10-01-2016 Sunday
Holy Mother By Swami Nikhilananda: 009
Introduction: Women of India - 05
Hinduism speaks of the wife as the sahadharmani, the copartner of the husband in spiritual pursuits. Marriage does not imply the superiority of the husband or the inferiority of the wife. The one is incomplete without the other. This concept is symbolized by the Hindu deity Ardhanarishvara, of which one half is female and the other half male. When a man regards his wife only as an object to satisfy physical desire, disaster befalls the family. A Hindu scripture says: ‘She is the Goddess of Fortune for the righteous and the force of evil for the wicked.’
From the Hindu standpoint, a woman may be a mother, a wife, a sister, or something else, but basically she is the mother. An unknown woman, even though she may be a beggar, is often addressed as ‘Mother’. In a Hindu family it is the mother, and not the wife, who occupies the central position. A man marries and brings home his wife, who is regarded by his parents as a daughter. The bride obeys the mother-in-law in all family affairs. She must not stand between mother and son. The mother of her husband receives the same respect from her that she receives from her own son. Why is the mother so highly respected in a Hindu family and regarded as a veritable goddess? She is the embodiment of the Motherhood of God. Furthermore, a true mother’s self-sacrificing love is without parallel. It is a love that never seeks to possess, but is content simply to give – a giving that could not wish return. The mother is nearer to the children than the father. The father chastises and the mother protects. The child can always make demands upon his mother. She is ready to forgive all his iniquities. According to a Hindu proverb, there can be a bad son, but never a bad mother.
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Holy Mother - Being the Life of Sri Sarada Devi Wife of Sri Ramakrishna And Helpmate in his Mission By Swami Nikhilananda p: 3 – 4
