Raga Asa is peculiar raga of Gurmat Sangeet Tradition. It is not being used in Indian music. There is a raga 'Majh Khamaj' in Hindustani Sangeet, but it does not resemble Asa of Gurmat Sangeet. Gurmat Sangeet is a musicology of Sikh Sacred Music, used in the Sikh holy scripture the

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

. The ragas used by Sikh Gurus for Gurbani are known as Gurmat Sangeet. It is popular in the Sikh tradition from northern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and is part of daily prayers being conducted in Sikh Gurdwaras. Every raga has a strict set of rules which govern the number of notes that can be used; which notes can be used; and their interplay that has to be adhered to for the composition of a tune. In the

, the Sikh holy Granth (book) there are 60 Ragas of equal and independent status. Numerous Shabad Reet compositions on the base of these ragas are popular in the tradition. The Gurbani hymns under raga Asa appear in Sri Guru Granth Sahib first at page no. 8. Aasaa has strong emotions of inspiration and courage. This Raag gives the listener the determination and ambition to put aside any excuses and to proceed with the necessary action to achieve the aim. It generates feelings of passion and zeal to succeed and the energy generated from these feelings enables the listener to find the strength from within to achieve success, even when the achievement seems difficult. The determined mood of this Raag ensures that failure is not an option and motivates the listener to be inspired. Asa is five centuries old raga. It is introduced in classical singing styles of Gurmat Sangeet by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism. The raga is originated from popular folk tunes of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

(northern

). Raga Asa belongs to Bilawal Thaat. Asa was used by

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also referred to as ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated w ...

Guru Angad Guru Angad (31 March 1504 – 29 March 1552; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅੰਗਦ, pronunciation: ) was the second of the ten Sikh gurus of Sikhism. After meeting Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, becoming a Sikh, and serving and working with ...

Guru Amar Das Guru Amar Das (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਮਰ ਦਾਸ, pronunciation: ; 5 May 1479 – 1 September 1574), sometimes spelled as Guru Amardas, was the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Sikh Guru on 26 March 1552 at age 73. Befo ...

, Guru Ram Das,

Guru Arjan Guru Arjan (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ, pronunciation: ; 15 April 1563 – 30 May 1606) was the first of the two Gurus martyred in the Sikh faith and the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of ...

and

Guru Tegh Bahadur Guru Tegh Bahadur (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਤੇਗ਼ ਬਹਾਦਰ (Gurmukhi); ; 1 April 1621 – 11 November 1675) was the ninth of ten Gurus who founded the Sikh religion and the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in 1675. ...

. The following represents the order of notes that can be used on the ascending and descending phase of the composition and the primary and secondary notes. * Aroh: * Avroh: * Vadi: Ma * Samvadi: Sa * Thaat : Bilaval * Jaati : Audava – Sampurna * Resting notes : Avroha ga , ni * Time : Evening Asa is a crooked (vakra) raga in that approaches to certain notes have to be made from a set position. Its variants as given in the

are Kafi and Asavari, both of which have many features in common with Asa.

References

External links

A Sikh Shabad in Raga Asa

Raga Asa instrumental played with a Taus

Gurmat Sangeet Project

Raj Academy of Asian Music

Sikhnet: Shabad for Printing
{{Sikh Ragas Hindustani ragas Ragas in the Guru Granth Sahib

See also

References

External links