RagaKalyan thaatearly night

Raag Yaman राग यमन

Q: Is Yaman good for beginners?

Yes. It is usually the first raga taught, and Bhatkhande’s Kramik Pustak Malika opens with it. All its notes are shuddha but one, and its phrases are clear and easy to hear.

Yaman is the raga most teachers start with. It uses all seven notes, with Ma always tivra (sharp), and it is sung in the early night. Here are its notes on the harmonium, its aroha, avaroha and pakad, and its paltas, each played at your Sa for you to sing back.

Thaat: Kalyan
Jati: Sampurna–Sampurna 7 up, 7 down
Vadi: Ga
Samvadi: Ni
Sung: Early night
In Carnatic: Kalyani

Lamps lit on the river steps at nightfall — Yaman as Sangat draws it, at nightfall. Beside it, Yaman’s aroha and avaroha and its pakad: the harmonium plays each one at your Sa, then waits for you to sing it back. Choose Sing along to sing with it instead.

The notes

Yaman takes all seven swaras. Six are shuddha (natural). Ma is tivra, a semitone above the Ma of the plain scale, and Yaman never uses shuddha Ma at all. Seven notes go up and seven come down, so its jati is sampurna–sampurna.

Aroha आरोह: Ṇi Re Ga Ma′ Dha Ni Ṡaऩि रे ग म॑ ध नि सां
Avaroha अवरोह: Ṡa Ni Dha Pa Ma′ Ga Re Saसां नि ध प म॑ ग रे सा
Pakad पकड़: Ṇi Re Ga Re · Pa Re · Ṇi Re Saऩि रे ग रे · प रे · ऩि रे सा

Two things in the aroha differ from a plain scale. It climbs from mandra Ni, the Ni below Sa: Ṇi Re Ga, not Sa Re Ga. And Pa is usually passed over on the way up: Ma′ Dha Ni. Textbooks write the aroha with Pa (Ṇi Re Ga Ma′ Pa Dha Ni Ṡa); singers mostly leave it out, and Sangat plays it their way. The pakad above is one common form. The NCERT textbook gives Ṇi Re Ga Ma′ Pa, Re Ga Re, Ṇi Re Sa.Reading the sargamA dot below a swara puts it in the lower octave (mandra), a dot above in the upper (taar). A line under a swara marks it komal; a tick after Ma marks tivra Ma.

On the harmonium

With Sa at C♯, Yaman is C♯, D♯, F, G, G♯, A♯ and C. With Sa at G♯ it is G♯, A♯, C, D, D♯, F and G. Set your Sa above and the keyboard lights Yaman’s keys from there; tap a key to hear it.

Yaman with Sa at C♯. Tap a key to hear it.

Swara	Name	Sa at C♯ (kali 1)	Sa at G♯ (kali 4)
Sa सा	Sa	C♯ kali ek	G♯ kali chaar
Re रे	Re	D♯ kali do	A♯ kali paanch
Ga ग	Ga	F safed chaar	C safed ek
Ma′ म॑	Tivra Ma	G safed paanch	D safed do
Pa प	Pa	G♯ kali chaar	D♯ kali do
Dha ध	Dha	A♯ kali paanch	F safed chaar
Ni नि	Ni	C safed ek	G safed paanch

Yaman’s notes from mandra Pa to taar Sa, at your Sa. The table gives the keys for the two most common Sa, with their harmonium names.

How it moves

A raga is more than its scale. What makes Yaman sound like Yaman is the way it moves between its notes. These are the phrases to know first.

Ṇi Re Ga, not Sa Re GaBegin the climb from mandra Ni. Ṇi Re Ga is the sound of Yaman opening.
Ma′ Dha Ni, past PaGoing up, step over Pa: Ga Ma′ Dha Ni Ṡa. Pa comes back on the way down.
Pa to Re, through Ma′ and GaPa Ma′ Ga Re, then Sa: a phrase heard in nearly every Yaman. Often it is sung as Pa, Re, with Ma′ and Ga only touched on the way.
Rest on Ga, Pa and NiThese are the notes Yaman stops on, with Sa. Ga is its most important note (the vadi), and Ni answers it (the samvadi).
Every note coming downThe descent can take the whole scale: Ṡa Ni Dha Pa Ma′ Ga Re Sa.

Ragas near Yaman

Other ragas share most of Yaman’s notes. Knowing what separates them keeps your Yaman clean.

Raga	How it differs
Yaman Kalyan	Yaman with a touch of shuddha Ma, only coming down and only between two Gas: Ga Ma Ga Re. Sing that turn in Yaman and it becomes Yaman Kalyan.
Shuddh Kalyan	Bhupali’s five notes going up, with no Ma or Ni, and Yaman’s line coming down. Its Ni and tivra Ma are only passed through in glides, never held.
Bhupali	Five of Yaman’s notes, with Ma and Ni left out altogether.

Paltas in Yaman

Paltas walk a raga’s own line in small groups: pairs, threes, fours, turns. Because they follow Yaman’s aroha and avaroha, they climb from mandra Ni and pass over Pa going up, just as Yaman does. These are the paltas Sangat plays in Yaman, called at your Sa for you to answer.

The harmonium plays a line, then waits: sing it back in the gap.

