Glossary · glossary · 1 min read
Sampoorna
सम्पूर्ण; seven-note
Sampoorna means complete. In Indian music, a sampoorna raga, a musical framework, uses all seven notes both going up and coming down.
By SJN, Founder, BeatRootRaga · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 27 Sept 2026
What does sampoorna mean?
Sampoorna means complete. In Indian music, a sampoorna raga, a musical framework, uses all seven notes both going up and coming down. Both directions matter to the definition: the seven-note count applies on the way up and on the way down.
Sampoorna is one of three note counts used to describe ragas. Sampoorna means seven notes, shadava means six, and audava means five. These terms describe how many notes a raga uses.
All seventy-two Carnatic melakartas are sampoorna. Melakartas are seven-note parent scales used to organise ragas in Carnatic music.
This is a short definition. For the full explanation of sampoorna, follow the linked BeatRootRaga learning page.
An example of sampoorna and where to read more
Kirwani is a raga, a musical framework, that is sampoorna: complete, using all seven notes going up and coming down. Sa is its home note. Here are its seven notes:
Sa Re ga Ma Pa dha Ni
Read Raga Kirwani (Keeravani) for more about this example. Keep the distinction in mind: Kirwani is the example here; the linked BeatRootRaga learning page gives the full explanation of sampoorna.
Keep going
- Raga Kirwani (Keeravani) · Kirwani is a raga, a musical framework, using C D Eb F G Ab B when Sa, its home note, is C. Heard in concerts, light classical music and film scores, it often suggests longing; listen for Ab rising to B, then C.
- Thaat and melakarta explained · A thaat in Hindustani music and a melakarta in Carnatic music are seven-note parent scales used to organise ragas, the melodic frameworks musicians perform. Hindustani music uses 10 practical categories, while Carnatic music uses 72 allowed scale combinations; these help identify note relationships, not a raga’s phrases or character.