Maternal Love and Spirituality

[Guest guest]

Jaya Sri Radhey! Namaste all!

 

We have celebrated Devi Navaratris and glorified Divine Mother.

 

Here is a good quote from the book - 'The Bedside Torah : Wisdom,

Visions, and Dreams':

 

"Parents, most often the mother, are our first source of love in

life. The mother attends to her infant's needs even before the child

is aware of having them. Food, comfort, clothing - all seem to be

magically provided, along with smiles, kisses, and hugs. As the child

grows, the mother is there - and the father too - to provide support,

encouragement, and insight.

 

But at some point in the child's life, it becomes apparent that the

parents can no longer meet every emotional need or resolve every

fear. As the child begins to see glimmerings of the parents as

limited human beings, they slowly "die" as parents. They emerge as

people.

 

Through most of our adult lives, we may maintain some amalgam of both

attitudes, our parents are parents and adults separate from us at the

same time. But didn't something precious die within us when we lost

that vision of parents as perfect sources of love, protection, and

wisdom?

 

Do we lose intense closeness forever? The Torah suggests not, for in

its description of Isaac's response to Rebekah, it hints to us that,

in a loved spouse, we all have the opportunity to regain some of the

security, affection, and intimacy first enjoyed by infants and their

mothers. In a very real way, the love of our spouses comforts us for

the "death," the loss, of the infant's image of Perfect Mother.

 

That comfort is as close a replica of the love of God as one can know

in this world. In the care, trust, decency, and goodness of one's

spouse, we have the chance to reaffirm the lesson learned in our

mothers' arms - that in this sometimes difficult life there is a

haven, and that our love for each other can serve as a witness to

God's love for all human beings."

 

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To get more more information on that book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0737305878/####

 

It's a good introduction to Judaism.

 

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More from Hindu Scriptures in this regard:

 

The famous Hindu prayer starts with-

 

"tvam eva mAta ca pitA tvam eva

tvam eva bandhuzca sakhA tvam eva

tvam eva vidyA draviNaM tvam eva

tvam eva sarvaM mama deva! deva!"

 

"O Lord! You ALONE are my Mother.

O Lord! You ALONE are my Father.

O Lord! You ALONE are my Kith and Kin.

O Lord! You ALONE are my intimate Friend.

O Lord! You ALONE are my Wealth.

O Lord! You ALONE are my Knowledge.

O Lord ! You ALONE ARE MY EVERYTHING,

that I can think of!"

 

In Bhagavad Gita 9.17 Lord Krishna says:

 

'pitA 'hamasya jagato mAtA dhAtA pitAmahaH,

vedyaM pavitram oGkAra Rk sAma yajureva ca'

 

'I AM the Father of this world,

the MOTHER, the Dispenser and

the Grandfather.

I am Knowable, the Purifier,

the Sacred Syllable OM and also

the Rik, the Samn and the Yajus.'

 

God being the source of the universe and the beings in it,

He is held as the Father, the MOTHER and the Grandfather.

Each individual is rewarded according to his or her efforts

and therefore He alone is the Dispenser.

Knowing God, everything comes to known in its perspective;

the Lord alone is therefore worthy of being the Knowable.

 

"'ra'zabdaz ca mahA viSNur

vasvAni yasya lomasu

vizva prANiSu vizveSu

'dha' dhAtrI mAtru vAcakaH

dhAtrI mAtAhaM yetesaM

mUla prakritirIzvarI"

 

Among the two syllables of 'Radha',

the syllable 'rA' signifies Mahavishnu,

in whose hair-pores the world exists;

The syllable 'dhA' means creatrix or wet nurse (dhAtri),

in the sense of mother (of Mahavishnu in Whose pores

worlds containing all creatures exists).

So Radhaji is the wet nurse, the Mother of all

the creation (including Mahavishnu),

the Goddess Mulaprakriti,

the Original Potency of Lord.

 

"rakSa rakSa jaganmAtA

aparAdhaM kSamasva me

zizunAM aparAdhena

kuto mAtAhi kupyAti"

 

Situated in the Maternal Role Radhaji can be approached

by devotees more freely by praying,

"Protect me, protect me,

O Mother of the world.

Forgive my faults.

Where is the mother who is angered with

the faults her own children?"

 

"Adau rAdhAM samucchArya

pazcAt kRSNaM parAtparaM"

 

(Brahma Vaivarta Purana)

 

"Adau samuccharred rAdhAM

pazcAt kRSNaM ca mAdhavaM

ZrIkRSNo jagatAM tAto

jaganmAtA ca rAdhikA

pituH zata guNe mAtA

vandyA garIyasI"

 

(Narada Panca Ratram)

 

First utter the Name of Mother of the world 'rAdhA' and

afterwards the Name of Father, Supreme Self, 'kRSNa',

because, the Guru of Father is the Mother and

so she is worshippable hundred times more.'

 

The great poet-saint Kalidasa had sung in world famous Sanskrit-

classic-play:

 

'jagataH pitarau vande pArvatI-pramezvarau'

 

(Raghuvamsam 1.1 - Mahakavi Kalidasa)

 

I offer my salutations to the Original Parents

of the world, Lord Siva and Mother Parvati Devi.

 

The foremost World-teacher of 7th century, Bhagavatpada Sri

Shankaracarya had

also glorified the Divine Mother in several of his Sanskrit

compositions and

prayers.

 

''mAtA me pArvatI devI pitAdevo mahezvaraH,

bAndhavAH zivabhaktAz ca svadezo bhuvana trayam'

 

(Sri Annapurna Stotram)

 

"My Mother is Parvati Devi and my Father is Lord Siva.

My family relatives are the devotees of Lord Siva.

My homeland is the three worlds."

 

'pRthivyAM putrAste janani bahavaH santi saralAH

praM teSAM madhye viralataralo 'haM tava sutaH,

madIyo 'yaM tyAgaH samucitam idaM no tava zive

kuputro jAyeta kkacidapi kumAtA na bhavati'

 

(Devyaparadha-khamapana-stotram)

 

"O Mother, Divine Consort of Lord Siva!

In this world, in the midst of Thy numerous worthy sons,

I happen to be a rare specimen of wanton-ness.

Yet, O Thou beneficient One, it is not proper for Thee

to have abandoned me, Thy child.

For a bad son may sometimes be born,

but never has there been a bad mother.

 

No desire have I for liberation,

nor any hankering after wealth.

Neither do I cherish any yearning for knowledge,

nor any desire for pleasures, O Moon-faced Lady!

 

O Mother Divine!

This only I beg of Thee:

May my life pass in reciting and glorifying

your Divine Names as 'Mrudaani, Rudraani,

Sivaani, and Bhavaani'! "

 

" O Mother, I have made no charity;

I have done no meditation;

I have observed no rituals;

nor have I uttered any prayer or holy Name.

I have performed no worship;

nor have I purified myself through proper invocations.

Therefore, O Thou Mother of the universe,

Thou art my only refuge;

Thou art my ONLY REFUGE."

 

(Bhavaanyashtaka-stotra)

 

"Iron touched by the Philosopher's stone is transformed into gold.

The waters of the road being mixed with those of the Ganges become

pure.

In like manner, O Mother, being attached through devotion to Thee,

will not my heart become pure, greatly soiled though it be by many

sins???"

 

(Ananda-lahari, 12)

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!