helped us tremendously .....

Dear Sir,

I am a research student (Indian Rituals & Manuscripts) and works for The National Mission For Manuscripts. We preserve them.
I got the reference to your blog 'Science of Rituals / Slokas' from my Professor / Guide Dr. Vijay Shankar. We are a group of 7 students & i would like to thank you for all of us. It was a humbling gesture from your side to impart such knowledge that helped us tremendously in our research and we will acknowledge you in our thesis.

Thanking You Sincerely,
Kaveri Nair

2010

Dear Sir,

Thought of dropping a mail just to thank you for you collection of slokas
at
http://rare-news-collection.blogspot.com/2009/03/nithya-slokas.html

I was thrilled to find it and read some of the sloka that I have heard in
CDs where I have no idea of the correct sound
of the word or the meaning of it.


Im 40 and a Sri Lankan. Buddhist by birth. I say "by birth" because Im
just a buddhist by birth :-D
Until very recently, none of the religions or any religious beliefs played
a big role in my life.

Somewhere in May 2010 I had a near-death experience due to a lung failure
in the operating theater while
being operated for something else!!! (was not being operated on lungs-but
the tummy!) :-D

I had lot of complications and my recovery took a long time. A young
astrologer who has great belief in
Vishnu urged me to recite "maha murthunjaya" for 30 days - 108 times a day
- which I did and found great relief from

He sent me to a temple dedicated to Sri Venkateshwara a few times too, to
perform a "Vishnu sahasranam"
and a "kaala-sarpa" pooja

Upon a visit somewhere in August, there was some festival in the
Venkateshwara temple. The music was playing
and there were chantings of "hare krishna" and they took the statue of lord
vishnu from the "mangala mandapa" and
walked it around the temple reciting some slokas and returned to the same
place.

This whole thing took only about 5 minutes and I cant explain the feeling I
had at that time.

I didn't understand a word that was being said or chanted (Ashamed to say
that I dont understand the tamil
language) . i didn't know any of the rituals that were done there but I
couldnt stay without joining the pocession that
was taking Lord Vishnu's statute around the temple.

I walked right behind the statue crying - wiping away tears because for
some unexplainable reason it touched
me so very much.

Even to date I don't know why I cried - what made me cry or in what way I
was touched for I didnt understand
anything that was done there ........ It was not happy - sad or fear...
May be that is devotion ... something that's
a part of me which I didn't know that existed

Anyway from this time on, I had been searching and learning about hindu
gods and also about my own religion
and listening to hindu strotrams in the morning has became a routine
because nothing sounded more right for me.
like -

prabhum praana natham - Vibhum vishwanatham,
Jagannatha natham - Sadananda bhajam
bhavath bhavya bhootheshwaram bhoothanatham,
Shivam shankaram shambu meeshana meede
(to date - I dont know the meaning of this -but love - simply adore hearing
it in the mornings)

or

Om gan ganapathaye namaha ...

and

Kaushalya rama poorwa sandya prvasthathe (or some words that sound similar
- I still cant find the lyrics on net for this one)

I get up at 4.30 on every work-day. From that time until I leave the house
at 6.15, I let
these play filling my mornings


So Sir, here ends my explanation of my search for the slokas and how I
landed at your page.

Anyway with all that has happened, I am now a changed person. My religion
- my beliefs are now the centre
of my life.


By viewing your profile, I do understand that you are a person with a very
busy life

BUT whenever you find the time, if you can add the meanings of those
slokas, Im sure it will add much
more value because although your intended audience is the young hindu
devotees (by the printed book) -
when its on the internet its much more wide open and you attract a variety
of audience - even the least expected
- like me! :-D

It is said this is 'kali-yuga' and much more people than we realize will be
in search of the escape - the truth. Sometimes we see them - meet them -
but most
of the time they have their own travelling path and it just may not cross
ours.

Whatever you have put on the internet is a great service. It may have
already helped many people like me. Some may write to you - some may not.
Whether they say Thank you or not - they still benefit from your work.

The internet and whatever we put on it will survive much after we are gone
too. So your 'dharma-dhana' (alms of dhamma) will survive and continue to
serve
as a guide towards Gods much after we are gone too.

Thanks again Dr Sasikumar, I pray for your life be blessed!

With warmest regards

Thushari

11th january 2011