This is a story of long, long ago, when all the animals could speak and everyone could understand each other’s language.
A little child was walking through a dense forest. There were trees everywhere, towering so far above him, that even if he craned his neck, he couldn’t see their tops. But he did not stop to muse about the height of the trees. He seemed to be on a mission. For he walked on and on, not bothering about anything else.
While walking thus, he came upon a gang of monkeys. They were screeching and chattering away, warning each other of an alien in their territory. Some of them clambered up the high branches of the trees, hoping to get as far away from the boy as they could. When the boy stopped before them, they quietened down, expecting him to make the first move.
The boy spied a young monkey in one of the lower branches, who had obviously crawled down for a closer look at this unfamiliar being.
Gathering his courage, the little boy spoke to the young monkey.
“Who are you?”
“I am a monkey. I live on these trees with my family.”
“Do you have a mother?”
“Yes, I do.”
“How does she look like?”
“She looks a lot like me, but she is bigger and stronger.”
“What does she do?”
“She loves me and takes care of me. She protects me and teaches me to swing from the branches. She also teaches me what fruits to eat and what to avoid.”
“So, a mother has long brown hair on her body and has a long tail. She also loves, protects and teaches, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, she does. But why do you ask? Don’t you have a mother?”
“No, I don’t. So, I have set forth in this forest to see if I can find her.”
At this the young monkey jumped down from the tree and came near the boy. All the other monkeys kept looking at them curiously from a safe distance. The young monkey told the boy, “Hope you find your mother soon.”
The little boy thanked the monkey and moved ahead through the forest with a renewed determination. He kept walking thus for quite some time. Not once did his steps falter. Then he came upon a clearing in the forest, where the tall trees had given way to lush green grass.
Here, a herd of deer were grazing about. When they heard the little boy approach, they all twitched their ears and took flight. After running awhile, they stopped at a safe distance and looked at the boy with their big eyes. Seeing that he seemed harmless, they became less edgy and calmed down.
The boy then saw that a fawn had quietly crept up closer to the boy to get a better look, all the while, hiding behind the tall grass.
Mustering his courage once again, the boy spoke to the fawn.
“Who are you?”
“I am a deer. I live on these grasslands with my family.”
“Do you have a mother?”
“Yes, I do.”
“How does she look like?”
“She looks a lot like me, but she is bigger and stronger.”
“What does she do?”
“She loves me and takes care of me. She protects me and teaches me to run fast and feed myself on the softest grass.”
“So, a mother has velvet skin, thin legs and long antlers. She also loves, protects and teaches you, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, she does. But how come you don’t know all this? Don’t you have a mother?”
“No, I don’t. So, I decided to search for her. From what I came to know about her today, I’m sure to find her soon.”
At this the fawn looked at the boy with her clear, big eyes and wished him luck.
Then the little boy thanked the fawn and moved ahead on his path with even further determination. He kept walking through the grassland, not once pausing for breath.
Walking on in this manner for quite some time, he observed that the grassland was giving way to rocky terrain. He kept walking thus, when he came upon a few boulders on his path. Hardly had he clambered upon one of the boulders, when he found a few tiger cubs playing in the clearing beyond. They had clearly noticed his presence, for they had become fidgety. But when they found that the little boy did not pose any immediate threat to them, they visibly relaxed. To feed their curiosity they came nearer to the boy and sniffed around him.
The boy had by then gained enough confidence to talk to the cub nearest to him.
“Who are you?”
“I am a tiger. I live in a cave beside these boulders, along with my family.”
“Do you have a mother?”
“Yes, I do.”
“How does she look like?”
“She looks a lot like me, but she is bigger and stronger.”
“What does she do?”
“She loves me and takes care of me. She protects me and teaches me to hunt for my food and become independent.”
“So, a mother has big claws and big teeth. She also loves, protects and teaches you, doesn’t she?”
“Yes, she does. But you didn’t seem to know all this? Don’t you have a mother?”
“No, I don’t. That is why I have decided to search for her. But now that I know so much about her, I’ll surely find her soon enough.”
The cub then licked the boy’s feet and wished him success. The boy thanked him and stepped ahead. But he saw a hillock blocking his path. So, he decided to go round the foot of the hillock to the other side. Thinking thus he walked on.
By now the afternoon sun was shining above his head. There was still some time before sunset. He had to find his mother before darkness settled in. The urgency of his mission did not allow him to feel the fatigue of his day’s journey. He just walked on and on.
Walking thus, he then felt the forest giving way to a small settlement. There were many people like him moving about, busy with their daily chores. There were a handful of huts strewn here and there, and the children were laughing and playing about on the clearing in front of the huts.
Near the hut closest to him, was a huge tree with spreading branches. Lots of twigs and dry leaves had fallen to the ground all around the tree. A woman with a baby tied to her back, was picking up the twigs and gathering them in a basket. The little boy approached the woman. She heard his footsteps on the dry leaves and looked up in astonishment.
The little boy went nearer and asked her, “Who are you?”
“I am a mother.”
“Are you truly a mother?”
“Why do you ask so?”
“You don’t have brown hair on your body and you don’t have a tail. You also don’t have antlers. Neither do you have big claws nor big teeth. So how could you be a mother?”
The woman laughed at this and asked the boy to explain. Then the little boy told her all about his day’s adventures, and his inferences. The kind woman then called the little boy to her hut and sat him down on a straw mat, just outside. She then gave him some fruits to eat and some milk to drink. After such a tedious day, the boy devoured of everything hungrily. Having had his fill, he sighed with satisfaction. Then the woman went inside her hut to lay down her now sleeping baby. Having done so, she returned to the boy.
The wise woman then asked him, “So you have set out to find your mother, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have.”
At this the woman told him that all living beings have a mother. The different animals have mothers who look like them. A monkey’s mother looks like a monkey, a deer’s mother looks like a deer and a tiger’s mother looks like a tiger. “So, your mother will look like you,” she concluded. “But all mothers have one thing in common. They all love and protect their children and teach them to be independent and to be the best in what they do,” she added as an afterthought.
“But I don’t have a mother who looks like me,” the boy insisted.
“Then why don’t you go to my Mother; She is the Mother of all.”
“Where is She? How will I find Her?”
“She is everywhere. Just close your eyes and call Her. She will come to you.”
“But how will I recognise Her? How does She look like?”
“She looks exactly like what you want Her to be.”
“But will She love me, protect me and teach me?”
“Yes, of course. She loves you and cares for you forever. And She also teaches you. But you don’t understand that it is Her. Sometimes She takes the shape of other people to teach you how to go about your life, so that you can learn the life-skills and have a fulfilling and worthy life. And at some other times She goes inside you and becomes a voice, your conscience, and guides you through what is right and what is wrong, thus helping you to become a good person.”
Thus saying, the kind-hearted and wise woman sent the boy on his way, after packing some fruits with him for his journey back home. The boy now knew the way, and so he hurried home after bidding the woman goodbye. He had to reach home before sunset.
This boy, when he returned to his village, had the knowledge of the Eternal Mother. With this wisdom, he grew up to be a great man. And like a true teacher, he did not keep this secret to himself. He shared his learning with everyone else and thus helped many more unfortunate people find their Mother.
Some of these people who wanted the others to see what their Mother looked like, made clay models of Her, just as they saw in their minds. So, Mother got many images. In some She was a fierce warrior, in some She was a serene Goddess of learning, in some others She was seen as a powerful Goddess of wealth, and in yet some others She was the symbol of ultimate power. Her images might be different, but She is one and the same. She always responds to our pleas, no matter through which image we invoke Her.