The Durga aarti sung through Navratri in millions of homes. Like the Shiv aarti, it borrows the Om Jai Jagdish melody — so if you have played that one, this is words-only work. Independently published notations for this aarti land on exactly that tune, which is about as good as melodic corroboration gets.
The sargam, line by line
Sa is on C. Capital letters are shuddha (natural) swaras, lowercase is komal (flat), and a dot under a letter — written here as Ṇ — means the octave below. Each ▶ plays just that line on the keyboard above; turn on 🐢 Slow while you learn.
S S | S S S Ṇ | S RJai Ambe GauriR G M | P P D P M | G M RMaiya jai Shyama GauriThe same notes as Western keys
| Line | Keys | Sargam |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C C · C C C B↓ · C D | S S · S S S Ṇ · S R |
| 2 | D E F · G G A G F · E F D | R G M · P P D P M · G M R |
Harmonium notes in Hindi — हिंदी में सरगम
| सा सा · सा सा सा ऩि · सा रे | जय अम्बे गौरी |
| रे ग म · प प ध प म · ग म रे | मैया जय श्यामा गौरी |
Reading the harmonium notation
Harmonium notation and harmonium notes mean the same thing — different sites use different words for the same rows of letters. What follows is sargam, the Indian system, where every note carries a name instead of a letter. The table above gives the Western key for each one.
- S R G M P D N — Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni: the seven swaras. With Sa on C they are the white keys running up from C.
- A dot under the letter — the octave below. This song uses Ṇ, which sits to the left of your starting Sa.
- | — a phrase break, put there so the line is readable. It is not a bar line and you do not pause on it.
Jai Ambe Gauri uses 7 of the twelve keys in the octave: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni. Every note in Jai Ambe Gauri is a white key — no komal, no tivra anywhere in it, which is why it reads so cleanly on paper.
How to play it
- Navratri tempo is faster than it looks. Sung in a hall, this aarti moves. Learn it at the slow setting, then push the speed — the notes are easy, the pace is what catches people out.
- Drone on Sa, and stay there. Nine nights of aarti are sung over one fixed drone. Set it to your Sa and do not move it between verses.
- Play through the join. An aarti loops. Practise the return from line 2's final R back to line 1's S, not just the two lines separately.
Common questions
What are the harmonium notes for Jai Ambe Gauri?
With Sa on C: line 1 is S S · S S S Ṇ · S R, line 2 is R G M · P P D P M · G M R — all white keys.
Is Jai Ambe Gauri the same as Ambe Tu Hai Jagdambe?
No. Both are Durga aartis sung during Navratri, but they are different compositions with different melodies. Ambe Tu Hai Jagdambe opens on Re with a komal Ga and has its own tune.
Why do so many aartis share this melody?
Because it works for a room full of untrained singers: a narrow range, all white keys, and a phrase that returns to Sa constantly. Aarti texts get set to it the way hymn texts get set to a familiar hymn tune.
Is harmonium notation the same as harmonium notes?
Yes. Both names describe the same thing, and you will find Jai Ambe Gauri published under either one. This page gives the notation three ways so you can use whichever you read fastest: sargam, Western key names, and Devanagari. Jai Ambe Gauri draws on 7 of the twelve keys in the octave — Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni.
Where to go next
- Om Jai Jagdish Hare — harmonium notes with the same follow-along player.
- Ambe Tu Hai Jagdambe — harmonium notes with the same follow-along player.
- Happy Birthday — harmonium notes with the same follow-along player.
- All song notes — every song we publish, each with a follow-along player.
- The harmonium notes chart — sargam, komal and tivra, and the 10-thaat system.