In June 2020, I started to notice something unusual while I was in Pappankulam, my native village. I used to sit in a tea shop and listen to the songs on Suryan FM. I observed a synchronization between the lyrics of the songs and my surroundings. This phenomenon happened for every single sentence of the song.
For instance, when the current word being sung is ‘crow,’ I would find myself instinctively turning in a direction only to spot an actual crow nearby. I haven’t noticed it much except in songs sung in Tamil language.
I couldn’t replicate it on my own as it was beyond my control; it appears to happen unpredictably. I’ve shared this experience with a few people, and while they expressed surprise, they didn’t seem to take it very seriously.
Anyway, I recently observed the same effect when I create an Instagram Reel and add music to it. It becomes particularly noticeable when I edit Sooryagayathri’s videos by incorporating a Tamil song into the reel. I had noticed this phenomenon a few times before, but in my recent Instagram Reels which I created this year, the evidence is undeniable.
Now, it serves as public evidence. If you understand Tamil, take a look at my Instagram Reels: https://www.instagram.com/shanmugamp73/. Pay close attention, and you won’t believe your eyes. Once you notice this, I am curious to hear your comments.
I registered this blog in WordPress on January 10, 2014. Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of this blog. First, I want to take this time to thank everyone who supported my blog and work for the last decade. Having said that, I want to extend my heartfelt wishes for Hanuman Jayanthi to you all.
Join me in this enlightening video where I delve into the profound significance of Hanuman, the revered deity known for his unwavering devotion and incredible strength. This video aims to not only educate but also inspire a deeper connection with the divine, fostering a sense of positivity and strength in your life. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to gain insights into the spiritual realm and embrace the blessings that Hanuman Jayanthi brings. Hit play and embark on a journey of enlightenment and joy! Wishing you all a blessed and Happy Hanuman Jayanthi! 🙏✨
As I mentioned in the video, on this auspicious day, our honorable Prime Minister tweeted Sooryagayathri’s music video.
Join me in this heartfelt rendition of Nirvana Shatkam, a profound poem composed by Adhi Shankaracharya, skillfully composed by the talented SooryaGayathri.
In this video, I humbly share my attempt to sing this beautiful composition alongside SooryaGayathri’s enchanting rendition. Let the soothing melodies and profound verses guide you on a contemplative journey towards inner peace and self-discovery.
As I step into this fresh year, anticipation and enthusiasm fill my spirit. I’m brimming with new plans, strategies, and upcoming projects centered around my content, which delves into spirituality, mental and physical health, and beyond.
Speaking from the perspective of a wounded healer, I’ve traversed through trauma, endured abuse, battled addiction, faced homelessness, and embarked on a sincere spiritual journey, drawing profound lessons from every experience. This year promises to be a chapter of growth, resilience, and the continued sharing of insights gained along this transformative journey.
This morning, I visited the nearby Ramar temple—a stunning sanctuary in the heart of the city. I am planning an upcoming post on Rama, drawing insights not only from the Ramayana but also from spiritual texts like Yoga Vashistam and Adyatma Ramayanam. For those on a spiritual journey, there are numerous lessons to glean from Rama’s life.
At Ramar temple today, 1/1/2024
Yesterday, the final day of the year, began with a 6-kilometer morning walk and followed by cleaning my room. I estimate that I burned around 800 calories during this routine. Recognizing the tendency for people to overestimate calorie expenditure and underestimate consumption, I’ve adjusted my estimate to a more realistic 800 calories, steering clear of the common underestimation pitfall.
A corner of my room serves as a versatile space, functioning as a kitchen, library, and pooja room. I took the time to clean and organize it yesterday, and now, the atmosphere is imbued with the grace of Annapoorni and Saraswathi.
These are the statues I got at the beginning of 2022, and I really like them. Each statue has a special story.
For example, the small Hanuman statue made of stone was bought in Tiruvannamalai in July 2022 after I went to Sooryagayathri’s concert in Gowribidanur. The Krishna statue is the one I ordered from Amazon because I loved Sooryagayathri’s Gopigopalam song and I wanted to buy a statue similar to one that I saw in the music video. The picture of Lord Murugan in the form of Kolanchiappar was bought in Vridhachalam.
I stayed near Vridhachalam for two months to find an old school friend named Ramesh, but unfortunately, I never saw him. I wanted to make sure he was okay because Sooryagayathri looks exactly like him, and sometimes I think he is reborn as her. I had a strong belief in finding out if my suspicion was true. I searched for Ramesh in Ramanattam, a small village near Thozhudur, where he used to live with his parents. I asked a lot of people, but no one could tell me where he was. I remember him saying his native place was Thirukovilur. I even went there one day. Unfortunately, I never found him even after staying in Tittagudi for two months, where the school we studied was located. Those two months were unforgettable, and some interesting things happened during that time that I haven’t shared in a blog post yet.
