Swara

In Indian music, swaras (sing. swaram (स्वरं) or swara, pl. swarams or swaras), to give a correspondence, are notes. Swaras are the components of a raga, rather than the members of the all-encompassing chromatic scale. For example, instead of do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do, swaras are sa-ri(Carnatic), re(Hindustani)-ga-ma-pa-da(C), dha(H)-ni-sa (स-रि, रे-ग-म-प-द, ध-नि-स).

In the Carnatic raga Kanakangi (कनकाङ्गि), these were the swaras:

Indian	Western
Sa	C
Ri, Re	D flat
Ga	D
Ma	F
Pa	G
Da, Dha	G sharp
Ni	A

In Rasikapriya (रसिकप्रिया), the notes were as follows:

Indian	Western
Sa	C
Ri, Re	E flat
Ga	E
Ma	F sharp
Pa	G
Da, Dha	B flat
Ni	B

As you can see, from raga to raga, Ri (Re), Ga, Ma, Da (Dha), and Ni can change. So how do people differentiate? Like this:

What they mean

Each swara (e.g. "Sa", "Ri", "Ga", "Ma", "Pa", "Da", and "Ni") is believed to correspond with the natural sound of an animal/bird, and some have a meaning of its own.

Swara	Expansion	Meaning	Animal/bird
Sa	Shadjamam (शड्जमं)	--	Peacock
Ri	Rishabham (रिषभं)	Bull	Bull
Ga	Gandharam (गान्धारं)	--	Goat
Ma	Madhyamam (मध्यमं)	Middle	Dove
Pa	Panchamam (पंचमं)	Fifth	Cuckoo
Da	Daivatam (दैवतं)	--	Horse
Ni	Nishadam (निषादं)	Outcast	Elephant