JOIN USGrowing up, we celebrated divine mother and human mother during the month of May. When I became a devotee of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, I discovered that he honored his mother, Eswarama, in May as well. During my early years with him, Swami taught the importance of venerating our mothers. I remember the first time I heard him say, “Mother is God.”
I had to go deep into the meaning of this, for my relationship with my mother had not been good. I longed to be loved by her, but nothing I did moved her to say the words I wanted to hear.
Meantime, Puttaparthi Sai said, “Motherhood is the most precious gift of God. Mothers are the makers of a nation’s fortune or misfortune. They should teach two lessons, fear of sin and fondness of virtue. Both these are based on faith in God, being the inner motivator of all. If you want to know how advanced a nation is, study the mothers; are they free from fear and anxiety, are they full of love towards all, are they trained in fortitude and virtue? If you like to imbibe the glory of a culture, watch the mothers, rocking the cradles, feeding, fostering, teaching and fondling the babies.”
This description of a mother did not fit mine. For example, my mother was critical of people outside her religious and ethnic background. But Swami was insisting that I had to worship her as God. So I leapt into a new awareness. She had totally rejected me when I became a devotee, but because of Swami’s teachings I was prompted to love her more and more intensely. I would picture her loved by Swami; I would even picture her as Baba himself. The more she turned against me, the more I loved her. Gradually, I came to understand that what I had perceived as a very difficult childhood was actually a gift, for it made me turn to God for solace. And, by his grace I came to love my mother beyond words. Now we are close friends and she frequently tells me how much she loves me. To me this is a miracle.
The Avatar, Sathya Sai Baba, said, “The mother is the visible manifestation of God. If ignoring the divinity of the mother, who is visible and adorable, one seeks to worship what is invisible, it must be regarded as a sign of ignorance. God exists in subtle form. He is invisible and is infinite and immeasurable. The mother is a visible and tangible proof of Divinity. When a child is born, the first person it beholds is the mother. The mother bears patiently many travails for the sake of the child. It is sweet to love such a mother. You may have love for God. But if you have no love for the mother who is physically present before you, how can you love the invisible Divine?”
I had to learn this truth by establishing my mother as God in my heart.