Motherhood-The only Unhidden Truth:Lalit k kaul

 

Motherhood- The Only Unhidden Truth                                                                                      Lalit K Kaul

It took Vedic and Modern Science effort to discover that the Earth indeed rotated around its Axis and that it revolved around the Sun. The fact as we see need not be the truth; like our eyes observe the Sun rising from the East and setting in the West whereas it actually is stationary. The fact as observed is that the Earth is stationary, whereas the truth is that it spins around its axis.

The behavioral pattern of an individual may not always betray the truth of one's thought process within as it may be laced with certain motives that may be sought to be achieved through pleasing mannerisms. Only Time betrays the true intentions of an individual to a keen and inquisitive observer.

The one who showers praises on the other for his/her acts may not be a friend and the one who criticizes the other for his/her acts may not be an enemy; the opposite may be True. Again, only Time uncovers the Truth.

Not so for Motherhood! It doesn't require any rigorous scientific methods to prove its state of being; for, pure observation establishes it. It's at once a Fact and the Truth and doesn't need any validation. It's beyond the paradigm of philosophical contemplations and scientific theories, for it's the Axiom.

The Mother is an embodied form of Prakruti and has the power to create like Prakruti, of her own Will, as demonstrated for the ignorant by Mother Kunti and Mother Mary.

Alas! This unhidden Truth has been falsified time and again. Let's see how.

Essentially, ‘She’ is a mother:

Be she a girl in her adolescence/teens or a woman, both- irrespective of her age- are fundamentally Mother. That the power to create of her own Will; that's for a girl (married or unmarried) to choose to be a Mother is exclusively her prerogative as sanctified by Mother Kunti and Mother Mary. The Mahabharat sanctifies it as does the much-maligned Manu Smriti.  It was incredible for my eyes and ears to have come across in Manu Smriti that an unwed Mother and an unwed pregnant girl was not to be a butt of ridicule, but on the contrary had a respectable place in the society that allowed a male belonging to any Varna marry her and that included Brahmins too. She was not to be a “Kulta" or “Kulakshin" only to be ostracized by the self-declared guardians of morality. Her progeny was entitled to a place in the hierarchy of Varna system and was not to be labeled as “illegitimate” or “haraami". The emancipative part of it was that it recognized human passions and instead of dehumanizing such individuals found a way to assimilate them in the society and at the same time recognizing the right of a girl to choose when to be a Mother. Because, had it been only for sexual pleasures, the knowledge of being pregnant could have forced her to commit suicide or to  abort!

Why Marriage?

It's a social institution that sanctifies the union of a male and a female. Its fundamental purpose, as per Vedic Culture, is not to have sexual pleasures, but to be the medium for evolution of Human Race. And, that was the Dharm that had to be discharged and because female was not sought for sexual pleasures therefore, her looks and other bodily dimensions were of no consequence. The only requirement on both the wedded male and female was that both be faithful to each other and not seek greener pastures outside. Even the great Rishis married not for having sexual pleasures, but to discharge their fundamental duty towards evolution of Human Race. Having done so, the intercourse ceased to exist and the better half became qualified to be addressed to as “Matae". Therefore, a girl or a woman was not considered a commodity available for satisfying biological needs of a boy or a man.

Thus, if the purpose of marriage was to further evolution, the unwed mothers couldn't have been ostracized because they had only discharged their prime duty even if not out of wedlock.

Falsification of Truth:

When Mother was made into being a commodity for sexual pleasures of Man, she was reduced to an object made of flesh and blood and therefore her exterior served as the impetus for provoking sensuous feelings in the opposite gender. Those who blame their generations next for such repugnant acts, may be reminded that commodification of women is found in our two Great Epics- the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. When the body of a woman is praised for all its dimensions, is like praising the chassis, the interior and the exterior of a car or any other shapes of the non-consumable products as manufactured in various factories across the Globe. One buys a car, for example, because one likes about it all that's visible to the naked eye without understanding much less knowing about its engine. Similarly, when a woman/girl is captivating to eyes for her exterior without understanding or caring for her mind, intellect and emotions, she is reduced to an object that's to be enjoyed. The Mother is dehumanized in a crass body to body relationship. And, this mindset is regardless of the relationship between the two- married couple or unmarried duo. And, as if to rub salt into the wound the entire blame is apportioned onto the unwed girl.

The Prakruti and ‘She':

In Sanatan (Vedic) world-view for all the human endeavours the guiding principle is “Prakruti aur Samskruti kae beech ka santulan". Samskruti (Sanskriti)-Civilization (Culture). Civilization is measured by the world of objects created by human effort from the world of resources - Prakruti- the Creator’s manifestation. Forever evolving civilization, the relationship between the explorer and Prakruti (Mother Nature) also continuously evolves, yet the restrain is that the explorer has to understand the broader and all engulfing role of Prakruti insofar as sustenance of this Globe is concerned, before deciding upon to hold Her captive to his ever-growing intellectual hunger. Since ‘She' is embodied form of Prakruti, the relationship between the Man and Her is governable by the same set of principles as those between the explorer and Prakruti.

The crass exploitation of Prakruti has caused irreparable damage to the Ecosystem of Mother Earth in that it has created unmanageable ecological imbalances and disorders that are threatening the very existence of our Globe and crass commodification of ‘She' has caused the societal Value System to degenerate to abysmal depths.

If all encompassing Mother-the Prakruti- the sustainer of our Globe could be stripped naked and vandalized then Her embodied form ‘She' couldn't have escaped the vandalism of her exploiter. After all it all boils down to Civilizational Q.