3. Woman as a Mother

Motherhood has ever been the most exalted status of a woman in the history of each and every society of mankind. In other words, no other forms of a woman have been so much glorified as much her form, being a mother. Women’s position as a mother has been given a higher status in the Atharvaveda too.

An extensive picture of motherhood may be observed in the deification of certain female deities, viz. Aditi, Āpaḥ, Pṛthivī, Rātri, Vasupatnī, etc., which is discussed in the following chapter. Aditi has been presented as the universal mother. Pṛthivī has also been deified as the mother goddess. The pair of Heaven and Earth has been displayed as the ideal parents of all.^[1] The tie of Rātri and Nabhas has also been mentioned as the common parents of all.^[2] That cows, in different names have been eulogised as the Mother goddess, is also discussed in the next chapter.

In this context, it is to be noted that, in the Atharvaveda, the words mātṛ and janitrī are found to be used to denote a mother. Sāyaṇācārya has interpreted mātṛ mostly as jananī,^[3] and janitrī as janayitrī.^[4] Thus, no remarkable distinction may be observed between the meanings of these two words, as both of them hint at the productive aspect of a woman. But, the concept of motherhood was not, necessarily, confined within the concept of physical birth, rather it was ascribed to source of creation, to the place of shelter.

Such a concept gets reflected in the character of Aditi, as observed by S. Kāṭhapa-saṃhitā Lal,^[5] who states thus, “As early as in the Vedic period, the generating force of nature was not unnoticed … the conception of mother, they thought, had to be grandeur. She had to be supreme, for, she was going to be a universal Mother–a creatrix, a generatrix, and a supernal force where the entire creation would have its source and resort.”

In the Atharvavedic statement gāvo ghṛtasya mātaraḥ, i.e. Cows are the mothers of clarified butter,^[6] mātaraḥ is interpreted as nirmātryaḥ, i.e. producer^[7] and thus, the cows are called the mother of clarified butter for being their source of the same. The Earth’s deification as the Mother goddess also is based upon her being the substratum.^[8] In the funeral hymn of the Atharvaveda, it is urged to the mother Earth to provide shelter to the deceased one as lovingly and carefully as a caring mother so that the same may not be touched by heat and cold.^[9] A mother’s caring nature is depicted through this reference.

The love of a mother for her child and her desire to nourish the same gets expressed in one Atharvavedic verse, where an appeal has been made to the water to serve her sons-like invokers by means of providing its most propitious savor.^[10] Besides, the relation of a mother and the son, in the Atharvaveda, subjects to the comparison of ideal love^[11] and protection.^[12] A mother’s womb is presented as a place, to be compared with the source of creation.^[13]

A woman as a mother has been portrayed as the suitable one.^[14] She is asked to be like-minded with her sons.^[15] Similarly, a child’s attachment with the mother has also been portrayed in an Atharvavedic expression.^[16] It is, for the care to one’s mother and father that Rudra is prayed not to injure them.^[17] Moreover, if anyone hurts his mother and father, and do not behave them properly, it is considered to be a sinful deed and the household fire is prayed to protect one from such sins so that it may not become a barrier to his path to the heaven.^[18]

Apart from these, in one mantra of the Atharvaveda,^[19] well-being has been sought to one’s mother, father, all the family members, cattle and the kinsmen respectively and prayer has been made to ensure long lives to all of them. Sāyaṇācārya,^[20] while commenting on that very passage, states that the mother has been enumerated at the first because of her supremacy over all others. He quotes from the Smṛti texts thus, ebhyo mātā garīyasī, i.e. the mother is greater than all others.

Thus, in the Atharvaveda, a woman, as a mother is offered a sublime position, having not a single blemish. In the Upaniṣadic literature, her position was elevated to the rank of a divinity.^[21]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid., 2.28.4; 3.9.1; 23.6; 8.7.2; 9.15.12

[2]:

rātrī mātā nabhaḥ pitāryamā te pitāmahaḥ / Ibid., 5.5.1

[3]:

Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 1.24.3; 31.4; 18.2.50; 19.4.2; 14.5

[4]:

Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 3.10.4; 6.110.3; 18.4.1

[5]:

Vide, Lal, S. Kāṭhapa-saṃhitā, Female Divinities in Hindu Mythology and Ritual, p.1

[6]:

Atharvaveda, 6.9.3

[7]:

Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[8]:

pṛthivī mātā svāvayavāvaṣṭambhena ādhāratvena ca mātṛvajjanayitrī / Sāyaṇa on Atharvaveda, 3.9.1

[9]:

ucchvañcasva pṛthivi mā ni bādhathāḥ sūpāyanāsmai bhava sūpasarpaṇā / mātā putraṃ yathā sicābhyenaṃ bhūma ūrṇuhi // Atharvaveda, 18.3.50

[10]:

yo vaḥ śivatamo rasastasya bhājayateha naḥ / uśatīriva mātaraḥ // Ibid., 1.5.2

[11]:

māteva putrebhyo mṛḍ keśebhyaḥ śami / Ibid., 6.30.3

[12]:

māteva putraṃ pramanā upasthe mitra enaṃ mitriyāt pātvaṃhasaḥ / Ibid., 2.28.1

[13]:

ucchiṣṭe yajñasyāṅgānyantargarbha iva mātari / Ibid., 11.9.6

[14]:

… śivāḥ bhavantu mātaraḥ / Ibid., 19.40.3

[15]:

anuvrataḥ pituḥ putro mātrā bhavatu saṃmanāḥ / Ibid., 3.30.2 mātā ca saṃmanāḥ putrādibhiḥ samānamanaskā bhavatu / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[16]:

vatso dhāruriva mātaraṃ taṃ pratyagupa padyatām / Atharvaveda, 4.18.2 yathā dhārūḥ stanapānaṃ kurvan vatsaḥ svamātarameva anudhāvati evaṃ… / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[17]:

mā no hiṃsīḥ pitaraṃ mātaraṃ ca svāṃ tanvaṃ rudra mā rīriṣo naḥ / Atharvaveda, 11.2.29

[18]:

… yanmātaraṃ pitaraṃ vā jihiṃsim / ayaṃ tasmād gārhapatyo no agnirudinnayāti sukṛtasya lokam // Ibid., 6.120.1

[19]:

svasti mātra uta pitre no astu svasti gobhyo jagate puruṣebhyaḥ / viśva subhūtaṃ suvidatraṃ no astu jyogeva dṛśema sūryam // Ibid., 1.31.4

[20]:

“ebhyo mātā garīyasī” iti smaraṇāt pitrādibhyaḥ śraiṣṭhyam abhipretya mātuḥ prathamato nirdeśaḥ / Sāyaṇa, Ibid.

[21]:

mātṛdevo bhava … / Taittirīya-upaniṣad, 1.11.2 mātṛdevo mātā devo yasya sa tvaṃ mātṛdevo bhava syāḥ / Śaṅkarācārya, Ibid.