Sri Bharatamata

Ashtottaram 74

 

 

 

74) OṀ MĀTRUDEVA PŨJITA BHŨMYAINAMAH:

           OṀ (AUM) -MAA-TRU-DE'-VA- POO-JI-TA- BHOO- MYAI- NA-- MA- HA

 

        (Māta: means-Mother; Pūjita: means- one who is honored or worshipped)

 

 

 

Hinduism has given the highest place of honor to the mother. In fact; the very etymological derivation on the word 'mātā' is 'mānyate pūjyateyāsā', meaning 'one who is honored or worshipped'. The Ṫaiṫṫirīya Upanishad advises the outgoing student of the gurukulam (forest academy run by the ṟishis or sages) to look upon his mother as if she were God Himself. In this series of pithy teachings, she is placed above the father and the Vedic teacher. In fact, the status of motherhood has been raised to the highest level by depicting even God, as the Divine Mother, in later religious literature like the purāṇās and the ṫanṫrās. It is the bounden duty of the son to protect her and maintain her at all costs even if she were a sinner, reduced to the level of an outcaste.

 

One of the smruṫis (the Śankhalikhiṫa') gives an interesting piece of advice to a son that he should not normally take sides when the father and the mother are quarrelling. If at all, he should side with the mother! The epics and the purāṇās are full of eulogy of the mother and of instances (like that of the Pānḍavās) where the sons have served their mother devotedly. They also warn that if a mother is deeply hurt and utters a curse, it can never be averted. Even during the historical period there are several instances where the mothers inspired and shaped the character of their sons and the latter's gratitude toward them.

 

There are many movies and movie songs in India about the motherhood and the love of a mother towards her children sacrificing herself for them. No matter how old her son or daughter might be, for a mother they are her children. She carries the baby for 9 months and goes through the labor to bring the child into this world. Baby's first food is the mother's milk which also provides immunity to the child. She feeds the baby and quenches its hunger even if she has to starve. We see that not just in humans but in animal kingdom also. Every female doesn't back off in protecting its babies from the predators and willing to die in the fight. There is no unlucky person than losing his/her mother and nobody can replace her and hence, our sacred texts describe the goddess Durga, teacher's wife, the earth and the wife of an elder brother as mothers and is no exaggeration. In western countries, once a year, they have 'mother's day' and on that day children go and visit their mothers in the nursing homes or take the mothers to restaurants. For Hindus, the mother is honored and worshipped as goddess and they serve them in their old age.

 

Our nation, which honors and worships the mother, is 'Mātrudeva Pūjita Bhūmi'.