Madālasā Upadesha Stotra from the Mārkandeya Purāna
Here is a sublime Sanskrit song which is part of the Madālasā Upadesha, or teachings of Madālasā. Madālasā Upadesha Stotra is the teaching of Saint Madalasa to her children. Upadesha means instruction. The stotra (hymn) is also known as Putra Upadesha Stotra or Putropadesha Stotra. The story of Madālasā is in Chapters 25-30 of the Mārkandeya Purāṇa. The Mārkaṇḍeya is one of the eighteen ‘great Purāṇas’ said to have been narrated by Rishi Mārkandeya.
The stotra is sung by Gabriella Burnel and the recording was commissioned by friends and students of the School of Practical Philosophy in Australia. Gabriella is a Sanskrit scholar and an accomplished musician and musical theatre performer; she is well-known as a composer and performer of poems and hymns drawn from the Sanskrit tradition (more info about her and the song on the website).
You find more background of the Madālasā Upadesha in German on the website of Yoga Vidya, also the text and another recording of the song together with MP3 download links on the page.
Here are more beautiful Sanskrit songs by Gabriella Burnel: Sanskrit Vedic Prayers, SANSKRIT SONG – The Wonder of Sanskrit, Sanskrit Song ‘Anandamayi’= MADE OF BLISS, Bhagavad Gita “I do nothing at all” – Gabriella and the Planets, Sanskrit Prayer to Dhanwantari, Relaxing Sanskrit Song: Tāra (ft Shiva Sutras), Life is a DANCE, Sanskrit Song for Ganesha, Shri Lakshmi Stotram – Happy Diwali, Sing Through Me- Song for Children inspired by Sanskrit Text, and many more.
Please also read the beautiful words of Gabriella about “Why I Studied Sanskrit”
Image (c) extract from the video.
