Why Humans Can’t Stop Chasing Patterns (and Why That’s Beautifully Human)

"From music to stocks : How Patterns Secretly Run the Universe

The universe is a mess.
Like, scientifically.

The second law of thermodynamics says everything is heading toward chaos — entropy — like your bedroom on a Monday morning. If the universe had a “before” and “after” photo, the “after” would just be socks everywhere.

But here’s the twist: our brains are neat freaks with label makers.
We’re wired to spot patterns, because patterns mean prediction, prediction means survival, and survival means we get to keep binge-watching Netflix.

It’s why we see shapes in clouds, why music hooks us, why you can smell your mom’s biryani from a block away and know it’s hers. From trading to medical diagnoses to AI, we’re basically pattern detectives with better Wi-Fi.

This weekend, I want to take you through three wildly different pattern worlds that will blow your mind — from Indian classical music to atomic structure to Wall Street’s favorite spiral.

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1) The Musical Master Code: Melakarta Rāgas 🎶

Carnatic music isn’t just music — it’s geometry with sound.

Think of the Periodic Table, but instead of Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium… you’ve got Kalyani, Todi, Harikambhoji. Same level of nerdy order. Same potential for beauty that makes your hair stand up.

Here’s the setup:

• There are 72 parent ragas (melakartas).

• Each has exactly 7 notes: Sa–Ri–Ga–Ma–Pa–Da–Ni–(Sa).

• The ascending (ārohanam) and descending (avarohanam) scales are fixed.

These 72 are the DNA of Carnatic music.
From them, thousands of child ragas (janyas) are born — kids who skip notes, zig-zag melodies, and change the emotional mood, but still carry the parent genes.

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The Hidden Order 🧩

The 72 aren’t random — they’re organized like a musical chessboard:

• 2 clusters - Shudhamadyamam and Pratimadhyamam with 6 clusters each

Your Ri (R) and Ga (G) decide which chakra you’re in.

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I. Shuddha Madhyamam (M1) Melakartas (1–36)

Chakra 1 – Indu (R1, G1)

1. Kanakangi – S R1 G1 M1 P D1 N1 S | S N1 D1 P M1 G1 R1 S

2. Ratnangi – S R1 G1 M1 P D1 N2 S | S N2 D1 P M1 G1 R1 S

3. Ganamurti – S R1 G1 M1 P D1 N3 S | S N3 D1 P M1 G1 R1 S

4. Vanaspati – S R1 G1 M1 P D2 N2 S | S N2 D2 P M1 G1 R1 S

5. Manavati – S R1 G1 M1 P D2 N3 S | S N3 D2 P M1 G1 R1 S

6. Tanarupi – S R1 G1 M1 P D3 N3 S | S N3 D3 P M1 G1 R1 S

Chakra 2 – Netra (R1, G2)

7. Senavati – S R1 G2 M1 P D1 N1 S | S N1 D1 P M1 G2 R1 S

8. Hanumatodi – S R1 G2 M1 P D1 N2 S | S N2 D1 P M1 G2 R1 S

9. Dhenuka – S R1 G2 M1 P D1 N3 S | S N3 D1 P M1 G2 R1 S

10. Natakapriya – S R1 G2 M1 P D2 N2 S | S N2 D2 P M1 G2 R1 S

11. Kokilapriya – S R1 G2 M1 P D2 N3 S | S N3 D2 P M1 G2 R1 S

12. Rupavati – S R1 G2 M1 P D3 N3 S | S N3 D3 P M1 G2 R1 S

Chakra 3 – Agni (R1, G3)

13. Gayakapriya – S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N1 S | S N1 D1 P M1 G3 R1 S

14. Vakulabharanam – S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S | S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R1 S

15. Mayamalavagowla – S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N3 S | S N3 D1 P M1 G3 R1 S

16. Chakravakam – S R1 G3 M1 P D2 N2 S | S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R1 S

17. Suryakantam – S R1 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S | S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R1 S

18. Hatakambari – S R1 G3 M1 P D3 N3 S | S N3 D3 P M1 G3 R1 S

Chakra 4 – Veda (R2, G2)

19. Jhankaradhwani – S R2 G2 M1 P D1 N1 S | S N1 D1 P M1 G2 R2 S

20. Natabhairavi – S R2 G2 M1 P D1 N2 S | S N2 D1 P M1 G2 R2 S

21. Keeravani – S R2 G2 M1 P D1 N3 S | S N3 D1 P M1 G2 R2 S

22. Kharaharapriya – S R2 G2 M1 P D2 N2 S | S N2 D2 P M1 G2 R2 S

23. Gourimanohari – S R2 G2 M1 P D2 N3 S | S N3 D2 P M1 G2 R2 S

24. Varunapriya – S R2 G2 M1 P D3 N3 S | S N3 D3 P M1 G2 R2 S

Chakra 5 – Bana (R2, G3)

25. Mararanjani – S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N1 S | S N1 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S

26. Charukesi – S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S | S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S

