Pt. Dr. Umesh Persad, Spiritual Leader of Gyaan Deepak Kirtan Mandali (a Sunday service)
In the teachings of Sanaatan Dharma, everything that exists in this world is prakriti (primal creative source); it is a manifestation of that Supreme Being. In this material world, we see the energy and activity of that manifestation. The sages have realised that throughout nature, there are 64 subtle forms of energy. We worship these energies in the form of the Mother so that those energies will protect us during our existence in the material world. Mother is the energy and force behind everything that happens in this world. Mother, or Maa as we call her, represents the energy in creation.
The power of sound and vibration plays an important role in Sanaatan Dharma. Each name of the Divine and each mantra is a sound with its own meaning and energy. The Supreme Being can be discovered in these sounds. There are several schools of Hinduism that explain the meaning of each sound and letter, from Shaivism, the Tantras, yoga and so forth.
Using Sanskrit etymology, or the science of words, we can explain the depth of the word, maa. In the Sanskrit alphabet, the sound ‘a’ is the first letter and it is that Supreme and All-Pervasive Being. It is our original state. When that sound expands to ‘aa’, the second letter, it becomes the energy of bliss. The ‘m’ sound indicates the the origin and also the end. It is the last of 25 consonants, so it indicates dissolution as well as creation; it is the end as well as the beginning. The sound ‘m’ draws everything back into itself and helps us to return to the essence of who we are.
The ‘m’ sound, like the mother, is soft, nourishing and calming. When we have problems, we call out for Maa. Maa is a maha mantra: we sing ‘Maa, hey Maa’ and ‘Maa teri mamataa’. In a physical sense, we are drawn to our essence, our mother. In a deeper sense, that source is the Supreme Source of all existence. Maa is not just the earthly mother or the Divine Mother, but it is also our true essence. It refers to the Self, the internal nature. Atma (soul) and maata (mother) are considered conjugal words; they are married to each other: because of atma, you have maata. We were spirits before being born but because of mother, we have a physical body. Upon death, the atma returns to its original state.
Each sound is associated with a part of the body. This is called the mantra purusha. Maa is associated with the belly or abdomen, from which the sound originates. When we’re in the womb, we are connected to our biological mothers in the navel region. This is where we all began our lives. It is a place of comfort. We got sustenance through the umbilical cord in the belly region. After birth, our mothers are always concerned with nourishment, which is associated with the belly area. When we eat something tasty, we say, “Mmm mmm mmm.” The root of the word, maata, also means atmosphere. The earth is considered one of the mothers we honour. The atmosphere around the earth is like a mother’s womb that protects us all.
In celebrating Mother’s Day 2019, let us remember the creative essence of our earthly and Divine mothers.
