The Glory of Mothers

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This list of quotations was compiled by Sriman Madhavananda Prabhu in his Krishna Kathamrita Bindu magazine.

mātar ity eva śabdena yām ca sambhasate narah
sā mātr-tulyā satyena dharmah sāksī satām api

If a man addresses someone as “mother”, dharma has witnessed that statement. In truth, she is the same as his mother. — Brahma-vaivarta Purāna 1.10.50.

sri-krsno jagatām tāto jagan-mātā ca rādhikā
pituh sad-guno mātā vandyā pūjyā garīyasī

Sri Krishna is the father of the world and Radhika is the mother. The mother is one hundred times more worshipful and higher in point of respect due than the father. — Nārada Pañcarātra 2.6-7.

daśa caiva pitrn mātā sarvām vā prthivīm api
gauravenābhibhavati nāsti mātr-samo guruh
mātā garīyasī yac ca tenaitām manyate janah

One’s mother is equal to ten fathers, or even to the whole earth. There is no senior person equal to the mother. Indeed, she is above all others in terms of the reverence and respect due to her. It is for this reason that people offer so much respect to their mother. — Mahābharata anusāsana-parva 105.15-16

nāsti vedāt param śāstram nāsti mātr-samo guruh
na dharmāt paramo lābhas tapo nānaśanāt param

There is no śāstra superior to the Vedas; there is no guru equal to one’s mother; there is no acquisition superior to that of virtue; and there is no penance superior to fasting.” — Mahābharata anusāsana-parva 106.65

tyajanto patitān bandhūn dandyān uttama-sāhasam
pitā hi patitah kāmam na tu mātā kadācana

Anyone who rejects their kinsmen for being fallen shall be punished with uttama-sāhasa (the highest monetary fine). Only the father may be considered fallen, never the mother. — Nārada Purāna 1.14.18

Bibliography:

Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Brahma-vaivarta Purāna. Sanskrit with English translation. Parimal Publi-cations. 2001. Delhi.

Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Brahma-vaivarta Purāna. Published by Sri Natavara Chakravati. Calcutta. Sanskrit. 1827.

Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Mahābharata. Sanskrit with Bengali translation by Sri Haridas Siddhantavagi Bhattacarya. Published by Sidhantayantre. Calcutta. 1933.

Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Mahābharata. English translation by Manmatha Nath Dutt. Published by HC. Das. Calcutta. 1896.

Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Nārada Pañcaratra. Sanskrit with English translation by Swami Vijnanananda. Parimal Publications. 1997. Delhi.

Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Nārada Pañcaratra. Sanskrit transliteration. www.granthamandira.org.

Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Nārada Purāna. English translation. Motilal Banarshidass. 1995. Delhi.

Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Nārada Purāna. Sanskrit with Hindi translation. Sahitya Sammelan. 1989. Prayag.

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