Abstract: A lullaby, or cradle song is used as a sleep aid for infants. The lingual ululation which is an essential part of lullaby in almost all Indian languages is also not tagged on to what we presume as lullabies in Sanskrit. Lullaby also means लालनगीतम् बालसान्त्वनगीतम् and शिशुशमकगीतम्। In Märkaëòeya Puräëa, we have queen Madälasä, who used to sing a lullaby to three of her children while she nursed them. The milk of divine wisdom too was instilled into them while she rocked the cradle. When the child cried, instead of diverting the child’s attention with various objects she chose to introduce him to the Truth. And that truth is sung in the form of a sweet lullaby which is called Madälasä upadeça. This paper examines the ethos of lullaby and how they formed an integral part of the journey from infancy to old age in the search for wisdom, both spiritual and metaphysical.
