Mother's Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the profound role mothers play – and on the deeper principle of nurturing that the divine feminine represents. Indian spiritual tradition holds the mother in highest reverence, seeing in human motherhood a reflection of cosmic creative and nurturing power.
The Bhagavad Gita, while focused on Krishna's teaching to Arjuna, is surrounded by powerful mother figures in the Mahabharata. And within the Gita itself, the concepts of prakriti (nature as divine mother) and shakti (divine feminine power) permeate the teaching.
This Mother's Day, let's explore what the Gita tradition teaches about honoring mothers, the sacred feminine, and the nurturing principle at the heart of existence.
The Pandavas' mother Kunti embodies the strength, sacrifice, and faith of motherhood. Her life story offers profound lessons:
Kunti watched her sons face exile, humiliation, and war. She didn't protect them from their dharma but encouraged them to face it. True maternal love sometimes means supporting children through difficulty rather than shielding them from all hardship.
Kunti's famous prayer – asking Krishna for continuous difficulties to maintain remembrance of the Divine – reveals a mother's profound spiritual understanding. She knew that ease can lead to forgetfulness, while challenges deepen faith.
Kunti carried the secret of Karna – her firstborn, abandoned in youth – throughout her life. This reminds us that mothers carry unseen burdens, make impossible choices, and live with consequences forever.
The Gita presents prakriti – material nature – as the divine mother from whom all forms emerge:
In this verse, prakriti is literally called the "womb" (yoni) of all creation. The divine feminine receives the creative impulse and brings forth all existence. Every mother participates in this cosmic creative power.
Indian tradition calls the Earth "Bhumi Devi" – Mother Earth. She provides, sustains, and nurtures all life. Krishna identifies himself with this nurturing quality:
The divine contains both masculine and feminine – father and mother. Honoring mothers is honoring the divine in its nurturing aspect.
While the Gita doesn't contain specific verses about mother worship, the broader tradition strongly emphasizes parental reverence:
The Sanskrit saying "Matru Devo Bhava" – "Let your mother be a god to you" – places the mother even before father and teacher in the hierarchy of respect. This isn't blind obedience but recognition of the debt we owe to those who gave us life and nurturing.
The Gita's emphasis on offering all actions to the Divine extends to gratitude. Recognizing what we've received from mothers – life itself, early care, countless sacrifices – is a form of spiritual awareness. Ingratitude is listed among tamasic (dark) qualities.
Consider what your mother (or mother figures) gave you:
How might you express gratitude today – in words, actions, or simply in heartfelt remembrance?
The qualities associated with good motherhood appear throughout the Gita as spiritual virtues:
A mother's love for her child – ideally not dependent on the child's achievements or behavior – mirrors the divine love Krishna describes. "I am the same to all beings; none is hateful to Me, none dear" (9.29), yet those who love Krishna find him especially close. This is the paradox of divine love mothers often understand intuitively.
The selfless service mothers provide – feeding, cleaning, comforting, often without recognition – is karma yoga in action. The Gita's teaching on nishkama karma (desireless action) is what mothers often practice naturally.
The patience required to raise children, the forgiveness offered for inevitable mistakes – these are divine qualities the Gita celebrates.
Mothers often display the equanimity the Gita teaches – remaining functional and caring through crisis, illness, financial stress, and emotional upheaval. This strength is the sthitaprajna quality Krishna describes.
Not all mother-child relationships are healthy or happy. If your relationship is painful:
While the Gita doesn't specifically address mother worship, it presents prakriti (nature) as the divine mother-womb of all creation (14.3) and Krishna as both father and mother of the universe (9.17). The tradition strongly emphasizes honoring mothers.
Kunti was the mother of the five Pandava heroes – Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva. She exemplifies maternal strength, faith, and sacrifice, enduring tremendous hardship while supporting her sons' dharma.
The divine feminine (shakti) represents creative power, nurturing energy, and cosmic motherhood. Prakriti (nature) is seen as the mother of all forms. Various goddesses – Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga – embody different aspects of the divine feminine.
Express genuine gratitude for specific gifts, offer service to her wellbeing, preserve her stories and wisdom, pray for her welfare, and see the divine feminine in her. If she has passed, honor her memory through prayer or charitable acts.
Study all 700 verses with deep commentary on life's sacred relationships.
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