Srīsatyanārāyaṇakathā Project

The root of every story lies in another somewhat interconnected story.  And that is how over time, humans have developed a huge treasure of intertwined stories akin to a sprawling yet interrelated banyan tree forest.  The story behind the creation of Śrīsatyanārāyaṇakathā (SSNK) animation movie in Samskritam is no different.  A series of cosmic-driven interdependent experiences led to this culminating final film product.

Many stories start with phrased introductions such as "long ago" (“Purā”) or "once upon a time" ("Ekadā"). Well, this story is no different! 

Thread 1

Long ago (over two decades ago), the Thakkar family of Canada upheld an annual tradition of performing Śrīsatyanārāyaṇakathā (SSNK) and pūjā (prayers with a sequence of offerings made) on Gurupūrṇimā (festival to venerate one’s Guru) day.   

Thread 2

In 2010, Śrī Harsh mahodayaḥ connected with Samskrita Bharati USA for the first time at the Jāhnavī śibiram (Samskritam camp named Jāhnavī).   Two years later, he met Śrī Naresh Cuntoor, a śikṣakaḥ (teacher) at the praśikṣaṇaśibiram (teacher training camp) of Samskrita Bharati USA.  During their mutual discussion, Śrīsatyanārāyaṇa divinely inspired the duo with the idea of having SSNK in Samskritam.  However, the seed did not actually sprout till another two years elapsed. At the request of Śrī Harsh mahodayaḥ, Śrī Naresh Cuntoor mahodayaḥ created the Samskritam version of SSNK.  In 2014, the Samskritam version of SSNK was read by the Thakkar family during their yearly Gurupūrṇimā pūjā celebration.

Thread 3

In 2017, Harsh mahodayaḥ met Smt. Usha Jayaraman mahodayā at the Samskrita Bharati Samīkṣāgoṣṭhī (review, planning and implementation meeting) in NC.  Their conversation led to sharing of the SSNK document that had been previously prepared by Śrī Naresh Cuntoor mahodayaḥ; and eventually, the establishment of virtual reading sessions of SSNK on monthly pūrṇimā (full moon) dates.  To facilitate communication and enhance development of this activity, a WhatsApp group was formed.  Not only is this an ongoing monthly activity but the group has expanded to 165 SSNK enthusiastic Samskritam readers.

Thread 4

In 2020, Śrī Harsh mahodayaḥ fortuitously reconnected after two decades with Dr. Arun Maheshwari at a Samskritam class in Florida.  This roughly coincided with the release timing of the first Samskritam movie (“Punyakoti”) as well as the online publishing by Vedika Rhymes of various Samskritam songs and stories in animation format.  Inspired by these laudable efforts, Śrī Harsh mahodayaḥ and Dr. Arun Maheshwari conceived the idea of an animated movie of SSNK in Samskritam.  The initial seed funding was provided by Dr. Arun Maheshwari, and crowdfunding efforts sustained the idea to fruition.  In full earnest, the four project coordinators (Śrī Govinda Yelagalwadi mahodayaḥ, Śrī Harsh Thakkar mahodayaḥ,

Śrī Venkatesh Rao mahodayaḥ, and Smt. Usha Jayaraman mahodayā) worked passionately to propel the project forward.  However, the pandemic slowed down their eagerness. 

Nevertheless, this team connected with Vedika Rhymes to get their input on the undertaking, and hired their animator.  Concurrently then, Smt. Usha Jayaraman mahodayā wrote the Samskritam script of SSNK.  With script on hand, the audio recording was undertaken at Aksharam (site of SB India headquarters) in Bengaluru in 2022.  The second and final version of audio recording was concluded in August of 2023.  This second audio recording was eventually integrated with the animation film.

The combined and persistent efforts of the initial visionaries and energetic coordinators resulted in the much-awaited project outcome, the Śrīsatyanārāyaṇakathā (SSNK) animation movie in Samskritam.

Produced by Samskrita Bharati USA, this forty-minutes long animation movie is the first such Samskritam project undertaken by this non-profit organization.  The film incorporates simple Samskritam that is easily understandable, relatable, and meaningfully resonates with speakers of any Indian language.  For those familiar with Śrīsatyanārāyaṇakathā (SSNK), this may elevate their cognitive understanding of this text by bringing the characters to life through animation and infusing a sense of bhakti (devotion) to this experience.  Additionally, the movie showcases how children living outside India are embracing the learning of Samskritam.