Offering respects to Our Mothers on Mother’s Day
A mother’s love is the purest kind of love that can be found in this world. Her Love & care begins even before we are born. Mother carries us in her womb for full 9 months, undergoes through severe hardships just to bring us into this world. However tired she is, she still does all the menial and major services selflessly for her child even in the middle of the night.
Mothers are embodiments of real love. In SB Srila Prabhupada explained that according to the scriptures there are 7 mothers – (1) the real mother, (2) the wife of the spiritual master, (3) the wife of a brāhmaṇa, (4) the wife of the king, (5) the cow, (6) the nurse, and (7) the earth. All of these are respectable and needs to be served.
Even though Devaki was the real mother of Lord Krishna, He never distinguished other step mothers and equally respected them and offered His obeisances unto them. This is how he showed by example that mother as well as the step mothers are equally respectable.
Some of the mothers from our scriptures are as follows:-
| Devakī | Very highly elevated personality. Embodiment of affection. Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as her Son. Confined within the Kamsa’s prison, even though she wasn’t in a position to protect Krishna when He was born, she referred Him as Madhusudana, and requested Him to disappear, thinking out of maternal affection that Kamsa could harm him. |
| Uttara | Daughter of a great king; Wife of a great hero – Abhimanyu; student of a great devotee. Later she became mother of a great devotee Pariksit. Today when thousands of babies are being aborted unfortunately, mother Uttara shows an example to show how a child needs to be protected and the power of prayer. Behind the birth of Parikshit Maharaj was prayer of Mother Uttara who cried before Lord Krishna to save her and the baby in her womb from the dreaded weapon, Brahmastra |
| Yaśodā | An exceptional mother. Words would never be enough to define her glorification. She is epitome of maternal affection. Such love that Supreme Lord can be tied down by her ropes in Damodar lila. Kṛṣṇa enjoyed being dependent on the mercy of mother Yaśodā out of pure unconditional love |
| Subhadra | Krishna’s sister -Wife of great warrior Arjuna. Arjuna kidnapped her at the instigation of Krishna -Mother of great hero Abhimanyu |
| Kuntī Devi | Mother of the Pandavas Once when Durvasa muni visited no body agreed to serve him due to his temperamental nature. She served Durvasa muni with her humble mood. She prayed to Krishna that let there be calamities so that she can keep remembering Him constantly as He is the only object and refuge of life. She completely surrendered to the will of the Lord. |
| Kayādhu | Mother of Prahlad Maharaj. A great devotee and an authority in the devotional service of the Lord. Krishna appeared as Narsimha dev just to save his beloved devotee. |
| Devahūti | Devahūti obtained instructions of Lord Kapila about devotional service. Even being a mother she took the lower position and submissively inquired and surrendered unto her own son, Lord Kapila. |
| Sunīti | Mother of Dhruva maharaja. Mother is the first guru of child. When Dhruv came to her angry complaining about mother Suruchi how she mistreated him, mother Suniti told her not to wish inauspicious for others. She guided Dhruva to give up envious nature and engage in worship of Lotus feet of Lord Vishnu. |
| Mother Sītā | Exalted chaste women, compassionate and forgiving. When Hanuman came to Ashoka vatika and saw distressed Mother Sita told that mother I can take you away from this place to Lord Ram. Mother said Hanuman there are also other women’s also that Ravana has kidnapped. I won’t leave till all of them are free. |
| Draupadī | One of the exalted chaste and courageous. She was forgiving to Ashvatthama even after he murdered all her 5 sons in revenge as being a mother she didn’t want Ashvatthama’s mother to suffer through the pain that she went through. |