In the Vajrayána Buddhist age, the idea first developed that the basic identity of a woman was neither “sister” nor “daughter” but “mother”. To support this concept, the Vajrayána Buddhist Tantrics used to say that the person whom the newborn baby notices immediately after its birth is neither its sister, its wife nor its daughter, but its mother. So that on the wider canvas of this universe the identity of a woman, from first to last, was portrayed as a mother. She first appears as a young mother to a newborn and later when she attains maturity in life, she establishes her identity as the++ mother [of a large household]. The whole system of Vajrayána Tantra is based on this fundamental concept. This school of Tantra had its origin in Bengal 1700 years ago. The people of Bengal brought up in this atmosphere of Vajrayána Tantra learned to look upon women, as a class, as mothers. The Bengali word meye [“daughter”] comes from the Sanskrit word mátriká [“little mother”]. You may have noticed that even today in the countryside of East Bengal elderly persons call girls máiyá [“little mother”]. Not only that, the entire society of Bengal under the influence of Vajrayána Tantra addressed all women as “mother” in the absence of any direct relationship. For example, t́hakurmá [maternal grandmother], didimá [paternal grandmother], kákiimá [uncle’s wife], khuŕimá [uncle’s wife], jyet́háimá [elder brother’s wife], pisimá [paternal aunt], masimá [maternal aunt], baumá [younger brother’s wife] and so on.

The social norms of Bengal were evolved from Vajrayána Buddhism. Doesn’t it seem odd that this tender concept of motherliness could develop on the foundation of the extremely rigorous sádhaná of Vajrayána Buddhism It is Vajrayána Buddhism that declared Naráh vajradharákáráh yośitá vajrayośitá. [“Men are the wielders of the thunderbolt, and women, the power of the thunderbolt”].

The Bengalees, guided by this cult of Vajrayána, used to call their queen ráńimá, the wife of the guru gurumá, their daughters-in-law badhúmátá or baumá. Likewise, the people of those days called their friends’ wives Má. Even today, mothers-in-law are addressed as “Mother”, and one certainly calls one’s own mother, “Mother”, there is no doubt about it.

If a person refers to his or her native land – by whose food and water, by whose sights and tastes, by whose flow of life, by whose “milk”, one nourishes one’s life – as “mother”, it will not entail any grammatical mistake; history will not be tarnished nor will it profane the holy books. Very often a doting father will take his little daughter on his lap and call her “mother”. But everyone knows that the child is his daughter, not his mother. Similarly, it would not be wrong to call a dairy cow (or any milk-giving animal) “mother”, as she provides milk for sustenance. But that does not mean that that creature becomes one’s mother. She is only being given due honour.

Remember, people drink not only cows’ milk but also the milk of camels, goats, buffaloes, etc. So if one is to honour any such creature then one will have to honour female camels, goats and buffaloes as well! It is not good to give undue honour only to cows. That is laughable. If some people worship mother cows using oil, vermilion, etc; yet in their festival frenzy swim in the blood of buffaloes, they will be caught in the snares of their self-made philosophies. This attitude of theirs cannot be supported.