Category: Sanskrit Poetry

Sooryagayathri’s Bhairavi Shatakam – A failure

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:

अम्बा शाम्भवि चन्द्रमौलिरबलाऽपर्णा उमा पार्वती

        काली हैमवती शिवा त्रिनयनी कात्यायनी भैरवी  .

सावित्री नवयौवना शुभकरी साम्राज्यलक्ष्मीप्रदा

        चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी  .. १..

अम्बा मोहिनि देवता त्रिभुवनी आनन्दसंदायिनी

        वाणी पल्लवपाणिवेणुमुरलीगानप्रिया लोलिनी  .

कल्याणी उडुराजबिम्ब वदना धूम्राक्षसंहारिणी

        चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी  .. २..

अम्बा नूपुररत्नकङ्कणधरी केयूरहारावली

        जातीचम्पकवैजयंतिलहरी ग्रैवेयकैराजिता  .

वीणावेणु विनोदमण्डितकरा वीरासने संस्थिता

        चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी  .. ३..

अम्बा रौद्रिणि भद्रकालि बगला ज्वालामुखी वैष्णवी

        ब्रह्माणी त्रिपुरान्तकी सुरनुता देदीप्यमानोज्वला  .

चामुण्डा श्रितरक्षपोषजननी दाक्षायणी वल्लवी

        चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी  .. ४..

अम्बा शूलधनुः कशाङ्कुशधरी अर्धेन्दुबिम्बाधरी

        वाराहीमधुकैटभप्रशमनी वाणी रमासेविता  .

मल्लद्यासुरमूकदैत्यमथनी माहेश्वरी चाम्बिका

        चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी  .. ५..

अम्बा सृष्टविनाशपालनकरी आर्या विसंशोभिता

        गायत्री प्रणवाक्षरामृतरसः पूर्णानुसंधी कृता  .

ओङ्कारी विनतासुतार्चितपदा उद्दण्ड दैत्यापहा

        चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी  .. ६..

अम्बा शाश्वत आगमादिविनुता आर्या महादेवता

        या ब्रह्मादिपिपीलिकान्तजननी या वै जगन्मोहिनी  .

या पञ्चप्रणवादिरेफजननी या चित्कला मालिनी

        चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी  .. ७..

अम्बापालितभक्तराजदनिशं अम्बाष्टकं यः पठेत्

        अम्बालोलकटाक्षवीक्ष ललितं चैश्वर्यमव्याहतम्  .

अम्बा पावनमन्त्रराजपठनादन्ते च मोक्षप्रदा

        चिद्रूपी परदेवता भगवती श्रीराजराजेश्वरी  .. ८.

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.

Sooryagayathri’s Rendition of Nirvana Shatkam: Illuminating Spiritual Depth Through Melodic Brilliance

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.

Life Is A Play – My Sanskrit Poem

life is a play

 

जीवनं कश्चित् नाटकम्

तस्मिन् लगु नटकोऽहम् ।

वायुना नीता वाणीव​

सञ्चराम्येतस्मिन् मीरे ॥

  • Shanmugam P

 

Transliteration:

jīvanaṃ kaścit nāṭakam

tasmin lagu naṭako’ham ।

vāyunā nītā vāṇīva​

sañcarāmyetasmin mīre ॥

 

Meaning:

Life is a play; I am a small player there.

Like how a cloud is led by wind, I move in this ocean of life

An Invitation To A Spiritual Journey Towards Self-Realization! – Sanskrit Poem

A recent Sanskrit poem that I wrote, in free verse:

path.png

जीवायाः गुरुत्वम् यस्मिन् अस्ति ।

यस्य आचरणं गुरुकार्यमस्ति ।

यस्य मार्गदर्शनं अन्तः स्थितेन हृदयरश्मिना सद्गुरुणा भविष्यति ।

येन मार्गेन गमनं रज्ज्वां चलनं इव सावधानेन

विवेकदृष्ट्या वैराग्यभावनया  शमादिषट्कसम्पदः प्रभावेण

मुमुक्षुत्वस्य शक्त्या करणीयं अस्ति ।

यस्मै मार्गाय सत्यस्य संश्रवणं दैनन्दिन अभियोगः गभीरा साक्षिभावना

नेति नेति मनसः कषायाणां उपरि आगमनं एतस्य सर्वस्य आवश्यकता वर्तते ।

येन मार्गेन यात्रा अस्मान् मोक्षं प्रापयते ।

तस्मिन् मार्गे वयम् सर्वम् गच्छाम ॥

Transliteration (IAST):

jīvāyāḥ gurutvam yasmin asti ।
yasya ācaraṇaṃ gurukāryamasti ।
yasya mārgadarśanaṃ antaḥ sthitena hṛdayaraśminā sadguruṇā bhaviṣyati ।
yena mārgena gamanaṃ rajjvāṃ calanaṃ iva sāvadhānena
vivekadṛṣṭyā vairāgyabhāvanayā śamādiṣaṭkasampadaḥ prabhāveṇa
mumukṣutvasya śaktyā karaṇīyaṃ asti ।
yasmai mārgāya satyasya saṃśravaṇaṃ dainandina abhiyogaḥ gabhīrā sākṣibhāvanā
neti neti manasaḥ kaṣāyāṇāṃ upari āgamanaṃ etasya sarvasya āvaśyakatā vartate ।
yena mārgena yātrā asmān mokṣaṃ prāpayate ।
tasmin mārge vayam sarvam gacchāma ॥

Meaning:

Let us all walk in the path

In which  lies the significance of life,

Walking in which  is very important,

For which, the guidance is offered by the light which resides in the heart, the satguru (true guru),

Walking in which  is similar to walking on a rope,  has to be done carefully, with the discrimination between what is real and what is unreal, with an attitude of non-attachment, with the impact of the six virtues and with the power of the desire for liberation,

For which  there is a necessity of listening to the truth, everyday practice, a deep witnessing attitude (choiceless awareness),  rising above the kashayas (everything that one is attached to and can be witnessed in the stream of consciousness) by realizing ‘not this, not this’ (neti neti method),

That which takes us to liberation!