About us
Shobhanam was initiated on June 13, 2021 by Ms. Divya (Srivatsa gotram) and Mr. Shivashankar (Garga gotram), as a private collaborative project publishing articles on spirituality and translations of spiritual texts. True to their personal ethos and their healthy respect for tradition, their wedding was consecrated on June 13, 2022, the Jayanti day of Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati VIII, one of Divya's paramagurus in mantropasana through her maternal grandmother (1924-2024), whose warm consent and blessings along with those of Chaturvedi Ganesa Parameswara Dikshitar of Chidambaram further sanctified the marital union.
With its apolitical nature and non-affiliation, Shobhanam purely reflects the disposition and inclination of Divya and Shivashankar. The contents that feature on Shobhanam are chosen independently, and do not indicate partnership with any individual/group/organization unless specifically mentioned.
Besides Shobhanam, a few of Divya's works on spiritual texts include:
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ஏணிப்படிகளில் மாந்தர்கள் - Sadasiva Sastri (personal and private translation completed in 2018-19; unaffiliated to any group/individual/organization related to Sadasiva Sastri; another among the mantropasana gurus of Divya).
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Gems of Spiritual Wisdom, a Sri Vidyatheertha Foundation publication (personal translation of the text from English to Tamil in 2019; unaffiliated to any group/individual/organization related to Sri Vidyatheertha Foundation or its parent institutions).
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A Biography of Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha for a private website ouracharyal.in, with the text 'The Multifaceted Jivanmukta' as a source (completed in an individual capacity in 2019; unaffiliated to any group/individual/organization related to the same).
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மரங்களே பிள்ளைகள், authored by Sroutha Vidhya Vachaspati Mahamahopadhyaya
Sengalipuram Mudgala R. Sundararama Vajapeyayajee and his son Su. Narayana Vajapeyayajee
(personal translation commenced in 2024, as an academic endeavour).
A website that reflects her interests since childhood in world literature, writing, art, culture, and other finer aspects of life, is currently being developed.
Shivashankar is a Leader in Product Management having worked in multiple countries and writes a tech blog. Like his wife Divya, he nurtures a healthy respect for tradition and tries his best to perform trikAla sandhyAvandanam as per the advise and blessings of Chaturvedi Ganesa Parameswara Deekshitar of Chidambaram, while remaining unaffiliated to any group/individual/organization related to the same. An interest in tamizh pathigams and prabhandams were inculcated in him at an early age, and he hopes to document his learnings through his writings for Shobhanam.
Divya and Shiva live in London, UK, and are both PhD students and professionals, who enjoy gardening, reading, writing, and other intellectual activities that make their intertwined lives meaningful, and are delighted to embrace parenthood and have a family of their own in the near future.