Sacred role of mothers

6 May 1994, Easwaramma Day, Brindavan

Published English.

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All that you see, hear, think and do are due to the power of (the Absolute). The feeling that you are the doer and the possessor is the source of all troubles. It is only when man realises that everything is permeated by the Divine that he will be able to experience the Divine bliss. The phenomenal world enables man to participate in mundane activities related to the physical, the social and the natural. But human life should not be confined to these alone. The sensory life is based on the inner life. Life and the world are like two sides. The world is external and life is internal. The phenomenal universe is based on the inner subtle entity.

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Education should serve to refine man's nature Man's heart, which ought to be filled with compassion that is natural to it, is today full of cruelty and bitterness. Education, which should serve to refine man's nature and make him a hero, is failing in its purpose because in his conduct man is a zero. An education which does not develop humanness is an utter waste. The educational system should ensure that along with knowledge right conduct is also developed. and achieved unrivalled eminence in scholarship. But it was of no avail because of their polluted minds. They ceased to be human.

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What is in a name given to the physical body? People should cultivate faith in the Divine. It is the duty of parents to imbue their children with faith in God from childhood. Here is a story to illustrate this need: and were a pious couple with intense faith in God. was a woman of noble character. She excelled everyone in virtue, wisdom and sacrifice. She was the embodiment of holiness. The couple had a son, to whom the father wanted to give a name that would be in accordance with his lineage. After considerable cogitation, he gave the boy the name . burst into laughter when she heard the name. She was unhappy over the excessive interest taken by the king in naming the child. She felt that some name should be given for the physical body for worldly purposes. But to show excessive interest in it was meaningless.

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Later a second son was born, who was named (which meant one with fine arms). again laughed at the naming of the child. The king felt insulted by 's behaviour. Sometime later a third son was born. told : "You don't like the names given by me for our sons. You better name the third son yourself." A name has to be given to anyone in the world as a mark of identity. In keeping with this need, named the son, . The king was angry on hearing the name. He burst forth: "Is this the name that should be given to the scion of a royal family, a warrior's son and belonging to a line of courageous ? What a shame! I will not call him by this name."

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No names are given for the means a mad dog. The king asked: Is my son to be called a mad dog? approached the king and said: "A person who does not know his real nature, who has no awareness of his divinity and who does not know his oneness with the Divine is worse than a mad dog. What value should be attached to the names of persons who have not recognised their true nature? What significance can names have for foolish persons who are not aware of the oneness of the universe and who do not contemplate on divinity? The body is human in form. But they are not mere men at all. They are the embodiments of the , the Formless and Attributeless Self. They are pure and unsullied. It is sheer ignorance to give names to the ."

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In view of this belief, started teaching her children from an early age their essential spiritual nature and their inherent divinity. Today, the mothers are responsible for the good or bad behaviour of their children. It is a matter for shame for any mother to say "My son will not heed my words." If the mother had brought up the son on right lines from the beginning, he would not behave like this. The snake-gourd has to be made to grow straight by tying a stone to it from its tender stage. Likewise, the stone of discipline and devotion should be attached to a boy from his infancy. Mothers experience the disobedience of their children because of their failure to inculcate discipline in the early years.

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began teaching her sons from their childhood in this manner: "Child, you are not a son not am I a mother. Both of us are manifestations of . We are like the waves on an ocean, not different from each other. All have arisen from the ocean of . It is folly to think otherwise." Placing the children in the cradle of on the cushion of , named the child, (Awareness, , or ) and called upon all the to swing the cradle.

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To be a true human being respect your parents In this manner, the mothers of ancient times taught the truth about their divinity to the children and made them aware of their true nature. Thus, the sacred stories of were taught to the children, who learnt to respect their parents and ciders. If one does not respect his parents and revere his preceptor, can he be termed a human being? To be a true human being one has to respect his parents and kith and kin in childhood, revere the teacher in boyhood, please elders in his manhood, and worship sages in old age. Ignoring these duties, youth today are running wild.

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They should realise the preciousness of human life as described it. At the outset, mothers should teach the children the immense value of human life. Alas! They themselves do not know its value. How are they going to teach others? Hence, the parents themselves should learn the value of human life. They should have faith in the divinity of human life. Today, because fear of sin and love for God have become rare, morality in society is absent. Even when people seem to offer (salutation with folded hands), it does not stem from the heart and is only an artificial gesture. How long can such artificial expressions sustain a man?

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is like a flame in the body The is like a flame in the body. When it is covered by the ten senses, its light filters through holes, as it were. And when it is covered, in addition, with the blanket of (attachment to worldly objects), the effulgence of the (Divine Self) is not visible. When attachment is given up and the body consciousness goes, the Self is revealed in all its brightness.

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King once encountered a who had been repeating and performing for years to get a vision of God. prayed with all his heart for one brief moment and had the vision of God. The Lord told that God does not respond to mere mechanical repetition of or performance of rituals. "I respond to the call of a sincere devotee even when he says only once with a pure heart." The rituals done by people without feelings from the heart are dry and lifeless. They are like the mirage in a desert where you see water but it cannot quench your thirst. Even while singing , you should utter the names from the depth of the heart, not concentrating on and (Tune and Beat).

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A young student, who had spoken earlier, referred to taking two from devotees. The two represented faith and devotion. When both join, it can grow into a big tree and yield the fruit of Divine Grace. Today is observed as Children's Day all over the world. Parents should not hesitate to correct the children when they go wrong. Here is an episode from the which illustrates how a devotee who seeks nothing but the love of God is rewarded by the Lord in ample measure.

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How rewarded His devotee was giving away all his possessions before leaving for the forest. An aged , who was staggering on his feet, came to seeking His . When asked him what he wanted, he replied that he didn't want anything and he came only to have a look at as he was not sure he would live till returned from the forest after 14 years. was so much moved by the pure heart of the that he insisted that the old man should receive some gift from him. Submitting to 's will, the agreed to receive the gift. then asked the to throw a stick as far as he could. All the land covered by the place where the stick landed would be his.

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The old said: "Though I have no desire I have to obey the command of my king." He threw the stick chanting the name of . It covered a large area, which gifted to the . The , whose name was , said: "Oh , why should I have this land? My (fate), (position), (mind) and (wealth) are all yours only. That is why I came to see you."

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said, "Such persons as you are the pride of our society."

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Today, in the , it is extremely rare to find such persons. Selfishness and greed are rampant everywhere. Parents have a duty to shape their children as ideal sons of the nation. Students who have acquired proximity with should develop more and more spiritual wisdom. Get rid of negative thoughts first. Then try to develop good thoughts. You are living in 's . How far are you following the code of conduct relating to life? There is no use in keeping only the body in the , and letting the mind roam elsewhere. You should have only (thoughts of God) in your heart.