa in Sarang is rendered pure. Brindavani Sarang's classification in thaat Kaafi is peculiar as it uses the shuddha form of "Ni" in its Aaroha, whereas the komala form of "ni" and "ga" is the main characteristic of the Kaafi thaat. So it is possible to make a mistake in identifying its thaat as Khamaj. This raga evokes the sringara rasa - romantic love.
Madhyanah, Afternoon It is generally sung as a part of Mehfil.
Seasonality
It is generally regarded as a raaga of summer season.
Rasa
Shringar Rasa: The Rasa of Romance. It creates a romantic and mystic atmosphere.
Related Raga
Madhumad Sarang where shuddha ni is dropped. It is still considered a chanchal raga. Megh malhar has same notes but it is Dhrupad anga raga and is serious in rendering, with a lot of meenḍ. Another distinguishing factor is that while Rishabh is used extensively in Megh Malhar, the Rishabh there takes a very strong meenḍ from Madhyam, a salient in the singing of meenḍ-heavy Megh.
Important Recordings
Rashid khan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmayNk9PYVY Bhimsen Joshi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4owfAMyLDc Jhuti Muti Mitwa - Lata Mangeshkar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_-5oCQHWTc Hor vi neewaan howay - Kaafi Shah Hussain - Magical Siblings - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWMLcuzVCBk
Carnatic Compositions
Kamalaptakula by Tyagaraja Soundara raajam aashraye and Rangapura Vihara by Muthuswami Deekshithar Aathma Nivedanam by Thulaseevanam Amburuhânanâ by Kalyani Varadarajan Thillana in Brindavani Sarang by M. Balamuralikrishna
