Salutations to Mother-- maa tujhe salaam

 A mother's love is infinite, unconditional, unqualified, unsolicited and spontaneous.Mother  is a word which is universally looked up as a symbol of pure love,bliss and compassion.Is it not a fact that every living being on earth owes its existence to   MOTHER. A mother,who has carried the child in her womb, is emotionally bound with the child.This bond is eternal. The child, on coming to the world, has the first caressing of love from his mother. In fact this communication starts even before the baby is born.The mother,on hearing the heart beats  and  sensation of movement of the baby within her, becomes ecstatic.The  baby too  can listen to what the mother talks and can be affected by  what it hears.This bonding is everlasting and enables the child to be self- reliant and confident. George Washington,the first President of   USA, said about his mother," All I am,  I owe to my mother."A mother has to struggle a lot to bring up the child and in return she gets a reward which she can cherish  her whole life....a toothless smile and and a loving hug.  This is precisely the reason that our grandmothers used to advise us during pregnancy  to think positive and   talk politely and softly.  Many people know the famous story of  Abhimanyu ,son of Arjuna,who was killed in the battlefield.While in his mother's womb, he heard about entering a 'Chakravuh'  in the battlefield to entrap the enemy. Unfortunately he did not hear  how to come out of it.In the Mahabharata War he entered  the  Chakravuh but could not come out of it safely and died on the spot.

For a child, the mother's arms are a solace.When  he/she  gets  hurt  or frightened,  the mother's arms become a cosy shelter.This  is called seeking protection  and assured security,  which persists even till adulthood. My husband migrated from a rural background to the hustle and bustle  of a noisy metropolis. Soon he felt the pangs of separation from his mother  and craved to be in her  arms. This is the effect of a mother's pull.Similarly, a girl, after her marriage may have all the comforts in her marital home  but  instinctively  longs for her mother.
A mother's  presence is felt by the child soon after it is separated from the umbilical cord.The mother's warmth  which assured security to it,  now becomes a psychological, emotional and mental bond.The first sounds that the baby makes are something like'um m m mn'. It is interesting to know that in  most  countries  of  the world,  the  word mother starts with the letter M. Given below is  an illustration of how  a mother is addressed in some languages:

1.Sanskrit ----Mata

2Hindi-------Ma, Amma

3.French----Mamman,Mere

4.Italian-----Mamma,Madre

5.English----Mother.  Mama, Mom

6.Latin-----Mater

7.Spanish-----Madre

8.Russian----Mat

9 .Irish-----Mathair

Mothers Day is celebrated in all countries of the world.This day is dedicated to a Mother to honour her motherhood  and to celebrate her place of pride in the heart of every individual.It is celebrated on different days  in different countries. On this day gifts are given to  the mother and she is honoured by the family and the nation.

      A Mother's love cannot  be measured.She knows only how to give and never to take.I remember a very old Hindi  movie 'Mamta' which depicted  a mother's love for her daughter.I was very much moved by that movie. Sometimes the children may become wayward and may even turn against the mother.They may be punished by God for their misdemeanour, but the mother,who is the symbol of  love  will  continue to have the same love and compassion for her off springs.Sometimes she is thus, even above God.Thackeray, a famous novelist
said,"Mother is the name of God on the lips and hearts of children,"

 According to Samuel Taylor Coleridge,"God sees us through our Mother's eyes and rewards us for our virtues."

       The mother always has a  protective hold on her children.Even when the children go far from the mother for higher studies  they are  always near her  heart. "The mother understands what the child does not say," says a Jewish proverb. Many people jokingly say that their mother is a bank where they can deposit their worries and forget about  them.

A mother's  love is unalloyed and equal for all her children.She does not distinguish between any of her off springs. Mother is a born philosopher and  a  psychologist. She knows the needs and requirements of each of  her children. In olden days there used to be large families.The mother was a nucleus of  the family,who could identify the likes and  dislikes  of everyone. Her influence  and hold on the children was supreme and unchallenged. Her sufferings, she keeps to herself and her joys are shared  by all.  Mother, you are Great!! Ma tujhe salaam!!