Great women of India - Queen Madalasa
Great women of India -
Queen Madalasa
Great women of India -
Queen Madalasa
The wisdom of ancient India knows no boundaries. All Indians irrespective of our religions, castes or where we reside, should be proud of our great Indian Heritage to which all of us belong.*Queen Madalasa *मदालसा *ಮದಾಲಸಾ
Madalasa was a Queen, Mother, Brahmajnani or knower of Brahman, Spiritualist and Yogini in ancient India.
Madalasa Upakhyanam *मदालसोपाख्यानम् *ಮದಾಲಸೋಪಾಖ್ಯಾನಮ್
It details how a King named Kuvalayaswa (कुवलयाश्व) also known as Ritadhwaja married a Brahmvadini (ब्रह्मवादिनी),a queen by name Madalasa daughter of ghandharv king Visvāvasu.
The son of Vajraketu, a fierce Dānava, named Pātālaketu, a dweller within Pātāla raising an illusion of darkness, abducts Madalasa.The king of Ayodya Kuvalayaswa, demonstrates great prowess and saves her and asks her to marry him.
He agreed to her condition that their childrens primary education should be decided by mother and he finally gets the hand of the great queen Madalasa. The couple, in due course of time give birth to 3 sons namely
1) Vikranta (विक्रान्त) 2) Subahu (सुबाहु) 3) Shatrumardana (शत्रुमर्दन) respectively. When the first 3 sons were born, the names for them were selected by King Kuvalayaswa himself. The King chose the names very selectively by considering the meanings and assigning those attributes to his sons. For instance, the name “Vikranta” meant “One who posses great valour and courage; “Subahu” meant “One who posses powerful and beautiful hands and shoulders; “Shatrumardana” meant “One who conquers his enemies”.
When King used to select the names, the Queen Madalasa used to laugh at him for choosing those names. When their three children were a babies in the cradle, the hands of the mother Madalasa rocked the cradle and she sang words of wisdom to calm the crying babies. She sang,
“Suddhosi bhuddhosi niranjanosi…”
‘Suddhosi’ means pure, immaculate; ‘Buddhosi’ means awakened, illumined
‘Niranjanosi’ means spotless.
So she sang, “O child, you are a pure soul with no real name. Your body is merely a vehicle made of the ‘pancha koshas’. Why do you cry, my son, when you are the blissful Atman and not the body?” She fed the children with the wisdom. Her thoughts were ‘you are the pure Atman’.
Madalasa was herself a self-realized soul hence her words had great effect on her babies. While rocking the cradle, the Queen Madalasa used to sing a Lullaby that was full of Vedantic teachings. Right from the infancy, she induced Atma-Jnana in them.
1.
शुद्धोऽसि रे बाल न तेऽस्ति नाम कृतं हि वै तत कल्पनयाधुनैव । पञ्चात्मकं देहमिदं न तेऽस्ति त्वं वास्य रे रोदिषि कस्य हेतोः ॥ (१)
Meaning:
O Child ! For what reason are you crying? Don’t cry. Thou Art ever Pure and Eternal, devoid of Names and Forms. You are Ever Pure! You do not have a name. A name is only an imaginary superimposition on you. You are the form of Bliss, untouched by Sorrow. You have superimposed the sorrow upon yourself and owing to ignorance, are wailing. The sorrow arose owing to the false identity with body and hence experiencing sorrow which is the cause of your cry. Since, Thou Art Existence, Knowledge, Bliss Absolute and not the body consisting of 5 elements, Where is the point in crying? All these names and forms are ephemeral and are imaginary.
Thou Art (beyond these are, are) That! Hence, don't cry.
2.
न वै भवान रोदिति विश्वजन्मा शब्दोऽयमासाद्य महीसमूहम । विकल्प्यमानो विविधैर्गुणार्थैः गुणाश्च भूताः सकलेन्द्रियेषु ॥ (२)
Meaning:
Don’t Cry ! Thou Art Ishwara – the Creator and Lord of the Universe. As the creation is a vikalpa born out of ignorance, where is the point in wailing and crying? Hence, don’t cry.
3.
भूतानि भूतोपरि दुर्बलानि वृद्धिं समायान्ति तथेह पुंसाम । अन्नाम्बुदानादिभिरेककस्य न तेऽस्ति वृद्धिर्न च तेऽस्ति हानिः ॥ (३)
Meaning:
Just as the gross elements with combination among themselves, is subjected to increase (वृद्धि) and decrease (क्षय), similarly, this body, made of gross elements, too, is subjected to change and decay. The Inner Self (Atman) is beyond these attributes, untouched. And, Thou Art That. Hence, don’t cry.
