>*naasti matrasama chaaya naasti matasama gatih |*  
*naasti matrsamam traanam naasti matrsama prapaa ||*  
*-Shanti Parv: Mahabharat*

(There is no shade like a mother, no resort like a mother. There is no protection like a mother, and there is no ever‑giving fountain of life like a mother.)

From shaping children's future to nourishing and guarding them from every harm, a mother plays the role of creator, nurturer, and protector. Since ancient times, Bharat, one of the world's oldest civilisations, has celebrated motherhood. This blog explores the role and significance of motherhood in Sanatan Dharm through the lives of revered mothers in the scriptures.

# What is the Significance of a Mother in Sanatan Dharm?

A famous Sanskrit saying, often popularly attributed to Sri Ram (in later editions of the Ramayan), states:

>*Janani janmabhumishcha swargadapi gariyasi ||*

Addressing Sri Lakshman, Lord Ram says that one's mother and motherland are superior to heaven. In the Sanatan Dharm, mother is not just a role. She is a sacred sentiment and the omnipresent Divine energy. We are a civilisation that believes all forms—manifest and unmanifest—are expressions of the Divine Mother (**Ma Adi Para Shakti**), the source of all energy. She is the earth we walk on, the coolness of water and the warmth of fire. Her presence is honoured through animals, rivers, and plants, as well as in one's biological mother, who gave us life.

# Who are the Famous Mothers in the Sanatan Scriptures?

It is a common Indian tradition to refer to great personalities as the 'sons of their mother.' A very important aspect of their identity is the mother who gave birth to them or raised them. Sri Ram is known as **Kaushalya-nandan**, Sri Krishna as **Yashoda-nandan**, and Sri Lakshman and Shatrughn as **Saumitra**. Similarly, the Adityas are named after their mother, **Devi Aditi**. Sri Krishna often addresses Arjun as **Kaunteya** (son of Kunti), while another name of Bhishma (the grandsire of the Kuru clan) is **Ganga-putra**. This tradition continued even later with famous rulers of many dynasties honouring their mothers in their names: **Gautami-putra Satakarni** and **Vashishti-putra Pulwami**.

Let us turn the pages of the Sanatan scriptures and learn about remarkable mothers who shaped the lives of our heroes.

# Ma Yashoda: The Essence of Vatsalya Bhakti

**(Ma Yashoda tying Krishna with a rope)**

Whenever the Divine descends upon Earth, a blessed mother has cradled them in her arms. The mother-child relationship becomes a beautiful medium to express divine love and Leela (divine play).

This sacred bond is clearly seen in the life of Sri Krishna, where the Lord chose to express the **Vatsalya-bhakti** (devotion through motherly love) through his mother.

Ma Yashoda's unconditional motherly love provided the intimate, earthly setting where the divine's childhood pastimes (*bala-leela*) unfolded.

Through each episode of his leela—as he broke pots, stole butter, showed his Divya swaroopa—Ma Yashoda just loved Krishna with complete surrender. She is the reason the people of Vrindavan, and later all devotees, experience Krishna as their "own child", the *Bala Gopal*, not just as a distant deity.

However, the *leelas* of Sri Krishna carry a deep spiritual message. The **Srimad Bhavatam** mentions an interesting incident in Canto 10, Chapter 9.

Once, to stop Sri Krishna from being naughty and stealing butter, Ma Yashoda tried to tie him to a *Ukhal* (mortar for pounding grains). He pleaded innocence by lovingly calling out to her. That day, however, she was determined to discipline him. She got a rope to tie Krishna so that he would remain in one place while she finished her household work. Ma Yashoda circled the rope around Krishna's belly. It was short by the width of two fingers. Next, she got a longer rope. Yet again, it was two fingers short. Ma Yashoda was puzzled. She could tell the size of his waist, even in her sleep. After all, it was her daily ritual to tie the *Kardhani* (ornamental band) around baby Krishna's tiny waist. Strangely, even after she added every single rope in the house and tied them together, they were still shorter by two fingers.

Seeing Ma Yashoda struggle, Sri Krishna, out of compassion, allowed himself to be tied. He is therefore known as **Damodara**—the one bound around his belly by a rope. There are many takeaways from this katha. The rope was always two fingers short. This symbolic gap between the deity and the devotee is that of **Bhakta Nishtha** (firm faith and determination to serve God) and **Anugraha** (the Divine's grace on seeing our efforts). When Ma Yashoda's efforts showed her sincerity, Krishna got tied up immediately.

