Madalasa's Teaching to Her Infant Son

Verse 1 (markandeya.25.1)

जड उवाच आगम्य स्वपुरं सोऽथ पित्रोः सर्वमशेषतः । कथयामास तन्वङ्गी यथा प्राप्ता पुनर्मृता॥ 25.1 ॥

jaḍa uvāca āgamya svapuraṁ so ’tha pitroḥ sarvamaśeṣataḥ kathayāmāsa tanvaṅgī yathā prāptā punarmṛtā

Returning to his own city, he told his parents the whole story in full — how that slender girl, once dead, had been regained.

Verse 2 (markandeya.25.2)

ननाम सा च चरणौ श्वश्रूश्वशुरयोः शुभा । स्वजनञ्च यथापूर्वं वन्दनाश्लेषणादिभिः॥ 25.2 ॥

nanāma sā ca caraṇau śvaśrūśvaśurayoḥ śubhā svajanañca yathāpūrvaṁ vandanāśleṣaṇādibhiḥ

And that gracious lady bowed at the feet of her mother-in-law and father-in-law, and, just as before, greeted her kin with bows and embraces.

Verse 3 (markandeya.25.3)

पूजयामास तन्वङ्गी यथान्यायं यथावयः । ततो महोत्सवो जज्ञे पौराणां तत्र वै पुरे॥ 25.3 ॥

pūjayāmāsa tanvaṅgī yathānyāyaṁ yathāvayaḥ tato mahotsavo jajñe paurāṇāṁ tatra vai pure

That slender girl honored everyone in due order, according to their age and standing. Then a great celebration arose among the townsfolk in that city.

Verse 4 (markandeya.25.4)

ऋतध्वजश्च सुचिरं तया रेमे सुमध्यया । निर्झरेषु च शैलानां निम्नगापुलिनेषु च॥ 25.4 ॥

ṛtadhvajaśca suciraṁ tayā reme sumadhyayā nirjhareṣu ca śailānāṁ nimnagāpulineṣu ca

Ritadhvaja spent a long while enjoying life with that lovely wife — now among mountain waterfalls, now on riverbanks —

Verse 5 (markandeya.25.5)

काननेषु च रम्येषु तथैवोपवनेषु च । पुण्यक्षयं वाञ्छमाना सापि कामोपबोगतः॥ 25.5 ॥

kānaneṣu ca ramyeṣu tathaivopavaneṣu ca puṇyakṣayaṁ vāñchamānā sāpi kāmopabogataḥ

—and in charming forests and pleasure-groves as well. She too, wishing to exhaust the fruits of her past merit, took her pleasure in these enjoyments of desire —

Verse 6 (markandeya.25.6)

सह तेनातिकान्तेन रेमे रम्यासु भूमिषु । ततः कालेन महता शत्रुजित् स नराधिपः॥ 25.6 ॥

saha tenātikāntena reme ramyāsu bhūmiṣu tataḥ kālena mahatā śatrujit sa narādhipaḥ

—together with that most handsome husband, roaming through delightful lands. Then, after a long span of time, King Shatrujit —

Verse 7 (markandeya.25.7)

सम्यक् प्रशास्य वसुधां कालधर्ममुपेयिवान् । ततः पौरा महात्मानं पुत्रं तस्य ऋतध्वजम्॥ 25.7 ॥

samyak praśāsya vasudhāṁ kāladharmamupeyivān tataḥ paurā mahātmānaṁ putraṁ tasya ṛtadhvajam

—having ruled the earth well, met the end appointed by time. Then the townsfolk anointed his great-souled son Ritadhvaja —

Verse 8 (markandeya.25.8)

अभ्यषिञ्चन्त राजानमुदाराचारचेष्टितम् । सम्यक् पालयतस्तस्य प्रजाः पुत्रानिवौरसान्॥ 25.8 ॥

abhyaṣiñcanta rājānamudārācāraceṣṭitam samyak pālayatastasya prajāḥ putrānivaurasān

—that prince of noble conduct, as king; and he came to protect his subjects with such care, as though they were his own children.

Verse 9 (markandeya.25.9)

मदालसायाः सञ्जज्ञे पुत्रः प्रथमजस्ततः । तस्य चक्रे पिता नाम विक्रान्त इति धीमतः॥ 25.9 ॥

madālasāyāḥ sañjajñe putraḥ prathamajastataḥ tasya cakre pitā nāma vikrānta iti dhīmataḥ

From Madalasa was born his firstborn son; and the father gave that wise child the name Vikranta.

Verse 10 (markandeya.25.10)

तुतुषुस्तेन वै भृत्या जहास च मदालसा । सा वै मदालसा पुत्रं बालमुत्तानशायिनम् । उल्लापनच्छलेनाह रुदमानमविस्वरम्॥ 25.10 ॥

tutuṣustena vai bhṛtyā jahāsa ca madālasā sā vai madālasā putraṁ bālamuttānaśāyinam ullāpanacchalenāha rudamānamavisvaram

The servants rejoiced over him, and Madalasa smiled with joy. As that infant son of hers lay upon his back, crying without any real sound, Madalasa, under the pretext of soothing him, began to speak thus —

Verse 11 (markandeya.25.11)

शुद्धोऽसि रे तात ! न तेऽस्ति नाम कृतं हि ते कल्पनयाधुनैव । पञ्चात्मकं देहमिदं तवैतन् नैवास्य त्वं रोदिषि कस्य हेतोः॥ 25.11 ॥

śuddho ’si re tāta ! na te ’sti nāma kṛtaṁ hi te kalpanayādhunaiva pañcātmakaṁ dehamidaṁ tavaitan naivāsya tvaṁ rodiṣi kasya hetoḥ

'O little one, you are pure — you have no real name; it has only just now been given to you by mere convention. And this body, made of the five elements, is not truly you either — then for whose sake do you weep?'

