So one instruction is that the earth is addressed "amba." Amba means mother. So the earth is also our mother. There are seven kinds of mother: ādau-mātā guroḥ patnī. Real mother, from whose womb we have taken birth, she is called ādau-mātā, first mother. Then second mother, the guroḥ patnī. Guru means teacher or spiritual master. His wife, she's also . . . actually, according to strict moral instruction . . . why strict? Ordinary. Any woman except his own wife is mother. Any woman. It doesn't matter whether she is elderly or young. No, that is the way. Still in India, any woman by unknown person, he can address any woman "Mother." The first relationship is mother. Now they have introduced "Sister," "Bahinajī." No, that is not Vedic etiquette. No bahinajī. Bahinajī means sister. Mother. Everyone should be addressed. We should learn this. Except one's one wife, all women should be addressed as "Mother." This is civilization. Then there will be no corrupt relation. If you, from the very beginning, you establish your relationship with other women as mother, then there is no question of other relationship.
So here it is instructed. Even the earth is addressed as mother. According to śāstra, Dharitrī is one of the mothers, seven mothers.
- ādau-mātā guroḥ patnī
- brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā
- dhenur dhātrī tathā pṛthvī
- saptaitā mātaraḥ smṛtāḥ
- (Nīti Śāstra)
There are seven kinds of mother. Real mother, then a spiritual master or teacher's wife, guroḥ patnī. Brāhmaṇī, the wife of a brāhmaṇa. Ādau-mātā guroḥ patnī brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā. And the queen, the wife of the king. Dhenu, cow; dhenur dhātrī, maidservant, nurse. Because it was also formerly the practice, rich man; or mother is not . . . unable to suck breast milk. So they used to employ young girls who has also children, otherwise there is no milk supplied. So that is also mother. As Kṛṣṇa took Pūtanā as mother . . . Pūtanā came to kill Kṛṣṇa, smearing poison over her breast. And Kṛṣṇa sucked the milk and her life also. But Kṛṣṇa took her as her (His) mother. This is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa did not take the black side. The intention was to kill Kṛṣṇa, Pūtanā came. But who can kill Kṛṣṇa? That is not possible. But Kṛṣṇa thought Himself as obligation, that, "I have sucked her breast. So she is My mother. She must be given the position of mother." So Pūtanā, after being killed, she was given the same opportunity as Mother Yaśodā. This is Kṛṣṇa. Bhāva-grāhī-janārdanaḥ. Any way you serve Kṛṣṇa, it will be accepted. Not any way; I mean to say, we should serve Kṛṣṇa according to regulative principle. Still, some way or other, unknowing or knowingly, if you render some service, that is called ajñāta-sukṛti.
Ajñāta means without your knowledge you are advancing in spiritual life. That is called ajñāta-sukṛti. You do not know. But the system is so nice . . . just like our this class is going on. These children, they are dancing, they are offering obeisances, they are offering a flower. They do not know what they are doing, but it will not go in vain. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These things are becoming assets, one after another. Just like if you keep money in the bank, daily you save, it is increasing your bank balance; similarly, these children, although they do not know what is this class, what is Prabhupāda speaking, why we are offering . . . they are imitating. They are imitating, offering obeisances. We used to do so. Every children, every child does so. So if the mother is a devotee, the child automatically becomes a devotee, without any effort. If the father, mother is devotee . . . therefore śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo sanjāyate (BG 6.41). Kṛṣṇa says that those who are yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ, could not fulfill the whole program of devotional service, some way or other fallen down, so they are given chance, another chance. What is that chance? The chance is he is given a human form of life and born in a devotee's house, so that from the very beginning of life he'll again will be in connection with devotional service. So these children, they are not ordinary children. Formerly, they were also devotees, somehow or other, could not fulfill the whole program. Now Kṛṣṇa has given the chance to take birth in the womb of a devotee mother so that from the very beginning of life they're learning devotional service. So the mother, father also should be careful, that "They are Vaiṣṇavas, they have come under my care. So that he may not be spoiled, let him become a perfect Vaiṣṇava, and his life become perfect." This is . . . this is very nice program.