Bibhas
विभास
S r G P d S' | S' d P G r S
Origins & Context
Raag Bibhas is a Bhairav thaat raga of Hindustani music, performed in the early morning, that uses five notes: Sa, komal Re, shuddha Ga, Pa and komal Dha. Komal means lowered, shuddha means natural, and a thaat is a parent scale. It is also written Vibhas, and Vibhasa in older texts.
In this notation, lowercase is a komal note and an apostrophe the upper octave. The aroha, or ascent, is S r G P d S', and the avaroha, or descent, is S' d P G r S, both without Ma and Ni. The vadi, the most prominent note, is komal Dha, and the samvadi, its partner, is komal Re. Phrases come to rest on Pa and Dha. One teaching outline adds Re. Omkarnath Thakur's text, as cited in a 2026 study by Chaitra Sontakke and Arati N Rao, avoids a rest on Re to keep Bibhas apart from Reva.
Its notes are those of Deshkar with Re and Dha lowered, and Re is played without the oscillation it takes in Bhairav. George Howlett finds at least three present-day forms, typically tilted towards Marwa, Bhairav or Poorvi. He calls this form probably the most popular audav Bhairav raga, a five-note raga of the Bhairav family. In Carnatic music the same five notes form Revagupti, which Howlett gives as an approximate counterpart.
KalaSudha presents Hindustani musicians in concert and releases their recordings. Its academy teaches ragas online and in local workshops, and each course is built by its instructor with KalaSudha.
Technical Details
Melodic structure and movement patterns
Aroha (Ascent)
S r G P d S'
Avroh (Descent)
S' d P G r S
Pakad (Catch Phrase)
P d d P, G P G r S
Additional Notes
Phraseologies
Key for these phrases: lowercase letters are komal notes, and an apostrophe puts a note in the upper octave.
The link between Ga and Pa gives the raga its colour, as in P d P G P and S' d P G P. Fast passages often end on Pa, and the catch phrase P d d P, G P G r S closes on Sa through komal Re. The feel is heavy and suits devotional song.
George Howlett writes that Pa is often treated as a nyas, a resting note.
Common Phrases
Around the World
Global connections and equivalent scales
With Sa on C, Bibhas uses C, D flat, E, G and A flat. George Howlett gives the jazz Phrygian Dominant scale without its fourth and seventh as its translation, the same five notes.