Ashtottaram 104

 

 

 

104)  OṀ MĀTĀ PIṪA SAMA BHĀVANA-

                                                    BHŪMYAINAMAH:

         OṀ (AUM) -MAA-ṪAA-  PI-ṪA-   SA-MA-  BHAA-VA-NA- BHOO- MYAI- NA-- MA- HA

 

   (Māṫah: means-Mother; Piṫah: means-Father; Samabhāvana: means-Equal attitude)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How can you answer if someone asks you whether you like your right or left eye? Without both eyes working, you lose your depth perception. You don't favor one eye over the other and you feel the pain, when either eye hurts. If someone asks you who is your favorite, your mother or your father? What will your answer be? Can you choose one over the other? Forget about the top pedestal for a woman. In some cultures, countries and religions, women have no rights and have to be escorted by men when they go out. They have to cover their whole body with a black cloth except the eyes, and women are treated like slaves. Without the mother carrying you in her womb for nine months and providing the nutrition through her blood, you wouldn't be here today. Same way, the father goes out every day and works hard to make money to provide you food and shelter, and if he doesn't, where would you be? What about the security he provides you till you can stand on your own? It's like the bullock cart with two oxen carrying the cart; one without the other, you cannot move forward with the cart.

 

In western countries, when parents get divorced, they live separately and they share the time they spend with the children. The parents either get married again with another person or live with a boyfriend or girlfriend. The children get stuck in the middle and they have to go and live with their fathers over weekends. Can you imagine the mental trauma the children have to go through? When they grew up, they also have the same lifestyle of the divorced parents. In the USA, every other marriage ends up in a divorce. It's like the saying from a wife to her third husband, 'Honey! Your children and my children are quarrelling with our children'.

 

A person's stability of mind and happiness depends on his upbringing with his/her parents, in turn on the friend's circle, the society, the values, the culture, the religion, and the nation. In every part of their life, there is society around them that has direct or indirect influence. That person can be productive to the society or can become dangerous, depending on the mental instability and can even be dangerous to the whole world like Hitler. Those children who are brought up with parent's love, affection, care and guidance will turn out to be very productive to the society and to the world at large. The grown up children put their old parents in the nursing homes and have somebody else care for their parents instead of serving them by themselves. Unfortunately, nursing homes are now popping up slowly in India also, imitating the western culture.

 

That's why Hindu culture gave so much importance and significance to both the parents and there are many stories in our sacred texts illustrating the importance of worshipping the parents and taking care of them at all times, until they pass away.

 

At least, once upon a time, before the infatuation with the western culture has infested our younger generations, our land was the land of 'Māṫa- Piṫa Sama Bhāvana Bhūmi'.