27. Sarasangi – S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N3 S | S N3 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S

28. Harikambhoji – S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N2 S | S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S

29. Dheerasankarabharanam – S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S | S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S

30. Naganandini – S R2 G3 M1 P D3 N3 S | S N3 D3 P M1 G3 R2 S

Chakra 6 – Rutu (R3, G3)

31. Yagapriya – S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N1 S | S N1 D1 P M1 G3 R3 S

32. Ragavardhini – S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S | S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R3 S

33. Gangeyabhushani – S R3 G3 M1 P D1 N3 S | S N3 D1 P M1 G3 R3 S

34. Vagadheeswari – S R3 G3 M1 P D2 N2 S | S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R3 S

35. Shulini – S R3 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S | S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R3 S

36. Chalanata – S R3 G3 M1 P D3 N3 S | S N3 D3 P M1 G3 R3 S

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II. Prati Madhyamam (M2) Melakartas (37–72)

These are the same as 1–36, but M1 → M2.

Chakra 7 – Rishi (R1, G1)

37. Salagam

38. Jalarnavam

39. Jhalavarali

40. Navaneetam

41. Pavani

42. Raghupriya

Chakra 8 – Vasu (R1, G2)

43. Gavambodhi

44. Bhavapriya

45. Shubhapantuvarali

46. Shadvidhamargini

47. Suvarnangi

48. Divyamani

Chakra 9 – Brahma (R1, G3)

49. Dhavalambari

50. Namanarayani

51. Kamavardhani (Pantuvarali)

52. Ramapriya

53. Gamanashrama

54. Vishwambhari

Chakra 10 – Disi (R2, G2)

55. Syamalangi

56. Shanmukhapriya

57. Simhendramadhyamam

58. Hemavati

59. Dharmavati

60. Neetimati

Chakra 11 – Rudra (R2, G3)

61. Kantamani

62. Rishabhapriya

63. Latangi

64. Vachaspati

65. Mechakalyani

66. Chitrambari

Chakra 12 – Aditya (R3, G3)

67. Sucharitra

68. Jyotiswarupini

69. Dhatuvardhani

70. Nasikabhushani

71. Kosalam

72. Rasikapriya

Your position inside that chakra decides Dha (D) and Ni (N).

The D/N sequence inside every chakra is fixed:
1st raga → D1 N1 (low D, low N)
2nd raga → D1 N2 (low D, mid N)
3rd raga → D1 N3 (low D, high N)
4th Raga → D2 N2 (mid D, mid N)
5th Raga → D2 N3 (mid D, high N)
6th Raga → D3 N3 (high D, high N)

Once you know this, you can predict any melakarta’s note set just from its number.

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Why This Is So Satisfying

• Mathematical elegance: Every possible full-scale combination appears exactly once.

• Infinite creativity: Artists use this fixed skeleton to craft devotional hymns, romantic ballads, film scores, and more.

• Mental Lego set: Learn the system once, and you can rebuild any raga from memory.

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2) Matter’s Secret Apartment Rules: The Aufbau Principle ⚛️

Jump from melody to matter and you find… the same logic.

Electrons don’t just squat anywhere in an atom — they follow the Aufbau principle (“build-up” in German). They fill the lowest-energy orbital available first, moving through s, p, d, f “apartments” in a precise order.

• s holds 2, p holds 6, d holds 10, f holds 14.

• Fill order: 1s → 2s → 2p 3s → 3p 4s → 3d 4p 5s → … (diagonal rule fans, you know the drill).

• This order is why the Periodic Table looks the way it does.

Why this feels like melakarta:

• Both are finite blueprints (72 scales / fixed orbital map).

• Both produce infinite variety (janya ragas / chemical reactions).

• Change a note, change a mood; change an electron, change a property.

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3) Fibonacci’s Double Life: Gardens & Wall Street 🌻📈

Finally, the rockstar of sequences: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…

In nature, Fibonacci shows up in sunflower spirals, pinecones, shells — because it’s ridiculously efficient for growth.

In finance, traders use Fibonacci retracement levels (23.6%, 38.2%, 61.8%) to guess where a price might pause or reverse.
Why? Because if enough humans believe a pattern matters, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Your daisy and your Tesla stock chart? Basically in a secret WhatsApp group. (Last seen: 61.8%.)

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So… Why the Obsession?

Because patterns are our anti-chaos superpower.
They help us:

• compress reality (less noise, more clarity),

• predict the future (dopamine jackpot),

• and build: songs, science, software, societies.

The universe trends messy. Humans trend meaningful. Patterns are our way of negotiating the peace.

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💬 Want me to make a musical periodic table of all 72 melakartas so you can see the pattern at a glance? Comment “RAGA MAP” and I’ll post it.

Or comment “SIDE-BY-SIDE” for a nerdy poster with:

• Melakarta structure,

• Electron filling order,

• Fibonacci levels…
  all on one sheet.

Because sometimes, the most human thing you can do… is marvel at the patterns that connect everything.