The Charm of Raga Bhairav

The Morning Ragas all evoke different moods in the listener. They evoke different images as we listen to them. For instance, Raga Lalit is a Raga that you wake up to. But Raga Bhatiyar is a raga you listen to as you are still in bed, in that half asleep state when you are still in two minds whether to get out of bed or to just roll over and back to sleep. You will notice in the Raga Samay Chakra (trans: The Wheel of Time) the Ragas enhance the mood of the listener of sung at the right time. Raga Bhairav (which is disntinct from Raga Bhairavi) is the Raga that has the picture of a stern patriarch inviting you to get out of bed and join him in prayer.

Raga Bhairav is a raga associated with Lord Shiva. Some musicians also call it Raga Bhairo or Bhairon. Bhairav is considered to be an incarnation (Avatar) of Lord Shiva who is fierce and associated with destruction. It is believed that Bhairon is connected to the Southern face and relates to the Mahavidya goddess named Bhairavi. The Sinhalese worship the same God as Bahirawa who is the God of treasures.

Bhairav is considered a masculine Raga and its consort is Raga Bhairavi (another melodious late morning Raga). Bhairav Raga is based on the family (or Thaat) also called Bhairav. Bhairav Thaat has other morning ragas too such as Ramkali and Jogiya. You will notice that Ramkali and Jogia are also bunched with Bhairav to be sung at the same time.

My favorite example of Raga Bhairav being used in Hindi film music is the song Jago Mohan Pyare composed for the Raj Kapoor-Nargis starrer Jagte Raho (1956). It captures the devotional mood of the raga where the devotee is asking the Lord to wake up from sleep and acknowledge the devotee. Watch the film clip here

The other brilliant example of a film composition based on Raga Bhairav is from Baiju Bawra (1952), the story of a wandering minstrel Baiju. This film has music composed by Naushad and has some lovely compositions – all of which are based on different Ragas. The song Mohe Bhool Gaye Saanwariya (Trans: You have forgotten me Krishna…) sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

My friends will all tell you that while no one can fault Lata Mangeshkar’s skill as a singer, I have always considered her sister Asha Bhosle to be a slightly better singer. Just my bias I guess, but I love the lilt that AshaAllow me to present a composition in Raga Bhairav from the film Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1962).

Here is Pandit Jasraj singing Raga Bhairav in a style that belongs to the Mewati Gharana. An offshoot of the Gwalior Gharana, the Mewati Gharana gets its name from the Mewar region of Rajasthan. Pandit Jasraj is well known for his ability to sing notes across three and a half octaves. Enjoy him singing Raga Bhairav.

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See my post Waking Up To Raga Lalit

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