Why do we worship God as Mother? (Part 1)

It is quite often, a question in everybody’s mind, is that why do Hindus and some other preachers of religions too worship God as statues or a piece of stone, a book, or a mural, a picture or even the rivers, the oceans, or the mountains? This is a small personal reflection and compilation for you to have a look!

This compilation is with regard to the several pujas or the worships of God as Mother. During the month of October, we have Durga Puja (1st October – 5th October 2022) and then the Kali Puja (24th October 2022). These are just two of the forms in which God as Mother is worshipped, in the Indian subcontinent and also now, in many other parts of the world as well. But, besides these two, God as Mother is worshipped in many other forms as well. Right now, we are celebrating what is called as ‘Navaratri’ (26th September- 4th October 2022) – The nine days or the nine nights. In southern parts of India, during these nine days, three aspects of the Divine Mother are worshipped – God as Saraswati, God as Kali and God as Maha Laxmi. A few days between the Durga Puja and Kali Puja, another one would be worshipped in Bengal and other parts of India, on the full moon night – Kojagori Laxmi Mata (9th October 2022) is worshipped. A few weeks after that, there is another aspect of the Divine Mother, as the Jagadhatri (2nd November 2022) ~ The Mother of the Universe. And then is worshipping of Mother Saraswati. So there are many forms and there are these worships that are spread throughout the year. But somehow they seem to be more concentrated, during this season. That’s why; we should name this season as ‘The Mother Season’.

We know that according to Vedanta, the ultimate reality is one. Everything is really one. That, however, is not our present experience. And because reality is supposed to be one, it is infinite and it is undivided. But somehow, the reality that you and I experience is not undivided. It is very much divided and its very much limited in many ways. Factual reality if you like. Now how and when did, this infinite one reality, somehow, become fractured into many different realities? Those are the realities of my existence, realities of the existence of every one of the human beings, every one of the living beings, realities, as these appear to us, are existence of every object in this world. How did this one existence suddenly begin to appear as many different kinds of existence – whether living or non-living?

Now when did that exactly happen – no one knows. This not knowing, when this occurred? This ignorance of when this occurred is called ‘Maya’ in Vedantic terms. It does not know when it happened. ‘Maya’ originates from the root word called ‘Mayee’. Mayee means measure. Anything that one can measure is Maya. This body, the money, the cars, the houses, the land, the property and the human relationships – whether through blood or through social arrangements, is Maya. Only Divine Love, which is infinite, is beyond measure, is beyond Maya. Paramahansa Yogananda had written down, “Only Love can take my place.” Anything, which is measurable, is tangible, will eventually degenerate. It is ‘not permanent; it is only ‘Anitya’. But normal and ignorant people do not understand it, do not remethrough hoarding and permanent greed. That is a mistake and the cause of our suffering and misery.
This not knowing when it happened, it is just called ‘Maya’. Now why is it not known?
To be continued…(Part 2)

“To be or not to be, with my Mother?”

Bibliography :

➢ God Talks With Arjuna ~~ Bhagavad Gita ~ Sri Sri Paramahansa
➢ Autobiography of a Yogi: Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
➢ Understanding Vedanta: Swami Tyagananda.
➢ Meditation & Vedanta: Swami Adiswarananda
➢ Freedom Of Voice: Swami Vivekananda
➢ Inner Voice . Reflection, as Guided By Divine Mother Through Robbin Ghosh