Raga Bhairavi
Devotional, compassionate, expressive, complete
Raga Details
- Thaat
- Bhairavi
- Vikrut Swar
- Komal Rishabh (r), Komal Gandhar (g), Komal Dhaivat (d), and Komal Nishad (n)
- Varjit Swar
- None
- Jati
- Sampurna - Sampurna
- Vadi
- Madhyam (M)
- Samvadi
- Shadaj (S)
- Time
- Morning / often sung at the end of a performance
Aaroha • Avaroha • Pakad
Aaroha / Aaroh
S r g M P d n S'
Avaroha / Avroh
S' n d P M g r S
Pakad
g M d P, g M r S, S r g M
Notation guide: S R G M P D N are shuddha swars. Lowercase r, g, d, n indicate komal swars. M^ indicates tivra Madhyam. S' indicates upper Sa.
Explanation
How to understand Raga Bhairavi
Raga Bhairavi feels devotional, compassionate, and emotionally complete. Its four komal swars create a rich and expressive color. Because it is so flexible and beloved, it appears often in devotional and semi-classical music.
Features of the Raga
- Raga Bhairavi uses four komal swars and has a deeply expressive sound.
- It is traditionally a morning raga but is also commonly performed at the end of concerts.
- In lighter forms, additional swars may appear, but the core Bhairavi color remains important.
- It is widely used in bhajans, thumri, and devotional music.