Madalasa, Ashtavakra & Sri Ramakrishna

Queen Madalasa in "Markandeya Purana" was an enlightened mother, who composed the following lullaby for her children.

You are pure, enlightened & spotless.

Leave the illusion of the world & wake up from the deep slumber of delusion.

Body growing in size or becoming lean depends on consumption of food & drink.

You do not have growth or decay.

You are in the body which gets worn out day by day.

Do not have the notion that you are the body, which is for the fructification of good or bad karmas.

Some may call you Father, & some Son.

Some may call you Mother, & some daughter.

Some may say "You are mine."

Some may say "You are not mine."

Do not identify with them.

The "deluded" look at objects of enjoyment as giving happiness.

The "wise" clearly see that the same objects which give happiness now, may become a source of unhappiness later.

How foolish to think "I am the body."!

The antithesis of Queen Madalasa can be considered Queen Kaikeyi, who (symbolically) pulled her son Bharatha away from God (Rama) with wordly enticements of Kingship, with unexpected results of her son disowning her & choosing the spiritually correct path.

Ashtavakra Samhita, also postulates the same eternal truths. This sage was born with eight deformities caused by his father's curse, when Ashtavakra in his foetal stage itself heard & corrected eight mistakes committed by his father while reciting the Vedas.

In the very opening pages of "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna", his disciple 'M' arrives to meet him with preconceived general notions of education (purpose being conferring wordly knowledge, status & livelihood). When Sri Ramakrishna questions him about his wife's education, he confesses that she is not (meaning the above definition). Sri Ramakrishna straight away punctures his ego by asking whether he is (meaning Queen Madalasa's definition).