[Advaita-l] मदालसायाः आलोलिका (स्वापिका) (The Lullaby of Queen Madalasa)

[Venkatraghavan S]

Sri Sriram,

Beautiful! Thank you for the post.

Bhaskar ji,
Not sure what reason the purANa gave, but perhaps to emphasise that all
nAma rUpa is mithyA?

Regards,
Venkatraghavan
On 3 Mar 2016 9:35 a.m., "Bhaskar YR via Advaita-l" <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> praNAms
> Hare Krishna
>
> Pardon me, it is not clear to me from the story why madAlasa has named her
> fourth son as Alarka (mad dog) !!??
>
> Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
> bhaskar
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Advaita-l [mailto:advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org] On
> Behalf Of balagopal ramakrishnan via Advaita-l
> Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2016 2:10 PM
> To: Venkata sriram P <venkatasriramp at yahoo.in>; A discussion group for
> Advaita Vedanta <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
> Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] मदालसायाः आलोलिका (स्वापिका) (The Lullaby of
> Queen Madalasa)
>
> Namaste,
> The story may be available in different puraanas; but your translation,
> Sreeram Ji, has well kept the spirit and essence of the episode.
> It touches.
> A BIG thank you, for making the Vedaanta so palatable !
> Regards
> Balagopal
> NB: As you already permitted in reply to Sada Ji, I have forwarded the
> same to groups who would value such posts.
>
>     On Thursday, 3 March 2016 12:35 AM, Venkata sriram P via Advaita-l <
> advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:
>
>
>  नमस्ते,
>
> In ब्रह्माण्डपुराणं, there is a beautiful episode called “ मदालसोपाख्यानम्”
> (the Madalasa Upakhyana) that details how a King named कुवलयाश्व (ऋतध्वजः)
> [ KuvalayAswa (also Ritadhwaja)] married a great ब्रह्मवादिनी who was also
> the queen by name मदालसा  (Madalasa).
>
> The king demonstrates great prowess in order to marry and finally gets the
> hand of the great queen Madalasa.  The couple, in due course of time give
> birth to 4 sons namely (1) Vikranta (विक्रान्त)
> (2) Subahu (सुबाहु)  (3) Shatrumardana (शत्रुमर्दन) (4) Alarka (अलर्क),
> respectively.
>
> When the first 3 sons were born, the names for them were selected and
> fixed by King 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
> the King’s choosy naming method.  Thus, when 4th son was born, the King
> asked Madalasa to select a good name for her son as every time she was
> laughing at his selection of names.
> Thus, 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.
>
> Meanwhile, at the birth of their every son (first three of them), Queen
> Madalasa used to put them (Vikranta, Subahu, Shatrumardana) in cradle and
> used to sing a Lullaby when they cried.  While rocking the cradle, the
> Queen Madalasa used to sing a Lullaby that was pregnant with “vedantic
> teaching”.  Right from the infancy, she induced “Atma Jnana” in  the form
> of the Lullaby.  Thus, all the three sons became self-realized with the
> power of their mother’s Lullaby and lost interest in ruling the kingdom.
> Thus, all three retired to forest for performing tapas.
>
> The Lullaby Song of Queen Madalasa, thus came to be known as “మదాలస
> జోలపాట” in Telugu.  Thus, it can be concluded that the parents, especially,
> the mother can influence her child directly. The episode of Queen Madalasa
> stands testimony to the fact that “Mother is the First Teacher”
> at home and every mother should strive to become one like Queen Madalasa
> who had sown the seeds of spiritual knowledge to their children right from
> infancy itself in the form of Lullaby every night.
>
> For the benefit of the readers, I am presenting that Lullaby in the form
> of 8 slokas.
>
> //////////////////////////////////////////////
>
> शुद्धोऽसि रे बाल न तेऽस्ति नाम कृतं हि वै तत कल्पनयाधुनैव । पञ्चात्मकं
> देहमिदं न तेऽस्ति त्वं वास्य रे रोदिषि कस्य हेतोः ॥ (१)
>
> O  Child ! For what reason you are crying? Don’t cry. Thou Art ever Pure
> and Eternal, devoid of Names and Forms. 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. .  So, don’t cry.
>
> न वै भवान रोदिति विश्वजन्मा शब्दोऽयमासाद्य महीसमूहम । विकल्प्यमानो
> विविधैर्गुणार्थैः गुणाश्च भूताः सकलेन्द्रियेषु ॥ (२)
>
> 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.
>
> भूतानि भूतोपरि दुर्बलानि वृद्धिं समायान्ति तथेह पुंसाम ।
> अन्नाम्बुदानादिभिरेककस्य न तेऽस्ति वृद्धिर्न च तेऽस्ति हानिः ॥ (३)
>
> 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.
>
> त्वं कञ्चुके सज्यमानो निजेस्मिन्नस्मिंश्च देहे मूढतां न व्रजेथाः ।
> शुभाशुभैः कर्मभिर्देहमेनं मदाभिमूढैः कञ्चुकेऽस्मिन्पिनद्धः ॥ (४)
>
> 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.
>
> तातेति किञ्चित्तनयेति किञ्चित अम्बेति किञ्चिदपितेति किञ्चित । तवेति
> किञ्चिन्न ममेति किञ्चिद्भौतेषु सर्वं मुहुरालयेथाः ॥ (५)
>
> 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.
>
> दुःखञ्च दुःखोपशमं शमाय भोगाय जानाति विमूढचेताः । तान्येव दुःखानि पुनः
> सुखानि जानाति विद्वानविमूढचेताः ॥ (६)
>
> 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.
>
> सहोत्थितं दर्शनमक्षियुग्मं अत्युज्ज्वलं तत्कलुषं वसायाः । कुचोऽति पीनं
> पिशितं घनं तत्स्थानं ततः किन्नरकं न योषित ॥ (७)
>
> 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.
>
> यानं क्षितौ यानगतं च देहं देहेऽपिचान्यः पुरुषो निविष्टः । ममत्वमथ्याॅन्न
> तथा यथा स्वे देहेऽतिमात्रं च न मूढतैषा ॥ (८)
>
> On this earth, take birth several bodies endowed upAdhis. These are
> subjected to change (called yAna) (यान). But, 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.
>
> Note: समानेप्यभिमानविषये देहे एव दृढं अभिमानं कुर्वन्नति मूढ इत्याह यानं
> इति (ie., the Jiva abhimana is called yAna)
>
> /////////////////////////////////////////////////////
>
> Thus, everyday, the Queen Madalasa used to sing the above Lullaby. In no
> time, her first 3 children namely (1) Vikranta (विक्रान्त) (2) Subahu
> (सुबाहु)
> (3) Shatrumardana (शत्रुमर्दन) got vairAgya, left the kingdom and went to
> forest for performing severe penance.
>
> Hence, the King Kuvalayaswa got annoyed and tell his queen not make the
> 4th son Alarka (अलर्क)  a virakta. Accordingly, Alarka was initiated into
> pravrutti-mArga by his mother madAlasa.
> Later, with the grace of jagatguru dattAtrEya, the 4th one also gets the
> brahma-jnAna.
>
> Dedicating this mail to all those glorious mothers.
>
> सस्नेहम्
> श्रीराम
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