So, every statue here brings back sweet memories with interesting and touching stories. The little stones you see near the statues are marbles of different colors that I bought because I really like them. They look beautiful. There are also a couple of Rudraksha beads. I made a couple of Shivalingas with M-Seal, a special kind of sealant, with my own hands. M-Seal is a type of epoxy, resin-based, multipurpose sealant with a unique combination of epoxy putty and adhesive.
Here is a glimpse of my library. I have copies of the Tamil translation of all four Vedas in seven volumes.
Rig Veda alone spans three volumes. Additionally, I possess crucial texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, Thirumanthiram, Thiruvasagam, and poems by Bharathiyar. Alongside these, there are numerous smaller books aimed at aiding in the learning of Malayalam. I need to restart my Malayalam learning journey as I unintentionally set it aside for the past six months. The same applies to my Sanskrit learning as well.
I’ve accumulated video and audio lessons on Carnatic music, diligently practicing to the point of mastering all 14 from sarali varisai and completing Jandai varisai. However, amidst relocations and various life events, the practice was momentarily disrupted. Nevertheless, I am determined to resume and redouble my efforts in the coming year. One of my musical aspirations is to flawlessly sing Niravana Shatkam, following the tune composed by Sooryagayathri. It’s a goal that I am committed to achieving through dedicated practice
As we step into the new year of 2024, it marks a period of plans, strategies, resolutions, and unwavering convictions for me. I extend warm New Year wishes to all of you. Stay connected, as my upcoming post will delve into the world of the most straightforward and accessible exercise – walking. This piece will be detailed and offer a unique perspective distinct from content you may have encountered before.
First of all, I am sorry about this post. I am a huge fan of Sooryagayathri. But I am not a fan of the modern society which has no clue on how to deal with life. They fall for fake gurus; And sometimes fake gurus and ignorant babas like Jaggi Vasudev create a lot of negative influence in the society. And this negative influence affects great divine artists like Soorya.
I want to ask a question to the Sooryagayathri’s team on the new release ‘Bhairavi Shatakam’.. Who gave this stupid idea? Calm down.. I will explain why this idea is ignorant and stupid.
Another question.. For every video of yours, you have promptly mentioned the author of the lyrics. But you didn’t mention the author of the lyrics for Bhairavi Shatakam. Why? Because, you don’t know.
Let me clarify.. There is nothing called ‘shatakam’ in the first place. Shatkam is a poem that has 6 stanzas. And ashtakam has a poem that has 8 stanzas. Is this clear enough?
Adhi Shankaracharya composed a poem called Rajarajeshwari Ashtakam. It has 8 stanzas. The verses are given below:
Isha foundation, a dangerous cult organization that I have been writing about many years in this blog did something interesting.
Linga Bhairavi, is a so called consecrated structure in Isha foundation and in the name of donation for this consecration they collected millions.
They wanted a verse for this Linga Bhairavi, a commercial goddess who can stay in your house if you pay lakhs of rupees for the so called Linga Bhairavi Yantra.
First they removed the 3rd verse and 8th verse from the original Rajarajeshwari Ashtakam composed by Sooryagayathri’s beloved Adhi Shankaracharya. And they changed the verses in the rest of the poem.
In the beginning of each stanza of the original composition, they replaced the word ‘amba’ with the word ‘bhairavi’. Then they replaced the last word ‘Sri Raja rajeshwari’ with ‘Sri Linga Bhairavi’.. How clever?
Dear Sooryagayathri and team,
One question to you. Is it fair to alter the original verse composed by Adhi Shankaracharya for an organization’s commercial purpose? And it is fair to sing this commercial version instead of the original version?
I have not asked an illegal question. So I hope you take this post positively.
Among the treasures of spirituality, a favorite gem of mine is the Sanskrit masterpiece Nirvana shatkam (also known as atma shatkam). This profound composition, attributed to Adi Shankara, distills the essence of non-dualistic (advaita) philosophy into six verses. In the hands of Adi Shankara, the Nirvanashatkam becomes a radiant tapestry of ancient wisdom, illuminating the path from duality to profound oneness.
A popular version was sung and released by Sounds of Isha, but they made a mistake while using the verses. They sang the line ‘madhoa naiva mae naiva maathsarya Bhavah’ as ‘na me vai mado naiva matsarya bhavaha’ which renders the whole sentence meaningless.This observation kindled a persistent wish within me—a desire for someone else to compose a fresh melody and correctly render the verses.
Imagine my delight when I learned of Sooryagayathri, a young and gifted devotional and Carnatic singer, who not only composed a new melody but also rendered the verses correctly. It felt like a long-awaited boon, a reward for my patience. The intersection of her talent and this profound composition was nothing short of a divine convergence, answering my wish and renewing the timeless allure of Nirvana Shatkam.
The subtitles have translations. Here is a translation of Nirvanashatkam available online, featuring the original verses: https://shlokam.org/nirvanashatakam/
Sooryagayathri’s rendition of Nirvanashatkam presents an auditory delight and a spiritual treasure for seekers yearning for a musical masterpiece that nurtures their inner growth. Composed by Sooryagayathri in the Ragam – Guhamanohari, also known as Pulindika, her rendition is a harmonious blend of soul-stirring sounds and profound spirituality.