Moreover, Sri Krishna's action symbolises the highest form of connection between a mother and the child. While no rope can bind the Creator of the universe, he willingly becomes bound by the pure love of his mother.

# Ma Anjana: The Teacher of Strength and Surrender

Sometimes a mother's love takes the form of an intense prayer, creating the conditions for the birth of a divine child. Sri Hanuman's name, "**Anjaniputra**" or "**Anjaneya**" is a tribute to Ma Anjana. Due to her intense *Tapas*, Devi Anjana was blessed with Sri Hanuman (the eleventh incarnation of Sri Rudra) as her son.

Thus, Lord Hanuman's cosmic powers are not only the gifts of Lord Shiv, Vayu, and Devas but also the fruits of his mother's Sadhana.

Realising his extraordinary energy and intellect, Ma Anjana sent Hanuman to Surya Dev to learn scriptures and knowledge. She shows that a mother plays an important role in guiding the spiritual education and discipline (nurturing the inner world), not just feeding and protecting the child (nurturing the outer world).

When the young Hanuman hurt himself diving toward the sun (thinking it was a fruit), Ma Anjana's grief and maternal protest brought Indra and Vayu to his side, resulting in the gods blessing him with immense strength, speed, and longevity.

Ma Anjana's surrendered bhakti to Lord Shiv, and Vayudev is reflected in Sri Hanuman's lifelong, humble service to Sri Ram and Ma Sita. Just like his compassionate and fiercely protective mother, Sri Hanuman becomes the guardian and protector of all devotees. He imbibed her grace and humility, attributing all his powers to Sri Ram as he joyfully lived a life of service.

# Ma Anusuya: The Mother of the Trimurti

**(Ma Anusuya being tested by Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiv)**

While some mothers became channels for divine descent, Ma Anusuya's life story reflects spiritual strength of another kind. Her intense sadhana, purity, and motherly love gave her the power to nurture Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Mahesh as her own children in the form of infants.

Ma Anusuya was the wife of **Sage Atri**. She had performed a long penance, desiring that her children embody the qualities of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, and that she and her husband be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. Pleased by her devotion, the *Trimurti* (trinity) decided to grant this boon. However, they decided to test her first.

They came to Atri Rishi's ashram disguised as sages. They asked her to give them Bhiksha (alms) while being naked. This was a test of her chastity and spiritual strength.

To preserve her modesty, Ma Anusuya used the power of her *Tapas* and sprinkled water on the Gods, transforming them into infants. She then lovingly fed them as only a mother would—by breastfeeding them. Thereby, she fulfilled their request without losing her chastity or compromising her Dharma.

Later, at the request of the consorts—Devi Saraswati, Devi Lakshmi, and Devi Parvati—Ma Anusuya restored the Trimurti to their original forms. As a result, she and Sage Atri were blessed with sons who embodied the three‑fold divinity: **Dattatreya** (Sri Vishnu's aspect), **Chandra** (Lord Brahma's aspect), and **Durvasa** (Lord Shiva's aspect). In many traditions, Dattatreya, in particular, is seen as the combined form of Lord Brahma, Sri Vishnu, and Mahadev, and Ma Anusuya is revered as the mother of the Trimurti.

Ma Anusuya symbolises spiritual motherhood; her *Tapas* and maternal love temporarily reduce the three cosmic Lords to innocent babies in need of her care. This shows that genuine sadhana and purity can even humble the highest gods and place them under the shelter of a devotee‑mother's love.

# Ma Shatarupa: The Mother of Nara (Humanity) and Narayan

Another unique Katha is that of Ma Shatarupa, who desired a child like Lord Narayana himself.

*Devi Bhagavat Puran* mentions that she was the wife of **Swayambhuva Manu**, the mind-born son of Lord Brahma, the first human king and law‑giver of the current *Kalpa* (cycle of creation).

