Mother is divine (Matru Devo Bhava)
Mother is a divine word of all times. She is compared on par with the Supreme Being Any living being who has the first relationship in this world is with its mother. Mother is divine. The word itself depicts love, compassion, ownership and truth. All human beings start talking with the word ‘Maa.’
When in distress, they call out the word ‘Amma’. So, every moment one should honour Mother as how one praises the Almighty. That is the reason why one addresses goddesses as ‘Ammavaru’, ‘Thaayaar’, ‘Ambal’ and ‘Naachiyaar’.
When going to a temple, we used to visit the Goddess first and then visit the Lord. That is the procedure as She is the first and the foremost who forgives all our sins. Ancient scriptures are many that hail the glory of motherhood.
The Vedic scriptures glorify the sacredness of motherhood. There are many mother characters in the Puranas. Let us take a few of them and their divine significance.
Kausalya – first wife of King Dasarath
Kausalya, the first wife of King Dasarath of Ayodhya. She was the proud mother of Lord Rama. She was hailed by the sage Vishwamitra when singing ‘Suprabhatham’ to Lord Rama in the Ramayana – ‘Kausalya Supraja Rama’. It is mentioned in some of the ancient detail descriptions that Sriman Narayana wanted to give the highest gift for Kausalya because of her selfless devotion to being born as her son.
In the Ramayana in Ayodhya Kanda, Kausalya is praised as the best of women due to her pious nature. As she had to play the role of the queen and the mother, she controlled all her grief when Lord Rama was sent to the forest. One should learn the devout devotion from the mother, Kausalya.
Suniti – first wife of King Uttaanapaada
Suniti was the first wife of King Uttaanapaada. She was very humble and pious. Though the king was favourable to the second wife, she did not interfere. She was always chanting the name of Sri Hari and was following the ‘Pativrata dharma.’ Because of her devotion, she had a child named Dhruva.
He was the fastest person to get the blessings of Lord Vishnu within a short span. That is his willpower. These all came from his mother’s teaching. When Dhruva was ill-treated by his stepmother, Suniti advised him not to lose hope as the Almighty was the only person to call for help. Dhruva followed her guidance and started his spiritual journey.
Kayadhu – Wife of demon Hiranyakashyap
Kayadhu, the wife of the demon Hiranyakashyap and the mother of great devotee Prahaladh. When she was in the ‘ashram’, the sage Narada preached her the divine qualities of Sri Hari. At that time, she was pregnant, she was weak and fell asleep during the preaching.
Prahaladha, who was known as ‘Garbha Sreeman’ heard the divine preachings of the sage Narada and became the gem of all the devotees of Lord Vishnu. The seed of devotion to Prahaladha grew from his mother’s womb. She was a devoted wife who tried to change her husband’s cruelty.
Unfortunately, she could not do so. She did not lose hope. She continued to bring up her child as the best among the devotees. One should know from Kayadhu, that however cruel the surroundings are only the mother can bring up the child as a virtuous person, a Bhagavata.
Yashoda – Foster Mother of Lord Krishna
Yashoda is the foster mother of Lord Krishna. Even the Devas and the humans felt jealous of her. Such was the ‘Krishna Leela.’ Whatever happiness that one should get as a mother, she got it. From Yashodha, one should selflessly surrender to the Almighty to get His blessings.
Sumitra – Dasaratha’s Queen
Sumitra was one of the queens of Dasaratha. She is considered more knowledgeable. She is hailed because she was the person who wanted sons – one for serving the Lord and other for serving the Bhagavatha. Thus, Lakshman and Shatrughna were raised up.
She preached Lakshmana that the brother and brother’s wife to be served as own father and mother. If any problems occur, Lakshmana should be the first one to face it before Lord Rama. Such is the character of Sumitra who is known for her friendly nature and large heart.
Devaki – Mother of Lord Krishna
Devaki, the mother of Lord Krishna is praised by all. She was a strong woman who had seen her child getting killed by her brother. She had faith in ‘dharma’ and, hence, dared to take up the agony for years. She was fortunate to be the highest.
In the Bhagavatham and the Narayaneeyam, the praise of Devaki Krishna is an important chapter. Faith and patience are the two important keywords that one should learn from the mother, Devaki.
Subhadra
Subhadra is the mother of Abhimanyu, the wife of Arjuna and the beloved sister of Lord Krishna. She is a confident woman who is well-known for driving chariots. In those days very few dared to learn certain manly tasks. She was one among them. She was brave enough to make her son Abhimanyu to participate in the war at a young age.
Though she knows Lord Krishna is the Saviour, she always guides her son to do the duty with utmost sincerity. Courage is the key that one should learn from the mother, Subhadra.
Uttara, the mother of Parikshit
Uttara, the mother of Parikshit was unfortunate to lose her husband Abhimanyu in the war before the birth of Parikshit. It was the most fortunate that she is the only mother, who had carried Bhagavan as well as “Bhagavatha” in her womb. When the powerful missile from Ashwattama hit the womb, Uttara cried in pain. Draupadi, Kunti, Subhadra prayed to Lord Krishna to save the mother and child which was the only hope of the dynasty.
Though Uttara was in utmost pain, she did ‘saranagathi’ i.e., self-surrender” to Lord Krishna. If a devotee does ‘saranagathi’, Lord does not have a choice. Lord entered the womb of Uttara and guarded the fetus of Parikshit until his birth.
Thus Uttara, carried the Lord and the Devotee in her womb. Will-power is the one which made Uttara, the young widow with so much of pain, had the responsibility and only hope to survive the dynasty made the Lord take extraordinary steps to protect her.
Kunti is the mother of Karna and the Pandavas. She had extremely difficult situations throughout her life, though she was a princess. She prayed to Lord Krishna that she should be given sufferings always so that she remembers the Lord. That is the reason, Lord Krishna himself saved her sons in many ways. ‘Acceptance and Contentment’ is the key from the life of Kunti which made the Lord to be always friendly with her sons.
Final Word
There are numerous instances in ancient scriptures that praise motherhood. ‘Mathru Panchakam’ by Jagadguru Sri Adi Sankaracharya is a beautiful hymn praising motherhood. “Matru Devo Bhava” from the Taittiriya Upanishad gives first respect to the concept of ‘Mother’.
‘Mathru Shodasi’ has the slokas that hail motherhood. Some of the commands from the ancient texts say that at any cost one should not discard the relationship of one’s mother.
The present generation should realize that it is their responsibility to always keep their parents happy. It is called the selfless action. Let us hope that the present generation will secure this tradition as Bharath Bhoomi which is the birth place of great mothers.
