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God in the form of Mother
“
"If
God is our- father, why cannot God be our Mother! If
we are the children of our heavenly Father, why cannot
we be the children of our heavenly Mother!." This
rhetorical question is the basis of why Hindus
recognize and accept both male and female aspects of
Nature and worship the Supreme Reality in the form of
Mother, Father, Friend, Master, Guru, and Savior. Thus
Lord Krishna declares in the Bhagawad Gita:
"I am the Father- of this Universe. I am the Mother of
this universe, and the Creator- of all. I am the
Highest to be known, the Purifier, the holy OM, and
the three Vedas." (BG 9.17)
The worship of God in the form of Mother- is a unique
Feature of Hinduism. Through the ages, the doctrine of
the Motherhood of God has established a firm root in
Hinduism. Today Hindus worship the Divine Mother in
many popular forms such as Durga, Kali, Lakshrni,
Saraswati, Ambika, and Uma.
By worshipping God as the Divine Mother, a Hindu can
more easily attribute Motherly traits to the Lord,
such as tenderness and forgivingness. The natural love
between a Mother- and her- child is the best
expression of the Lord's unconditional love for- us as
children of God. In the most representative Hindu
view, the universe is the manifestation of the
creative power (shakti) of Brahman, whose essence is
absolute existence, consciousness, and bliss (or in
Sanskrit, sat-chit-ananda). Since all created forms
proceed from the womb of the mother, the creative
power shakti) of God is recognized by Hindus as the
female principle or t he motherly aspect of nature. In
this sense we are all children of the Divine Mother.
We are contained by Her before our - manifestation and
nourished by Her throughout our existence.
To a Hindu, the motherly aspect of God in nature is
full of beauty, gentleness, kindness, and tenderness.
When we look upon all the glorious and beautiful
things ill nature and experience a feeling of
tenderness within us, we feel the motherly instinct of
God. The worship of God in the form of Mother is a
unique contribution of the Hindu child. When a devotee
worships God as Divine Mother, he or- she appeals to
Her tenderness and unconditional love. Such love
unites the devotee with God, like a child with its
mother. Just as a child feels safe and secure in the
lap of its mother, a devotee feels safe and secure in
the presence of the Divine Mother. Pararnaharnsa Sri
Ramakrishna, one of the greatest Indian s ages of
modern times, worshipped the Divine Mother Kali during
his entire life. He established a personal
relationship with Her and was always conscious of Her
presence by his side.
In Hinduism, Divine Mother is the first manifestation
of Divine Energy. Thus with the name of Divine Mother
comes the idea of energy, omnipotence, omnipresence,
love, intelligence, and wisdom. Just as a child
believes its mother to be all-powerful, and capable of
doing anything for the child, a devotee believes the
Divine Mother to be all merciful, all-powerful and
eternally guiding and protecting him with her
invisible arms.
The worship of God as Mother- has had a significant
impact on Hinduism. The position of women in the Hindu
religion is dignified because each woman is considered
a manifestation of the Divine Mother. Hindus view man
and woman as the two wings of the same bird. Thus, a
man is considered incomplete without a woman, since
"it is not possible for- a bird to fly on only one
wing"---Swami Vivekananda. Through the worship of God
in the form of Mother, Hinduism offers a unique
reverence to womanhood.”
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