05/10/2026
Happy Mother’s Day to all who celebrate.
I’ve been reflecting on motherhood and Hinduism. Nowhere in Hindu scriptures does it say that every woman must become a mother, get married, or that motherhood is the only path to fulfillment. Not every woman wants children, and that is valid.
Too often, women are conditioned by culture and society to believe motherhood is required in order to live a meaningful life, and I don’t think that is fair.
In Hinduism, the Divine Feminine is known as Shakti (power) the Divine Mother, Goddess Durga/Parvati, represents protection, compassion, and creation. Hinduism long defined the importance of personal space, boundaries, and fulfilling ones own desire (not others) Parvati created Lord Ganesha herself, from her own being, because she desired a child and wanted someone to guard her space while she bathed. Lord Shiva unknowingly disrespected that boundary (don’t mess with a woman and her self care routine), leading to the well known story where Ganesha is later restored and honored as the deity invoked before all prayers and beginnings.
To me, this story is also about personal space, respect for women, motherhood by choice, and the sacred bond between mother and child. (Parvati threatened to end all creation, when Lord Shiva unknowingly chopped off Ganesha’s head, don’t mess with a mother and her child, she demanded her son receive the highest honors above mighty Lord Shiva himself)
We also continue to call deities like Saraswati and Lakshmi “Mother,” even though they are not primarily defined through motherhood. Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, wisdom, and the arts, reminds us that a woman’s purpose can also be creativity, learning, teaching, spirituality, and service.
Hinduism allows one to see the divine feminine as a friend, guide, mentor, etc, not just as a mother.
Motherhood is beautiful, but it is also difficult, lifelong, and deeply personal. I celebrate and honor mothers, and I equally respect women who choose not to become mothers. Neither path makes a woman more or less complete. Everyone’s dharma, their path in life, is different. To me, a “mother” is ultimately someone who nurtures, protects, and cares for others with unconditional love.
This photo is of Kanaka Durga at the Shiva-Vishnu Temple in Livermore, CA, a temple my father helped build. Though the temple’s main deities are male - Shiva and Vishnu, it was Kanaka Durga who appeared in the dreams of my father and 7 others to guide where the temple should be built. And interestingly, in her sanctum she is not shown beside her husband Shiva, but with her two children, Lord Ganesha and Lord Muruga.
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