Sri Tulsidas in *Sri Ramcharitmanas- Baal Kand* notes that after ruling for many years, Devi Shatarupa and Raja Manu left their kingdom and went to the sacred land of *Naimisharanya*. Where they performed tapasya, for thousands of years, meditating on the Supreme Lord with single‑pointed devotion. They stayed in such deep austerity that their bodies became thin and looked like skeletons.

Pleased with their devotion, Sri Hari Vishnu appeared before them. They wished to have a son like the Lord himself.

Sri Narayan granted them the boon, assuring that in the *Treta Yug*, he would take birth as their son. In some Vaishnav traditions, this is associated with the birth of Sri Ram, the son of King Dashrath and Ma Kaushalya, who are regarded as an incarnation of Manu and Shatarupa.

According to the *Brahma Puran*, the *Matsya* (fish) avatar of Sri Hari Vishnu also granted King Manu and Ma Shatarupa the boon of being the creators of the new human race after the great flood, and that their children would be called *manushya* (derived from 'Manu'), the Sanskrit term for humanity. They gave them the Vedas to re‑establish Dharma and civilisation.

Thus, Ma Shatarupa's tapas was not for ordinary boons, but for the highest spiritual fruit – to have Sri Hari Vishnu himself descend as her son, and her intense austerities made her worthy of that divine promise.

# Ma Madalasa: The Teacher and Spiritual Guide

**(Ma Madalasa teaches her sons)**

A mother's compassion knows no bounds. She can mould the child into an ascetic or a warrior through her upbringing. **Markandeya Puran** narrates the tale of Gandharva princess Madalasa, the queen of Raja Ritadhwaja, and a *Brahmavadini* (a highly learned woman who speaks of Brahman). She turned lullabies into life-lessons, teaching her children to see beyond the body and the world.

Ma Madalasa's greatness is reflected in her four sons. Being a spiritually realised mother herself, her deepest instinct was to free them from the trap of the material world.

Vikranta, Subahu, and Shatrumardana, her first three sons, absorbed this wisdom from her famous lullaby, the *Madalasa-Upakhyan* or *Madalasa Upadesh*. She says:

>*shuddhosi buddhosi niranjanosi samsaramaya parivarjito'si |*  
*samsarasvapnam tyaja mohanidram madalasollapamuvach putram ||*  
*-Verse 1: Madalasa Upadesh*

(You are pure, you are enlightened, and spotless. You are beyond the illusions of this world. You are free from the illusion of the world. Give up this dream of worldly existence and wake up from the deep slumber of delusion.)

Madalsa's first three sons renounced the material world, got detached from worldly pleasures, and left the kingdom for the forests. She realised that the greatest suffering for the soul is bondage to the body and senses, so her 'harsh'‑sounding act of making her sons renunciates is in fact the deepest form of compassion, even if it meant that they left her and the palace.

Her husband, King Ritudhwaj, wanted an heir to the throne. Sensing his worries and concern, Madalasa taught their fourth son, **Alarka**, the art of kingship. She trained him to be a righteous ruler, sang songs of valour, and taught him to follow Dharma and to view women as mothers. Alongside teaching statecraft, Madalasa gave her son spiritual depth, thus shaping a righteous and fearless warrior‑king.

Ma Madalasa nurtured the soul, not just the body. Her adaptability to duty without losing the spiritual core makes her great. She shows how a mother's love and wisdom can sculpt the children's destinies toward enlightenment or kingship.

# Does India Have Any Matrilineal Societies?

While scriptural kathas highlight the spiritual dimension of motherhood, some communities accord her a central position, tracing descent and inheritance to the mother.

India is home to several prominent matrilineal societies. Communities such as the **Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia** of Meghalaya, the **Bunt and Billava** in Karnataka, and the people of **Minicoy Island** in Lakshadweep continue to pass down their lineage and property through the female line.

Although with the passage of time, many such societies, such as the Nair‑Ezhava matrilineal joint‑family system of Kerala, have disappeared.

While systems may change over time, the position of the mother in every home and society is like that of a polestar—eternal and guiding.

This Mother's Day, let us celebrate every mother as she guides with her strength and shapes the child's world with her heart.

A mother is our first Guru, the first home we ever know, and the silent force that shapes our inner world. The *Taittiriya Upanishad* captures this beautifully:

*Matru Devo Bhava*  
(Revere your mother as Divine.)

What is the role of a mother? | A Mother's Day special blog