Which Raga are common in Shiv, Bharat, Hanuman and Kallinath sects of Rag-Ragini system?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1 (Shree, Megh):
The Raga-Ragini classification system, despite being obsolete now, was historically defined by four main schools or *Mats*: Shiv, Bharat, Hanuman, and Kallinath. Each of these schools proposed a foundational set of six principal male Ragas, each with an associated number of female Raginis. Although the lists of the six Ragas vary slightly across these four *Mats*—with Ragas like Bhairav, Malkauns, Hindol, Deepak, Pancham, and Vasant often swapping positions—the Ragas **Shree** and **Megh** hold a nearly universal position. They are consistently included as two of the six chief Ragas in the classifications adopted by all four major musicological traditions, making them the common link in this group. This stability highlights their fundamental importance in the ancient aesthetic and structural framework of Raga.

The incorrect option is 2 (Bhairav, Basant):
While **Bhairav** is one of the most stable principal Ragas found across all four *Mats* and thus common, **Basant** (Vasant) is a point of difference. Basant is generally counted among the six primary Ragas in the Shiv and Kallinath *Mats*, which follow the 6 Raga/36 Ragini system. However, in the 6 Raga/30 Ragini systems like the Hanuman and Bharat *Mats*, Basant is typically omitted or replaced by other Ragas such as Hindol or Malkouns as the principal male Raga. Therefore, the pairing of Bhairav and Basant does not meet the criterion of being common to *all four* traditions.

The incorrect option is 3 (Hindol, Deepak):
**Hindol** and **Deepak** are prominent principal Ragas, and they are centrally featured in the classification schemes of the Bharat Mat and the Hanuman Mat. However, they are frequently excluded from the six primary Ragas listed in the Shiv Mat and the Kallinath Mat. For instance, the Shiv Mat often substitutes Ragas like Vasant and Natnarayan for Hindol and Deepak in its core list. Since the question demands a group common to all four schools of thought, and this pair is conspicuously absent from two of the four lists, it cannot be considered the correct answer.

The incorrect option is 4 (Pancham, Malkouns):
Both **Pancham** and **Malkouns** are key Ragas, but they exist in a mutually exclusive relationship in the principal Raga lists of the four *Mats*. Pancham is often counted among the six principal Ragas in the Shiv and Kallinath *Mats*, while Malkouns holds a corresponding spot in the Bharat and Hanuman *Mats* (sometimes listed as *Kaushik*). Because no single list includes both Pancham and Malkouns as primary Ragas, and each is a primary Raga in different classification groups, their joint selection as Ragas common to all four *Mats* is inaccurate.