This beautiful lullaby song is composed by Queen Madalasa, who is one of India’s most learned and wise women. The story of madaalasa appears in maarkaMDEya puraaNa. She is the wife if King Ritadhwaja. When her babies cried, queen Madalasa used to sing this lullaby rather than pleasuring them with small toys and dolls (which children generally love) which acts as an indication towards not getting attracted to material things.
Because of her teachings, her first three sons Vikranta, Subahu, Shatrumardana, left the throne and went for penance. With the request of the King, she trained her fourth son Alarka to be the great warrior King by singing songs of valor to protect his kingdom and make it prosperous. She taught him to regard other women as his mother and to think of the Lord to destroy wicked thoughts. Thus Alarka grew up to be a righteous king and a mighty warrior.
shuddhOsi buddhOsi niraMjanO.asi
saMsaaramaayaa parivarjitO.asi ।
saMsaarasvapnaM tyaja mOhanidraaM
madaalasOllaapamuvaacha putram ॥ 1 ॥
1. Madalasa says to her crying son: “You are pure, Enlightened, and spotless. Leave the illusion of the world and wake up from this deep slumber of delusion”
shuddhO.asi rE taata na tE.asti naama
kRRitaM hi tatkalpanayaadhunaiva ।
paMchaatmakaM dEha-midaM na tE.asti
naivaasya tvaM rOdishhi kasya hEtO ॥ 2 ॥
2. My Child, you are Ever Pure! You do not have a name. A name is only an imaginary superimposition on you. This body made of five elements is not you nor do you belong to it. This being so, what can be a reason for your crying ?
na vai bhavaan rOditi vikshhvajanmaa
shabdhOyamaayaadhya maheesha soonoom ।
vikalpyamaanO vividhairguNaistE
guNaashcha bhautaaH sakalEndiyEshhu ॥ 3 ॥
3. The essence of the universe does not cry in reality. All is a maya of words, oh Prince! Please understand this. The various qualities you seem to have are are just your imaginations, they belong to the elements that make the senses (and have nothing to do with you).
bhootaani bhootaiH paridurbalaani
vRRiddhiM samaayaaMti yathEha puMsaH ।
annaaMbupaanaadibhirEva tasmaat
na tEsti vRRiddhir na cha tEsti haaniH ॥ 4 ॥
4. The Elements [that make this body] grow with accumulation of more elements or reduce in size if some elements are taken away. This is what is seen in a body’s growing in size or becoming lean depending upon the consumption of food, water etc. You do not have growth or decay.
tvam kaMchukE sheeryamaaNE nijOsmin
tasmin dEhE mooDhataaM maa vrajEthaaH ।
shubhaashubhauH karmabhirdEhamEtat
mRRidaadibhiH kaMchukastE pinaddhaH ॥ 5 ॥
5. You are in the body which is like a jacket that gets worn out day by day. Do not have the wrong notion that you are the body. This body is like a jacket that you are tied to, for the frutification of the good and bad karmas.
taatEti kiMchit tanayEti kiMchit
aMbEti kiMchiddhayitEti kiMchit ।
mamEti kiMchinna mamEti kiMchit
tvam bhootasaMghaM bahu ma nayEthaaH ॥ 6 ॥
6. Some may refer to you are Father and some others may refer to you a Son or some may refer to you as mother and some one else may refer to you as wife. some say “you are mine” and some others say “you are not mine” These are all references to this “Combination of Physical Elements”, Do not identify with them.
sukhaani duHkhOpashamaaya bhOgaan
sukhaaya jaanaati vimooDhachEtaaH ।
taanyEva duHkhaani punaH sukhaani
jaanaati viddhana vimooDha chEtaaH ॥ 7 ॥
7. The deluded look at objects of enjoyments as giving happiness by removing the unhappiness. The wise clearly see that the same object which gives happiness now will become a source of unhappiness.
yaanaM chittau tatra gatashcha dEhO
dEhO.apichaanyaH purushhO nivishhThaH ।
mamatvamurOyaa na yatha tathaasmin
dEhEti maatraM bata mooDharaushha ॥ 8 ॥
8. 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!
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