Line

Yaman’s paltas, from pairs to the wide triplets that run from mandra Dha to taar Ga. Each bar is a note at its pitch; an outlined bar is the note to sing back.

A first bandish

Bhatkhande’s Kramik Pustak Malika, the books many teachers still start from, opens Book 1 with Yaman. Its first piece is a sargam geet: a composition in Teentaal sung on the swara names alone, so you learn how the raga moves before there are any words.

Sargam geet सरगम गीतYaman · Teentaal · madhya laya · 90 BPM

Sthayi

0NNi10DDha11–ऽ12PPa3MMa14PPa15GGa16MMa×PPa2–ऽ3–ऽ4–ऽ2PPa6MMa7GGa8RRe

0SSa10RRe11GGa12RRe3GGa14MMa15PPa16DDha×PPa2MMa3GGa4RRe2GGa6RRe7SSa8–ऽ

0ṆNi10RRe11GGa12MMa3PPa14DDha15NNi16ṠSa×ṘRe2ṠSa3NNi4DDha2PPa6MMa7GGa8MMa

Antara

0GGa10GGa11PPa12DDha3PPa14ṠSa15–ऽ16ṠSa×NNi2ṘRe3ĠGa4ṘRe2ṠSa6NNi7DDha8PPa

0ĠGa10ṘRe11ṠSa12NNi3DDha14PPa15NNi16DDha×PPa2MMa3GGa4RRe2GGa6RRe7SSa8–ऽ

0ṆNi10RRe11GGa12MMa3PPa14DDha15NNi16ṠSa×ṘRe2ṠSa3NNi4DDha2PPa6MMa7GGa8MMa

From V. N. Bhatkhande, Hindustani Sangeet Paddhati Kramik Pustak Malika, Book 1, page 25. The scan.

Yaman’s sargam geet from Book 1, matra by matra: × marks sam, 0 the khali. Press play and the harmonium sings it over the tabla, lighting each matra as it goes. The same book has two songs in Yaman, “Sada shiv bhaj mana” and “Guru bin kaise gun gaave”, and both are in Sangat.

Common slips

Climbing Sa Re Ga Ma′ PaA straight scale up sounds like an exercise, not like Yaman. Start from mandra Ni and pass over Pa.
A shuddha MaAny shuddha Ma, even a passing one like Ga Ma Ga Re, turns Yaman into Yaman Kalyan. Keep every Ma tivra.
Only the scaleYaman is known by its turns, not only by its notes. Sing the pakad and the phrases above until they come without thinking.

Songs in Yaman

Many bhajans and film songs are based on Yaman, though film songs often bend the raga. Humming one is a quick way to get Yaman in your ear. Each of these is listed by the NCERT textbook or by two other sources.

Shri Ramchandra Kripalu Bhajman (bhajan, Tulsidas)
Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar (Hum Dono, 1961)
Jiya Le Gayo Ji Mora Sanwariya (Anpadh, 1962)
Zindagi Bhar Nahin Bhoolegi (Barsaat Ki Raat, 1960)
Chandan Sa Badan (Saraswatichandra, 1968)
Inhi Logon Ne (Pakeezah, 1972)
Jab Deep Jale Aana (Chitchor, 1976)

Questions

What are the notes of raag Yaman?

All seven: Sa, Re, Ga, tivra Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni. Every note is shuddha except Ma, which is always tivra. With Sa at C♯ the keys are C♯, D♯, F, G, G♯, A♯ and C.

What is the aroha and avaroha of raag Yaman?

Aroha: Ṇi Re Ga Ma′ Dha Ni Ṡa, climbing from the Ni below Sa and usually passing over Pa (textbooks write Ṇi Re Ga Ma′ Pa Dha Ni Ṡa). Avaroha: Ṡa Ni Dha Pa Ma′ Ga Re Sa.

What is the pakad of raag Yaman?

One common form is Ṇi Re Ga Re, Pa Re, Ṇi Re Sa. The NCERT textbook gives Ṇi Re Ga Ma′ Pa, Re Ga Re, Ṇi Re Sa. Both carry Yaman’s signature: the climb from mandra Ni and the fall from Pa to Re.

What are the vadi and samvadi of raag Yaman?

The vadi, its most important note, is Ga. The samvadi, its partner, is Ni.

When is raag Yaman sung?

In the first part of the night, roughly from 6 to 10 pm. For practice, any time you can sing is the right time.

What is the difference between Yaman and Yaman Kalyan?

Yaman uses only tivra Ma. Yaman Kalyan adds a touch of shuddha Ma coming down, between two Gas: Ga Ma Ga Re.

Is Yaman good for beginners?

Yes. It is usually the first raga taught, and Bhatkhande’s Kramik Pustak Malika opens with it. All its notes are shuddha but one, and its phrases are clear and easy to hear.

Facts checked on 13 October 2026 against tanarang.com, Rajan Parrikar’s essays at parrikar.org, ITC Sangeet Research Academy’s time chart, the NCERT Class XI textbook Hindustani Sangeet: Gayan evam Vadan and Wikipedia. The sargam geet is from V. N. Bhatkhande’s Kramik Pustak Malika, Book 1, which is in the public domain.