Shastra: "Humans have 7 mothers"

[protectacow]

According to scriptures also, there are seven mothers: (1) the real mother, (2) the wife of the spiritual master, (3) the wife of a brahmana, (4) the wife of the king, (5) the cow, (6) the nurse, and (7) the earth. All of them are mothers.

Srimad Bhagavatam canto one chapter eleven verse twenty eight

 

Srimad Bhagavatam canto one chapter eleven verse twenty eight sb 1:11:28 Protectacow Bhaktivedanta Swami arcives

 

pravistas tu grham pitroh

parisvaktah sva-matrbhih

vavande sirasa sapta

devaki-pramukha muda

 

pravistah--after entering; tu--but; grham--houses; pitroh--of the father; parisvaktah--embraced; sva-matrbhih--by His own mothers; vavande--offered obeisances; sirasa--His head; sapta--seven; devaki--Devaki; pramukha--headed by; muda--gladly.

 

TRANSLATION

 

After entering the house of His father, He was embraced by the mothers present, and the Lord offered His obeisances unto them by placing His head at their feet. The mothers were headed by Devaki [His real mother].

 

PURPORT

 

It appears that Vasudeva, the father of Lord Krsna, had completely separate residential quarters where he lived with his eighteen wives, out of whom Srimati Devaki is the real mother of Lord Krsna. But in spite of this, all other stepmothers were equally affectionate to Him, as will be evident from the following verse. Lord Krsna also did not distinguish His real mother from His stepmothers, and He equally offered His obeisances unto all the wives of Vasudeva present on the occasion. According to scriptures also, there are seven mothers: (1) the real mother, (2) the wife of the spiritual master, (3) the wife of a brahmana, (4) the wife of the king, (5) the cow, (6) the nurse, and (7) the earth. All of them are mothers. Even by this injunction of the sastras, the stepmother, who is the wife of the father, is also as good as the mother because the father is also one of the spiritual masters. Lord Krsna, the Lord of the universe, plays the part of an ideal son just to teach others how to treat their stepmothers.