Columnists
A Mother & Her Prayer:
Letters From Espanola
EK ONG KAAR KAUR
Last Sunday, we celebrated Mother’s Day.
I thought very seriously about writing an article focusing on my relationship with my own mother. But my mother is a very private person and I know she would not be too happy with me if I did that.
However, what I can say with certainty is that my mother prays for her children all the time. And I dread to think what any of our lives would have become minus her prayer.
Thinking about motherhood, and in honor of mothers everywhere, I am grateful to share this humble poetic interpretation of Guru Arjan’s ‘Poota maata ki aasees’ shabad.
This shabad offers a powerful reminder that the words and thoughts of the mother help shape the world.
Those who practice simran –
Who create a dialogue between their souls and their personalities –
Destroy the record of their mistakes
And liberate their ancestors.
So always chant Har, Har,
And call upon the divine essence that has no limits.
O my children,
This is your mother’s blessing upon you.
May you never forget the divine essence in your own heartbeat,
For even a moment.
And may you always adore
The Master of creation.
(Pay attention.)
May the sound of wisdom that guides you to truth
Become compassionate to you,
And may the community of disciplined, spiritual people
Become your love.
May the supreme divine Husband
Protect the cloak of your body,
And may singing sacred songs become your food.
May you forever drink the nectar
That awakens you to your own immortal nature,
And may you live a long life
Relating to the divine essence,
In endless delight.
Within the vivid colors of this show,
May your hopes and wishes get completed.
And may you never feel anxious.
Let your mind become the black bee,
And let the feet of the divine be the lotus flower.
Servant Nanak can’t help but embrace the company of such people,
Just like the cuckoo lives and flourishes with the rain.
May 13, 2015
Conversation about this article
1: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, USA), May 13, 2015, 10:20 AM.
Ek Ong Kaar ji, an excellent idea to think of Mother on Mother's Day through this shabad. God bless you for this. Gurdwaras in USA conduct their service on Sundays and the management should assure that this shabad is recited particularly on Mother's Day (which annually falls on a Sunday) and explained to the sangat.