Vanaspati

The scales of Vanaspati are as follows :

Aarohanam (Ascending) : S R1 G1 M1 P D2 N2 S’
Avarohanam (Descending) : S’ N2 D2 P M1 G1 R1 S

Vanaspati is a the 4th raga on the Melakarta Scale.

There is a very similar raga in Dikshithar school called Bhanumati; the only difference is that it drops the G1 in the Aarohanam. Muthuswami Dikshithar composed three songs in this raga of which Guruguha Swamini is well known. Other than these, there are only a few lesser known compositions in these ragas. Like other vivadi ragas, this too had a moody effect on me.

Note : The 12 notes in the octave are named as below. Please note that C is used as Sa for the sake of simplicity as the scale is relative in Carnatic Music. Also note that the scales paint only a superficial picture of the raga as the gamakas(ornamentations) are a very important part of a raga.