Concepts of the Divine Mother in Sikhism

namjiwankaur · #1 (**permalink**) 14-Nov-2010, 22:03 PM

Namaste,

I am aware that Sikhism is monotheistic and considers the Supreme Being beyond form. That being said, I have come across a few websites about Sikhs who consider the Divine their Mother and Father. Is there a way to be close to the Divine Maternal in Sikhism? I do not mean to worship God shaped like a woman, but God as maternal or motherly?
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-sikhi-sikhism/33226-concepts-of-the-divine-mother-sikhism.html

One reason I ask is the tendency for most religions to refer to God as "He" and "Father" and most will say it doesn't refer to gender, but it is a patriarchal response to God to say its ok to refer to God as "He" and "Father", but not "She" and "Mother". It is more than a subtle referral to a masculine God.

As my relationship with The Divine deepens, I find myself relating to Her more as Mother. Here is how I wrote the Mool Mantra and I want to ask if my using both pronouns (He and She vs. the insistence that the royal pronoun should be masculine) would be viewed as offensive or against Sikh teachings.

There is only One God
Truth is Her/His Name
She/He is the Creator
She/He is without fear
She/He is without hate
She/He is timeless and without form
She/He is beyond birth and death
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33226
the Enlightened One
She/He can be known by the Guru's Grace

Looking forward to your responses!
J.

spnadmin · #2 (**permalink**) 15-Nov-2010, 00:07 AM

There is a famous tuk in gurbani which describes the divine as mother and father. But the point we must take is that the divine is both sargun and nirgun. In sargun form the divine takes on the attributes of all of creation. This includes both male and female. As nirgun, the divine has no forum and is therefore neither male or female.

You are my father, You are my mother. But more as the kirtan continues you will see the diivine called brother, cousin, and friend.

Here is the gurbani kirtan with the shabad that I mentioned. The divine is everything, and the divine is no thing at all.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33226

YouTube - TU MERA PITA TU MERA MAATA \| Read along with Bhai Surinder Singh Ji Jodhpuri \| Shabad Kirtan

namjiwankaur · #3 (**permalink**) 18-Nov-2010, 01:18 AM

Thanks for answering my question. Your response was worded so beautifully. I like the video. I'm a Youtube addict anyway, but I love most watching and listening to spiritual topics and music there.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33226

:happykaur:

Archived_member15 · #4 (**permalink**) 02-May-2012, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spnadmin

There is a famous tuk in gurbani which describes the divine as mother and father. But the point we must take is that the divine is both sargun and nirgun. In sargun form the divine takes on the attributes of all of creation. This includes both male and female. As nirgun, the divine has no forum and is therefore neither male or female.

You are my father, You are my mother. But more as the kirtan continues you will see the diivine called brother, cousin, and friend.

Here is the gurbani kirtan with the shabad that I mentioned. The divine is everything, and the divine is no thing at all.

YouTube - TU MERA PITA TU MERA MAATA | Read along with Bhai Surinder Singh Ji Jodhpuri | Shabad Kirtan

I was searching through old SPN threads when I found this phrase of yours, dear brother/sister:

The divine is everything, and the divine is no thing at all.

WOW! Amen! THAT is exactly what I believe too. I am ever amazed by the underlying unity between all religions. I am so in awe of the fact that my religious tradition and your religious tradition has led both of us to exactly the same conclusion, the grasping of the same Truth.

BTW Since I've hijacked a thread on Divine Motherhood

I'll attach a quote:

"...It should be known, then, that God nurtures and caresses the soul, after it has been resolutely converted to his service, like a loving mother who warms her child with the heat of her bosom, nurses it with good milk and tender food, and carries and caresses it in her arms. But as the child grows older, the mother withholds her caresses and hides her tender love; she rubs bitter aloes on her sweet breast and sets the child down from her arms, letting it walk on its own feet so that it may put aside the habits of childhood and grow accustomed to greater and more important things. The grace of God acts just as a loving mother by re-engendering in the soul new enthusiasm and fervor in the service of God. With no effort on the soul's part, this grace causes it to taste sweet and delectable milk and to experience intense satisfaction in the performance of spiritual exercises, because God is handing the breast of his tender love to the soul, just as if it were a delicate child..."

- Saint John of the Cross (1542 – 1591), Catholic mystic and Doctor of the Church

Scarlet Pimpernel · #5 (**permalink**) 02-May-2012, 03:05 AM

If God is anything like my mother then I would prepare yourselves to be slapped hard.

Archived_member15 · #6 (**permalink**) 02-May-2012, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scarlet Pimpernel

If God is anything like my mother then I would prepare yourselves to be slapped hard.

motherlylove

prakash.s.bagga · #7 (**permalink**) 02-May-2012, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasnoor

Namaste,

I am aware that Sikhism is monotheistic and considers the Supreme Being beyond form. That being said, I have come across a few websites about Sikhs who consider the Divine their Mother and Father. Is there a way to be close to the Divine Maternal in Sikhism? I do not mean to worship God shaped like a woman, but God as maternal or motherly?

One reason I ask is the tendency for most religions to refer to God as "He" and "Father" and most will say it doesn't refer to gender, but it is a patriarchal response to God to say its ok to refer to God as "He" and "Father", but not "She" and "Mother". It is more than a subtle referral to a masculine God.

As my relationship with The Divine deepens, I find myself relating to Her more as Mother. Here is how I wrote the Mool Mantra and I want to ask if my using both pronouns (He and She vs. the insistence that the royal pronoun should be masculine) would be viewed as offensive or against Sikh teachings.

There is only One God
Truth is Her/His Name
She/He is the Creator
She/He is without fear
She/He is without hate
She/He is timeless and without form
She/He is beyond birth and death
the Enlightened One
She/He can be known by the Guru's Grace

Looking forward to your responses!
J.

In your message lies the correct understanding of the word "GuRoo"
We can see that this word GuRoo can be written as wherein one GuRu word is for Masculine and other GuRu word is for Feminine character of the CREATOR.
Thus there is no offensive in Sikh Teachings.
Sikh teachings are very much perfect.

Prakash.S.Bagga

prakash.s.bagga · #8 (**permalink**) 02-May-2012, 13:48 PM

From Gurbanee we learn that Sikhs have to Worship "SATiGuRu" only.
By worshiping SATi GuRu ..Masculine as well as feminine both Genders are taken care of.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33226

Prakash.s.Bagga

Luckysingh · #9 (**permalink**) 03-May-2012, 11:32 AM

I think that unlike other religions where we can have gods and godesses either male/female in Sikhism we only regard and worship the ONE god.
That God is neither masculine or feminine.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=33226
So the realization of the Truth in everything, which is what we try to see in all is itself of no gender.
The Satguru- the true guru, as Prakashji has stated above is of no gender.
This is of more importance even if we interpret masculine references such as he or him.