Verse 12 (markandeya.25.12)

न वा भवान् रोदिति वै स्वजन्मा शब्दोऽयमासाद्य महीशशूनुम् । विकल्प्यमाना विविधा गुणास्ते ऽगुणाश्च भौताः सकलेन्द्रियेषु॥ 25.12 ॥

na vā bhavān roditi vai svajanmā śabdo ’yamāsādya mahīśaśūnum vikalpyamānā vividhā guṇāste ’guṇāśca bhautāḥ sakalendriyeṣu

'Nor is this crying, even from birth, truly your own; this sound merely arises upon striking against this prince's body. The various qualities, good and bad, arising from the elements, are imagined only within the senses.'

Verse 13 (markandeya.25.13)

भूतानि भूतैः परिदुर्बलानि वृद्धिं समायान्ति यथेह पुंसः । अन्नाम्बुपानादिभिरेव कस्य न तेऽस्ति वृद्धिर्न च तेऽस्ति हानिः॥ 25.13 ॥

bhūtāni bhūtaiḥ paridurbalāni vṛddhiṁ samāyānti yatheha puṁsaḥ annāmbupānādibhireva kasya na te ’sti vṛddhirna ca te ’sti hāniḥ

'Here, one set of elements, feeding on food and drink and the like, only nourishes other, weaker elements within the body — whose growth is that, really? For you, there is neither growth nor decay at all.'

Verse 14 (markandeya.25.14)

त्वं कञ्चुके शीर्यमाणे निजेऽस्मिंस् तस्मिंश्च देहे मूढतां मा व्रजेथाः । शुभाशुभैः कर्मभिर्देहमेतन् मदादिमूढैः सञ्चुकस्तेऽपिनद्धः॥ 25.14 ॥

tvaṁ kañcuke śīryamāṇe nije ’smiṁs tasmiṁśca dehe mūḍhatāṁ mā vrajethāḥ śubhāśubhaiḥ karmabhirdehametan madādimūḍhaiḥ sañcukaste ’pinaddhaḥ

'Do not fall into delusion over this decaying garment, this body, as though it were truly your own. This bodily wrapping — woven out of good and bad deeds by those deluded by pride and the rest — has merely been thrown over you.'

Verse 15 (markandeya.25.15)

तातेति किञ्चित्तनयेति किञ्चिद् अम्बेति किञ्चिद्दयितेति किञ्चित् । ममेति किञ्चिन्न ममेति किञ्चित् त्वं भूतसङ्घं बहुमानयेथाः॥ 25.15 ॥

tāteti kiñcittanayeti kiñcid ambeti kiñciddayiteti kiñcit mameti kiñcinna mameti kiñcit tvaṁ bhūtasaṅghaṁ bahumānayethāḥ

'Some call you "father," some "son," some "mother," some "beloved," some say "mine," and some say "not mine" — do not attach such great importance to this mere aggregate of the elements.'

Verse 16 (markandeya.25.16)

दुः खानि दुः खोपगमाय भोगान् सुखाय जानाति विमूढचेताः । तान्येव दुः खानि पुनः सुखानि जानात्यविद्वान सुविमूढयेताः॥ 25.16 ॥

duḥ khāni duḥ khopagamāya bhogān sukhāya jānāti vimūḍhacetāḥ tānyeva duḥ khāni punaḥ sukhāni jānātyavidvāna suvimūḍhayetāḥ

'A deluded mind takes pleasures — which in truth only lead on to further sorrow — to be the means of happiness; and that same ignorant, utterly bewildered man then comes to regard those very sorrows as pleasures once again.'

Verse 17 (markandeya.25.17)

हासोऽस्थिसन्दर्शनमक्षियुग्मम् अत्युज्ज्वलं तर्जनमङ्गनायाः । कुचादिपीनं पिशितं घनं तत् स्थानं रतेः किं नरकं न योषित्॥ 25.17 ॥

hāso ’sthisandarśanamakṣiyugmam atyujjvalaṁ tarjanamaṅganāyāḥ kucādipīnaṁ piśitaṁ ghanaṁ tat sthānaṁ rateḥ kiṁ narakaṁ na yoṣit

'A woman's smile is merely a display of bone, her two eyes but a dazzling glare, her full breasts and the rest merely dense flesh — is this seat of pleasure, then, anything but a hell?'

Verse 18 (markandeya.25.18)

यानं क्षितौ यानगतञ्च देहं देहेऽपि चान्यः पुरुषो निविष्टः । ममत्वबुद्धिर्न तथा यथा स्वे देहेऽतिमात्रं बत मूढतैषा॥ 25.18 ॥

yānaṁ kṣitau yānagatañca dehaṁ dehe ’pi cānyaḥ puruṣo niviṣṭaḥ mamatvabuddhirna tathā yathā sve dehe ’timātraṁ bata mūḍhataiṣā

'As a vehicle moves along the ground, so too this body is but a vehicle, and within that body dwells another, the true self. Yet one does not feel toward a vehicle the sense of "mine" that one feels, so excessively, toward one's own body — alas, what utter delusion this is!'