Madālasā

The story of Madālasā is a celebrated narrative found in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa that highlights themes of devotion, spiritual wisdom, and the restoration of life through divine intervention. The account primarily concerns the life of Ṛtadhvaja, the son of King Śatrujit, and his union with Madālasā, a woman of extraordinary beauty and intellect.

Ṛtadhvaja and the Original Madālasā

The Encounter and Rescue

The history begins with Prince Ṛtadhvaja, who was also known by the name Kuvalayāśva due to his possession of a swift divine horse named Kuvalaya. His adventures commenced when the sage Gālava sought help against a demon named Pātālaketu, who was disrupting sacred rituals. Ṛtadhvaja pursued the demon into a deep cavern that led to the subterranean world. In this hidden realm, he discovered Madālasā, the daughter of the Gandharva king Viśvāvasu, who had been abducted by the demon. After slaying Pātālaketu, the prince rescued Madālasā, and the two were married with the blessings of her family. They returned to the surface and lived a life of great happiness and mutual respect.

The Tragic Separation

The peace of the couple was shattered by the vengeance of Tālaketu, the brother of the slain demon. While Ṛtadhvaja was away on a hunt near the Yamunā river, Tālaketu approached Madālasā in the guise of a sage and falsely informed her that her husband had perished in battle. Devastated by the news, Madālasā, who could not bear the thought of life without her husband, immediately gave up her life through the power of her grief. Upon his return, Ṛtadhvaja was inconsolable. Despite his duties as a prince, he remained devoted to her memory and vowed never to marry another, spending his time in the company of the sons of the Nāgarāja Aśvatara.

The Restoration of Madālasā

The Penance of Aśvatara

The Nāgarāja Aśvatara became aware of the prince’s profound suffering through his sons, who were close friends of Ṛtadhvaja. Moved by the prince’s unwavering love and his sons’ request to help their friend, Aśvatara resolved to intervene. He performed intense penance to please the goddess Sarasvatī. When the goddess appeared, Aśvatara requested that Madālasā be restored to life in her former body and with her previous memories intact. Pleased by his selfless devotion, Sarasvatī granted the boon.

Rebirth of Madālasā and Reunion

Through the divine grace of the goddess, Madālasā was manifested within the Nāga kingdom. In this second existence, she was restored through the efforts of Aśvatara, appearing exactly as she had before her death. Aśvatara then invited the prince to the Nāga palace and eventually revealed that his wife had returned The reunion was a moment of supreme joy, and the couple eventually returned to the human kingdom, where Ṛtadhvaja succeeded his father as king.

The Wisdom of the Madālasā

Spiritual Teachings to Her Sons

In her life after restoration, Madālasā took on a unique role as a spiritual preceptor to her children. She bore four sons named Vikrānta, Subāhu, Śatrumardana, and Alarka. Rather than focusing on worldly education, Madālasā sang profound spiritual lullabies to them from their birth. She taught them that the physical body is merely a combination of elements and that the true self is the eternal Ātman. Because of her influence, her first three sons renounced the world to seek liberation. For her youngest son, Alarka, she provided specific instructions on how to be a righteous king while maintaining inner detachment, a teaching that later guided him toward enlightenment.

The Peaceful Departure of Madālasā

Following the completion of her duties as a mother and the spiritual instruction of her youngest son, Alarka, the life of the second Madālasā—who was manifested through the grace of Sarasvatī as the daughter of the Nāgarāja Aśvatara—concluded with a transition into the final stages of the Vedic life cycle. After King Ṛtadhvaja performed the coronation of Alarka and entrusted him with the responsibility of the kingdom, he and Madālasā resolved to pursue a life of spiritual contemplation. Madālasā provided her final instructions to her son, emphasizing the importance of detachment and the path to liberation, before accompanying her husband into the forest to lead a life of penance (Tapas). In this secluded environment, they transitioned from the householder stage (Gṛhastha) to that of forest dwellers (Vānaprastha), where they spent their remaining years in meditation and devotion, eventually attaining the ultimate goal of spiritual liberation or the fourth Ashrama (Sannyāsa). This peaceful departure stood in stark contrast to the tragic end of the original Madālasā, who had previously died of a broken heart due to the false reports of her husband’s death.