Prologue

In 2019, with the blessings of Swami, I had the greatest fortune of going on a pilgrimage to Kailash. Since then Shri Rudram has been an integral part of my daily prayers. In 2020, I was once again blessed to be part of a year long Rudra gnyAna yagna. The fact that the timing of the first music release of these Jyotirlingam compositions in Kashi on Mahashivaratri day in March 2022 and the concluding week of the year long Rudra gnyAna yagna conincided, was sheer divine grace.

Throughout this journey, the divine hand was felt in guiding us through the choice of ragas, as we immersed ourselves in composing the music.
Brahmasri Samavedam Shanmukha Sarma garu's compositions on Jyotirlingas are a blessing to me and to the listeners who pursue their constant quest for a deeper understanding of the Supreme Truth !!
Brahmasri Samavedam Shanmukha Sarma garu's poetic words to describe each of these dwadasa jyotirlingas has left us spellbound! In a capsule of just a few lines, he expresses the enormous glory of the Lord, who manifested himself as the Jyotirlingas, while referring to a wealth of stories relating to each of those divine places.

I was also doubly blessed, as my guru and mother Smt. Lalgudi Srimathi Brahmanandam agreed to compose music for several of these verses along with me. This is a memory I will cherish forever. I feel truly fortunate to have had this opportunity to compose and perform these gems with my brother Shri. Shriram Brahmanandam on the mridangam, along with my students.