Prasanth Sankar skillfully orchestrated, mixed, and mastered the composition, ensuring a seamless sonic experience. The melodic tapestry is further adorned by the resonant tones of the veena, skillfully played by Sounder Rajan, while the ethereal notes of the flute, caressed by Nikhil Ram Kozhikode, add an enchanting layer. The rhythmic heartbeat of Lal M.P’s tabla infuses the composition with rhythmic depth, a synergy expertly captured by Milky Way Audio Productions in Perambra. Prasad Sankar’s adept camera work and editing craft a captivating visual and auditory journey, complemented by Dinesh Janouti’s thoughtful design.
This harmonious creation is a testament to the dedicated efforts of SG Production, bringing forth a musical and spiritual experience that resonates deeply with the souls of those who seek.
Hello friends, well wishers, spiritual seekers and music lovers..
I have started a new group on Facebook about @Sooryagayathri , called as ‘ Sooryagayathri university’..The purpose of this group is not only to promote Soorya’s divine music, but also to learn things together..
Over the last few months, I have faced verbal abuses, threats, and even physical violence just because of declaring the fact that two people who have similar interests can get together for the welfare of the society.. People were quick to judge and come to conclusions..
To avoid such undesirable consequences and to keep myself safe, I have become much more careful.. But at the same time, I am disappointed with the world and the society because of many things that have happened.. Where is the intelligence of humanity? Did it get hijacked by mobile phones or did it burn to ashes because of the social model that modernisation has created?
If you want to see a new world, then dont worry.. Creation of a new world is in the process because of thousands of people who are awakened and intelligent, and thousands of people like Soorya who are passionate about spreading happiness through divine art forms…
I was going through a small bag that I have preserved since school days. I came across a few notes written by me when I was in school. I am sharing those notes with you to show you how depressed and helpless I was in school days. I have omitted certain parts of them. The practice of mindfulness was what cured me from depression and helped me realize my own nature and find my own true bliss.
Here are the pictures of those notes:
The last picture is not very clear. I have mentioned there that sometimes I used to weep for no reason. It was a mystery for me and I didn’t know what caused my tears without reason.
My depression was very hard to bear and I thought of commiting suicide many times. But it was that suffering which made me to seek the ultimate liberation.
Dear friends, social media is like a fire (Just like many other things in the world are); with fire, you can light a lamp and you can also burn down a city. Social media is being used for both right and wrong reasons..
The most common usage is to share your pics, opinions, events etc with your friends. This is a great way to be in touch with your friends.
But the wrong reasons include many things and we all know it. One such example is trolling and venting out your hatred, anger, jealousy etc. And this behavior is poisoning both social media and people’s minds. What people cannot do in person is being done in social media and it may soon turn into a socially accepted behavior.
Anyway, if we use it in the right way, it has unbelievable potential. I am planning to make a video on this soon. Here are some creative ideas but their power is usually untapped by most of the people. I am using social media to it’s maximum potential and you can check my posts to get an idea: http://www.facebook.com/shanmugam83.
1) Knowledge is precious. Every objective truth that we have found out and have been finding about the nature and the universe is valuable. Even the phone that you are holding on your hands right now or the computer screen you are staring at is the product of cumulative scientific knowledge that we have gathered. We can use Facebook as a knowledge sharing platform, as a tool of education. No matter who you are, you may be curious about a certain narrow field of knowledge. For example, you may be trying to build muscles and need some useful tips. Find out the Facebook groups related to your area of interest and join them. Trust me, you will want to thank me later. A word of caution though. False information spreads more rapidly in social media. Always double check if the information you find is authentic.
2. Many of us live a stressful life and need to have a good laugh once in a while. Laughter is indeed one of the best medicines. And sharing the jokes you come across with your friends is a pleasure.
3. Travelling is something people always enjoy but not everyone has the time or money for it. But fortunately technology has enabled us to watch colorful high resolution pictures and videos right in this tiny, sleek device that fits into your pocket. I have been sharing some beautiful pictures which are usually never seen on the internet. Doing such things always keeps human beings in wonder. When you are frequently exposed to the marvels of nature and reminded about the vastness of this universe, you will feel humble and can surrender very easily to the flow of nature.
4. Are you a man or woman blessed with a lot of creativity? Facebook is your stage. Don’t be shy and don’t miss out the opportunity to share your work, like painting, poetry, story, music, dance video or anything. I have seen people who are creative in just using emoticons.
5. Are you running a business? If you are not aware that there is something called social media marketing, then you haven’t done your homework.
Some people see social media as something negative. They are like people who have seen fire burning down a city but has never thought that they could light a lamp or cook food with it. Don’t be one of them. If you are worried about your privacy or security, there are tons of settings in Facebook to customize it the way you want.
Finally, one of the good code of conduct in social media is to like and share useful posts. You know what to do with this post now. Come on, are you going to ignore without sharing this? 😉
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