4.
त्वं कञ्चुके सज्यमानो निजेस्मिन्नस्मिंश्च देहे मूढतां न व्रजेथाः । शुभाशुभैः कर्मभिर्देहमेनं मदाभिमूढैः कञ्चुकेऽस्मिन्पिनद्धः ॥ (४)
Meaning:
Thou, having worn this armor called “body”, becoming deluded, are identifying with it. Thou Art the Witness but out of ignorance and under the influence of “I-ness” and “My-ness” are trapped in the meshes of samsara. Hence, don’t cry.
5.
तातेति किञ्चित्तनयेति किञ्चित अम्बेति किञ्चिदपितेति किञ्चित । तवेति किञ्चिन्न ममेति किञ्चिद्भौतेषु सर्वं मुहुरालयेथाः ॥ (५)
Meaning:
By getting entangled in the mesh of Ignorance called samsara, this “body” is identified sometimes with father, sometimes with son, sometimes with mother, sometimes with brother, sometimes as a relative, as a friend as a foe etc. in several births down the line. All these are due to false identity of attachment with the body owing to ignorance. This ignorance is due to non-awareness of the identity with the Supreme Innermost Self which is of the form of Bliss.
6.
दुःखञ्च दुःखोपशमं शमाय भोगाय जानाति विमूढचेताः । तान्येव दुःखानि पुनः सुखानि जानाति विद्वानविमूढचेताः ॥ (६)
Meaning:
In order to do away with sorrows, the ignorant fool runs after momentary pleasures. The intelligent, having endowed with power of discrimination, would strive to do away with both pleasures and pains. For him, just as pain is an obstruction, so as the pleasure. Such a person is called “Vidvan”. Thou Art That.
Hence, don’t cry.
7.
सहोत्थितं दर्शनमक्षियुग्मं अत्युज्ज्वलं तत्कलुषं वसायाः । कुचोऽति पीनं पिशितं घनं तत्स्थानं ततः किन्नरकं न योषित ॥ (७)
Meaning:
Upon careful observation of the anatomy of a woman, one comes to the conclusion that it is made up of flesh. Not knowing this, the deluded men run after them and thus, thus, end up in getting entangled in pain and cycle of birth and death.
8.
यानं क्षितौ यानगतं च देहं देहेऽपिचान्यः पुरुषो निविष्टः । ममत्वमथ्याॅन्न तथा यथा स्वे देहेऽतिमात्रं च न मूढतैषा ॥ (८)
Meaning:
On this earth, several bodies endowed upadhis take birth .These are subjected to yana (यान). The vehicle that moves on the ground is different from the person in it. similarly this body is also different from the person who is inside! The owner of the body is different from the body! Ah how foolish it is to think I am the body! There is a Supreme Self called “Purusha” who is seated inside the body who is Eternal and Witness. Thou Art That, O Child! Don’t identify yourself with the yana but Thou Art that Supreme Purusha. Hence, don’t cry.
Everyday, the Queen Madalasa used to sing the above Lullaby.
Thus, all the three sons became self-realised and lost interest in ruling the kingdom. Thus, all three retired to forest for performing tapas.
King was distrought as he wanted a heir to his throne.
When the 4th son was born, the King asked Madalasa to select a good name for her son. She named her 4th son as “ALARKA” (अलर्क) and
chanted the benedictory verse
“चिरं जीवतु धर्मात्मा”” (Long Live by observing righteousness). The King was aghast at this name of his 4th son because the meaning of the name “Alarka” meant Mad-dog. He was dismayed at the naming of his beloved 4th son because the names of his first 3 three sons were very beautiful and meaningful.
When the King Kuvalayaswa asks his queen that when I have named my 3 sons so beautifully, that has a meaningful name, why you have chosen a queer and meaningless one for my 4th one. The queen Madalasa laughs and quotes extempore as:
#Kalpaneyam maharaja kruta samvyayaharikI
tvatkrutanam taths namnam shrunu bhupa nirarthakam।।
Meaning:
The name is for the sake of vyavahara (व्यवहार, communication) only which has been coined by we mortals. Realistically speaking, the Omnipresent Self, is beyond names and forms. To Him, what name can we propound and by which name do we have to address?
So, my dear Kuvalayaswa! Don't be under the false impression that the names you have chosen for your 3 kids are meaningful.
#Yadi samvyavaharartham asannama prakalpyate।
namni kasmat alarkhye nairarthyaa bhavato matam ?
Meaning:
When the vyavahara (व्यवहार) is an illusory by nature, one can call by any vyavahara-nama to this gross body which is a combination of 5 elements. So, your thought that my naming of 4th son as "Alarka" is absurd is meaningless.
