Sacredness of Motherhood

Sadhguru delves into the essence of motherhood beyond biology, revealing it as a sacred opportunity for transcendence and unity. True motherhood, he says, is an experience of absolute love and inclusion — a powerful spiritual state where one rises above p

SADHGURU: THIS culture has always associated the mother with divinity, and divinity with the mother. This is because motherhood is associated with the very source of our existence. Even today, people across the planet speak of 'mother earth', 'motherland', and, in modern electronics, of the 'mother board'. The eulogies to motherhood are many. And yet, the concept has been grossly misunderstood. What does matritva, thaimai, or motherhood, really mean? When we say the word 'mother', we mean someone who has, at least for a moment, known the experience of being an absolute offering to another life. Once children grow up, a mother may have her issues with them. But the survival of the new generation depends on the mother's experience of intense oneness with her infant. Every cell in the mother's body responds to the needs of this new life. This is what makes motherhood such a unique human experience.The sacredness of motherhood lies in the fact that nature collaborates in helping one realise there is more to the self beyond the narrow confines of the individual body. This makes motherhood a remarkable natural possibility, a steppingstone to the beyond. As a mother, you transcend your own desires and dislikes, and experience a sense of unity with something more than yourself. This gift can be expanded into the condition of 'yog', or union, which means a state of experiential unity with all of existence. Motherhood need not be a biological condition. Merely delivering a child is not a great achievement. Many cultures have stigmatized those women who did not bear children, which is deeply unfortunate. The magic of motherhood is undeniable. But its sanctity does not lie in the reproductive process. The yogic sciences make the privilege of motherhood available to every human being, irrespective of gender. The bonding between biological mother and child ensures the survival of the species. But this simple reproductive process can also become a doorway to transcendence. The selective sense of inclusion with which a mother views her child can be widened to include the entire world. An inclusion that is absolute and unconditional - this is the inner experience of the Yogi. Unfortunately, many mothers confuse parenting with ownership. Although I was the youngest in the family, my own mother often treated me as an elder brother. Once when she expressed herself to me somewhat tenderly, I asked her in a very matter-of-fact way, "If I had been born in the next house, would you still feel this way about me?" She broke down and went away, but returned later, with tears in her eyes, and touched my feet. A certain dispassion awakened in her that day, as she realized how identified we all are, whether with our families, our bodies, our parentage, our homes, or our communities. When I initiate people into a spiritual process, I first ask them if they are ready to become 'a mother to the world'. This is because true motherhood is not about turning a single individual into an object, a pet possession, or obsession. Instead, it is a state of absolute love and unconditional inclusion, where you see everything and everyone - not just your biological child - as a part of you. In such a state, your actions are not determined by your personal desires; instead, you simply do what is needed at any given moment. If the mother delivers you into the lap of creation, the yogic sciences are capable of delivering you into the very lap of the Creator. This far more profound experience of motherhood is a tremendous gift and possibility that is open to absolutely everyone. Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a Yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author. Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service. He is also the founder of the world’s largest people’s movement, Conscious Planet– Save Soil, which has touched over 4 billion people.