History of Raga Malkauns

The mythical origin of Raga Malkauns

Hindu legend tells that the raga was composed to calm the fury of Lord Shiva, the god of destruction. Born into royalty, Princess Sati renounced the material world in devotion to Shiva, with whom she soon married. This displeased her father, the king, who insulted her and scorned Shiva. Consumed by rage and sorrow, Sati assumed the form of the supreme goddess Adi Parashakti. Storms gathered, and her mortal body burst into flames, unable to contain the power of the goddess.

Shiva was devastated upon learning of his wife’s death. Mad with grief, he placed Sati’s charred corpse on his shoulders and hurled two locks of his hair to the ground. From those locks emerged the two Manibhadra, warrior spirits with many arms wielding swords, tridents, and cleavers in search of vengeance. Shiva lost himself in an endless tandava dance — the dance of destruction — and the spirits roamed the earth, beheading the king and wiping out his retinue.

Shiva’s fury alarmed the other gods, who implored Lord Vishnu, the preserver, to intervene. Vishnu brought Sati’s spirit back to Earth, reincarnating her as Parvati, the goddess of devotion. Parvati sought Shiva, purifying herself through long meditations outdoors, naked, until she finally found him in the forest.

It is said that Parvati sang the raga for the first time as they wandered through the mountains, naming it Mal-Kaushik (“he who wears serpents as garlands”) — a reference to one of Shiva’s representations. The music soothed his mind, succeeding where everything else had failed. Shortly after, the couple was reunited as husband and wife. Shiva took pity on the defeated enemies, resurrecting the dead and even restoring the king to the throne — though he replaced his severed head with that of a goat.

Theories about the name and the hidden power of Malkauns

Historians speculate that the raga’s name may have originated from the combination of Malavas (an ancient Punjabi tribe) with kaisiki (a microtonal variant of the note ni, the seventh degree of the scale). In any case, Malkauns is inseparable from its dark and mystical reputation. Many musicians still fear its supposed supernatural powers.

Superstitions and warnings

Some believe the raga can attract evil spirits if not treated with proper respect — as if shadows of Shiva’s Tandava dance were buried in its notes, waiting to break free.
An important Indian arts critic recently told me that he would rather miss a publication deadline than review a Malkauns CD after midnight. Sarod master Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, who used Malkauns as the basis for his own Raag Chandranandan, used to warn his students:

“If you are not in a good mood, do not play or sing Malkauns. You have to be very careful with this raga. It is one of the favorites of the djinns [spirits], you see. If you enchant them — if they like the way you play — they will do anything for you. But if they don’t like it… they will kill you.”

The artist’s care

The artist must remain patient, finding a balance that keeps the “Pandora’s box” shut. The devil is not in the details, but in carelessness. And have compassion for superstitious musicians — sometimes I get nervous on stage, but at least I know that missing a modulation won’t curse the audience.

Physical and spiritual reactions to the raga

Malkauns provokes all kinds of reactions. Spiritual healers cite its ability to relieve headaches and stomach aches. Others have used it in curious experiments with farm animals.

“The cows heard Malkauns in their stables, but did not produce more milk. However, they became noticeably more active…”

The pentatonic ancestry of Malkauns

Perhaps the cows’ big ears were perked up by the structural simplicity of the raga — or perhaps not. In any case, the scale used dates back to nature itself, employing prehistoric forms — in particular, the pentatonic scale. This musical structure, culturally universal, was independently discovered by virtually all civilizations and underlies genres such as American blues, Indonesian gamelan, Japanese classical music, and the musical traditions of West Africa. Flutes made from mammoth tusks over 40 thousand years old were already tuned to this scale. Even those who are not musicians seem to understand it intuitively.

The melodic tension of the raga

Malkauns comes close to the comforting sounds of the pentatonic. The difference lies in just one raised tone (Pa to Dha — from the 5th to the minor 6th degree), but this small alteration radically transforms the balance. It introduces an investigative uncertainty at the core of the scale, playing with our expectations. It is a sense of almost familiarity — as if we were about to grasp something that remains eternally out of reach.

Soloists often focus on the mandra saptak (lower octave), elaborating long phrases in vilambit laya (slow rhythm). All five tones are used to begin and end melodic phrases, which gives a tense and inevitable balance. The sensation is of being pulled in all directions at once — suspended in the air, contemplating the world from a distance. The raga has relatively few rules, but it is considered one of the most difficult to master.

Malkauns as a spiritual test

It is a deceptive raga — it combines a simple structure with a deep tension. Traditionally, it is associated with veeram (“the essence of courage”) — a quality that unites acceptance, determination, and absence of ego. If there is heroism here, it is that of returning to camp after the battle, full of relief, longing, and mourning. Musicians describe Malkauns with solemnity, as if it were necessary to sacrifice part of themselves to master it completely.

Isolation or reconnection?

The gods of this myth are known for their severe self-discipline — renouncing civilization and withdrawing into nature. Therefore, for some, the raga is a call to ascetic isolation. For others, the mythological symbols point to the opposite. After all, it was with Malkauns that Parvati calmed Shiva’s mind, helping him reconnect with reality — instead of continuing to flee from his pain.

Via: www.darbar.org/article/exploring-raag-malkauns

Listen to master Hariprasad playing Raga Malkauns: