Indonesian Mother’s Day is on December 22nd. This year Ashram Gandhi Puri of Klungkung, Bali, celebrated the special day dedicated to mothers with Anand Krishna. He was invited to share his thoughtful yet enlightening insights on mothers’ role towards character building. “The presence of Anand Krishna is really a blessings”, said Br. Indra Udaya, chairman of Ashram. Other invitees were Tjokorda Gede Agung—wife of Klungkung’s deputy regent—, Ida Ayu Pujawati of Sai Center, and a bunch of women from Tim Penggerak PKK Kabupaten Klungkung—Women Activator for Family Welfare Movement of Klungkung Regency.
Besides performing several Balinese and Javanese dances, children members of Ashram too showed their pooja by washing the feet of few women. Through the act of devotion they were conveying strong message about true respect and honor to mothers who have born, nurtured, cherished and educated their children which enable them to bring about common good for the country. However, as put by the Organizing Committee, Mother’s Day is not just to pay homage to our mothers but also revere Mother Country that showers us her love and bountiful blessings. That was why the committee took Bhoomi Pooja or Revering Mother Earth as the theme for 2011’s Mother’s Day celebration.
Anand Krishna took his turn right before the event ended. He was referring to Mahabharata and suggesting audience to dive into the heart of the Great Epic as to keep it alive in one’s being. He reviewed the story of marriage between Prabu Sentanu and Dewi Gangga. It tells that before they got married Gangga required her consort would-be with one condition; He was not obliged to protest whatever she would like to do. If he was to act against her wish she would leave him forever. Sentanu took it for granted yet posed no reciprocal questions about which of the deeds to be exempted from his protest.
Time was ticking fast until it was due for his wife to deliver their first child. Instead of mothering the baby, however, Gangga threw it away into river Gange. It saddened Sentanu of course but nothing he could to save the baby because of his promise keeping. His wife did the very same thing up to their seventh child. He was no longer able to refrain from putting an end to his wife’s act of killing their children which he regarded as savage. Their eighth child was rescued indeed but, as it was part of the deal, Gangga had to go. She took the baby with her and would bring back to Sentanu when it had come of age.
Having related the gist of the story Anand Krishna then asked the audience to reflect on its significance. What is the lesson-learnt we can pick up from Gangga’s doing? Was the mother that cruel bringing herself to kill her own offspring? Many of us would find excuse to justify the case as a curse from gods.
When a child is born, he/she carries his/her past life’s obsessions which came into being through the five senses. Since then a child too has been able to absorb and record any happenings around his0her environment including his/her mother’s thoughts. So, if a child’s continuous craving for food is equally treated and fulfilled, know for sure that in the future he/she will be a corruptor. This corrupt character must be dispelled.
The seven thrown-away-babies connoting number of obsessions which had been disposed of. The five obsessions were connected to human senses, the other two respectively related to mind and budhi or intelligence, and the last one was ego. Bhisma was the pure ego which remained.
The whole event of Mahabharata resulted from Bhisma’s swearword. He was just thinking of his father, not the kingdom of Hastinapura. He forgot the Hastinapurans—the subjects whom a king had to protect, take care of, and help prosper. But, that was what exactly happened when only a pure ego persisted while all obsessions were tossed away by Gangga. Bhisma, the ego, remained thanks to Sentanu’s interference.
“This is a very important lesson I learn after 30 years of reading the Mahabharata”, said Anand Krishna. Before ending his discourse on an issue from the epic relevant to current’s situation, Anand emphasized a mother playing the foremost tasks on her children as Acharya—guru for character building whereas that of school teachers coming after hers. Meanwhile, father’s duty pertaining to the matter could after school teachers. For, it is only a mother who knows and is able to comprehend her children’s character.
“This very world will be safe and sound if mothers perform their duties well—not fathers”, he said.
(Reporter and Photographer: Made Mulia, Translator: Dominggus Koro)
