On this day we honour our mother and all mothers that are near and dear to us by buying them flowers, chocolates or maybe making them breakfast in bed. It is a day to meditate on the unconditional love that our mothers have offered us all these years. However, all these sincere and loving gestures we offer on Mothers Day are empty if we don’t recognise the universal meaning of motherhood and how that quality extends to all living beings and then find ways to reciprocate that love universally…
EXCERPT: FOOD YOGA – Nourishing Body, Mind & Soul
According to the Vedic tradition,
there are actually seven mothers in our life:
there are actually seven mothers in our life:
The first mother is our
biological mother, from whose womb we have come to this world. Then there is the
wife of the teacher or spiritual master; the wife of a priest; the wife of the
king, or the queen; the cow;
the nurse or caregiver; and, finally, the earth, often referred to as “Mother
Nature.” In Sanskrit, the country in which we take birth is called desa matrika or “motherland.” We refer
to our language as “mother tongue.” So you can see that there are so many
mothers, including the cow, in the Hindu tradition, because of her selfless
service to provide milk. In India, a cow is sometimes addressed as amba, which also means mother.
biological mother, from whose womb we have come to this world. Then there is the
wife of the teacher or spiritual master; the wife of a priest; the wife of the
king, or the queen; the cow;
the nurse or caregiver; and, finally, the earth, often referred to as “Mother
Nature.” In Sanskrit, the country in which we take birth is called desa matrika or “motherland.” We refer
to our language as “mother tongue.” So you can see that there are so many
mothers, including the cow, in the Hindu tradition, because of her selfless
service to provide milk. In India, a cow is sometimes addressed as amba, which also means mother.
There is one common principle
that characterizes all genuine mothers, and that is selfless, loving service to
their dependents. This pure loving intention is the true life- giving force
that our mothers nurture us with. Whether it is milk from her breast or the
fruit of a tree, a mother’s offering is pure. No matter how hard modern science
tries to emulate the pure offering of a mother, it will never succeed. The failed
history of baby formula is a case in point. In a recent report by the
Environmental Working Group (EWG), tests performed on liquid baby formulas
found that they all contained bisphenol A
(BPA). All major baby formula manufacturers use this leaching,
hormone-mimicking chemical in the linings of the metal cans in which baby
formula is sold.
that characterizes all genuine mothers, and that is selfless, loving service to
their dependents. This pure loving intention is the true life- giving force
that our mothers nurture us with. Whether it is milk from her breast or the
fruit of a tree, a mother’s offering is pure. No matter how hard modern science
tries to emulate the pure offering of a mother, it will never succeed. The failed
history of baby formula is a case in point. In a recent report by the
Environmental Working Group (EWG), tests performed on liquid baby formulas
found that they all contained bisphenol A
(BPA). All major baby formula manufacturers use this leaching,
hormone-mimicking chemical in the linings of the metal cans in which baby
formula is sold.
BPA has been found to cause
hyperactivity, reproductive abnormalities and pediatric brain cancer in lab
animals. Increasingly, scientists suspect that BPA might be linked to several
medical problems in humans, including breast and testicular cancer.
hyperactivity, reproductive abnormalities and pediatric brain cancer in lab
animals. Increasingly, scientists suspect that BPA might be linked to several
medical problems in humans, including breast and testicular cancer.
Food is a gift from MOTHER Earth
Humans cannot actually manufacture
food. We can manipulate ingredients, but it is impossible for us to create food
from scratch. Of course you could plant a seed and cultivate a garden, but who
created the seed? Within every seed lies a dormant plant or tree, ready to
fruit and spread more seed. The phenomenon is an endless cycle of kinetic transmutation
of nature, to which Man has little to do with. American Playwright, George
Bernard Shaw put it this way:
food. We can manipulate ingredients, but it is impossible for us to create food
from scratch. Of course you could plant a seed and cultivate a garden, but who
created the seed? Within every seed lies a dormant plant or tree, ready to
fruit and spread more seed. The phenomenon is an endless cycle of kinetic transmutation
of nature, to which Man has little to do with. American Playwright, George
Bernard Shaw put it this way:
Think of the fierce energy concentrated in
an acorn! You bury it in the ground, and
it explodes into an oak! Bury a sheep,
and nothing happens but decay.
Despite technological advances in food
production, including cloning and genetic manipulation of foods, genetic
scientists have failed to create a single blade of grass from raw chemicals. Genetic
engineering (GE) and genetically modified organisms (GMO) are, in reality, just
modifications of what has already been naturally created by Mother Nature. It
is absurd to think that we can ever match the brilliance of Mother Nature and
create like her.
production, including cloning and genetic manipulation of foods, genetic
scientists have failed to create a single blade of grass from raw chemicals. Genetic
engineering (GE) and genetically modified organisms (GMO) are, in reality, just
modifications of what has already been naturally created by Mother Nature. It
is absurd to think that we can ever match the brilliance of Mother Nature and
create like her.
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| Massive offering of food to Radha and Krishna in Mayapur, India. |
Offering Food Back to the Creators
The beginning of true human evolution
comes when we acknowledge this dependence on the Great Creators (the Divine
Masculine and the Divine Feminine) and begin to offer our food to them with
gratitude and love. Only when we understand our innate connection to our Creators
can we begin to experience genuine happiness and contentment, just as a fish
does when returned to water, its natural environment. By offering food back to
our Source with loving intention, we acknowledge our dependence on a higher
power, while expressing our gratitude in a practical way. For example, when a
young child offers her parents a “work of art” with sincere love, the parents naturally
accept the offering of love with gratitude. No God or Goddess requires our
humble offering, but they will accept
the loving energy invested in it with great satisfaction. This symbiotic and
dynamic reciprocation of love is what energizes and maintains the entire
creation.
comes when we acknowledge this dependence on the Great Creators (the Divine
Masculine and the Divine Feminine) and begin to offer our food to them with
gratitude and love. Only when we understand our innate connection to our Creators
can we begin to experience genuine happiness and contentment, just as a fish
does when returned to water, its natural environment. By offering food back to
our Source with loving intention, we acknowledge our dependence on a higher
power, while expressing our gratitude in a practical way. For example, when a
young child offers her parents a “work of art” with sincere love, the parents naturally
accept the offering of love with gratitude. No God or Goddess requires our
humble offering, but they will accept
the loving energy invested in it with great satisfaction. This symbiotic and
dynamic reciprocation of love is what energizes and maintains the entire
creation.
American marine biologist and nature writer,
Rachel Louise Carson,[1]
whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement,
once said:
Rachel Louise Carson,[1]
whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement,
once said:
Those who contemplate the beauty of the
earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
“The beauty of the earth” is more than
her external display of creative brilliance. Mother Earth serves us day after
day, selflessly producing everything we need to survive. By appreciating her
loving actions day after day we align our consciousness with the most powerful
energy in the Universe – love. One way to appreciate and reciprocate that
selfless love is by adopting the “Food Yogi Diet.”
her external display of creative brilliance. Mother Earth serves us day after
day, selflessly producing everything we need to survive. By appreciating her
loving actions day after day we align our consciousness with the most powerful
energy in the Universe – love. One way to appreciate and reciprocate that
selfless love is by adopting the “Food Yogi Diet.”