For vyavahara(व्यवहार), which is by itself mithya(मिथ्या), any name would suffice.
This was the level of Vedanta taught to the King Kuvalayaswa by his wife Queen Madalasa, who was a brahmvadini and yogini.
Satisfied with her knowledge, King Kuvalayaswa requested his queen not initiate the 4th son Alarka (अलर्क) into virakta -marg. Accordingly, Alarka was initiated into pravrutti-marga(प्रवृत्ति मार्ग) by his mother Madalasa.
Besides Raja Dharma (राज धर्म), Varnashrama Dharma (वर्णाश्रम धर्म) and Grihasta Dharma (ग्रहस्त धर्म), Devi Madasala taught to her son Alarka about the details of Nithya Naimittika Shraddha Dharma (नित्य नैमांतिक श्रद्धा धर्म) , Paarvana Shraddha Dharma (पार्वण श्रद्धा धर्म) and Prashasthaapratishtha(प्रशस्था प्रतिष्ठा धर्म)
, Dharmas in the context of Shraddhaas; Sadaachaara Varnana(सदाचार वर्णन), Varjyaavarjya concepts ( वर्ज्या वार्ज्य विचार) etc. and thus made him an erudite Scholar as a model King, an ideal Kshatriya and a Warrior. The parents got him married and blessed him to prove himself as a perfect Grihasta too.
Hail to our Bharata-bhumi which was tread by such yoginis and brahmavadinis and brahmjnanis!
Since Ritudhwaja retired to ‘Vaanaprastha’ already, she too desired to join him in the forests and decided to make Alarka the King as he was worthy due to the exceptional training and receptive capacity of Alarka. Queen Madalasa therefore presented a golden ring and blessed him to become an illustrated King Madalasa then blessed her son.
"You are blessed my son because you will rule the earth without obstacles. Now cultivate in your heart the desire to do well to others. Never cast your eyes on women other than your wife. Always contemplate on God to destroy the evil thoughts in your heart."
She also told him that there would be difficult circumstances to be faced in the discharge of his duties but due to the knowledge that he acquired so far would indeed stand him in good stead. However, should there be extraordinary and most complicated crisis to be faced, then he might open the ring and read the minutely written letters of advice and follow the same. King Alarka then reigned for several years as a King of virtue and fame, without favour or fear. His elder brother, Subahu who was in forests, came to know that his younger brother was proving well he became proud of him. But soon enough Subahu got jealous and became a victim of his associate Kashiraj whose machinations and divisive politics gradually thinned down the financial and other strengths of King Alarka who had indeed reached a really critical position in his administration. That was the time when Alarka remembered his mother’s advice to open the minute letters scripted inside the ring that she gave him. As he opened the script, the advice of his mother was very clear:
Advice:
*Sangah sarvaatmanaa thyajyah sa chetyaktum na shakyathey*
Meaning:
If you are not capable, then exit the society. If you are not able to leave the society, then you should join the Sadhus (righteous men), since the company of Sadhus alone would prove to be your medicine.
Later, with the grace of Jagadguru Dattatreya, the 4th one also gets the Brahma-jnana.
Madalasa story is from
1.episode in Brahmanda Purana,vide Alarka Charita (8th chapter) of Dattatreya mahatmya.
2. Putropadesha Stotra (पुत्रोपदेश स्तोत्र) is in Chapters 25-30 of the Mārkandeya Purāṇa. The Mārkaṇḍeya is one of the eighteen great purāṇas said to have been narrated by Rishi Mārkandeya.
Putropadesha Stotra is 5000 to10000 years old, which was sung by Madalsa in Markandeya Purana. The lyrics are older than most of the religions of the world but they are so profound in their wisdom. Great spiritual wisdom shines through the song if one contemplates deeply on the song.
"Nothing is permanent only our souls are eternal. So don't feel sad and don't feel lost".
It is being sung abroad now as people have started appreciating the depth of ancient Indian teachings and its rich culture. It is so soothening to hear and it brings the peace within us.
The stotra is sung by Gabriella Burnel and the recording was commissioned by friends and students of the School of Practical Philosophy in Australia. Gabriella is a Sanskrit scholar and an accomplished musician and musical theatre performer.
Listen to her soulful singing. Link
https://youtu.be/uDd3iupKUyI
(Article is based on internet and Mārkandeya Purāṇa. Pics are from internet)
-✍️ Dr Prema Pangi
#Madalasa,#Madalasa_Upakhyana
#शुद्धोसि_बुद्धोसि_निरँजनोऽसि
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