Asa (raga)

This is an India musical raga that appears in the Sikh tradition from northern India. Every raga has a strict set of rules which govern the number of notes and their interplay that has to be adhered to for the composition of a tune.

Asa is a very old raga which was once popular in the Punjab (northern India) but seldom heard in concerts today. In the Guru Granth Sahib's Ragmala this is a ragini (subset) of raga Megha. However, today it is assigned to the "Bilaval" thata ("set"). Asa is a devotional raga for the cold season and is performed in the early morning just before sunrise. However, it is also known as a twilight melody with a calm mystical mood. Raga Asa was used by Guru Nanak, Guru Angad, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjan and Guru Tegh Bahadur.

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: Sa Re Ma Pa Dha Sa
• Avroh: Sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa
• Vadi: Ma
• Samvadi: Sa

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 SGGS are Kafi and Asavari, both of which have many features in common with Asa. This raga may have originated in Maharashtra about the time of the major Muslim invasions. Its pleasing sound made it suitable for bhajans by the Hindu devotees.