On many occasions, Bhagavan Baba has begun His divine Discourse with this sweet poem (in Telugu):

More fragrant than the sweet-smelling flowers
Like the Jasmine and the Champak,
Softer than the cheese and the butter,
More beautiful than eye of the peacock,
More pleasant than the moonlight,
Is the love of the mother!

The Mother, Baba says, is every individual’s Living God. In this month of May, when we reverentially remember Eswaramma, the Divine Mother of Bhagavan Baba, let us turn a few pages of history, through this quiz, and relish the greatness of Divine Mothers and their exemplary Motherhood.

1. During a Divine Discourse in 1994, Bhagavan Baba shared with us the impact that Mother Mary’s teaching had on her divine Son Jesus: “Jesus exemplified the spirit of social service. The inspiration for this came from his Mother Mary. From his childhood, Mary taught him such good qualities as truth, kindness, compassion and justice.

In his twelfth year, Jesus and his parents went to Jerusalem for a festival. In the crowds, the parents lost trace of Jesus and searched for him everywhere. Not finding him anywhere, Mary sat under a tree and prayed to God to come to her help.”

Much to her relief, when Mother Mary found Jesus, what teaching of hers had saved Jesus?

A. Prayers are our only resort.
B. God is everything.
C. Being courageous will always keep us safe.
D. There is a lot of power in a Mother’s Love.

2. In the ancient Indian epic, Mahabharatha, this is what Bhishma says on motherhood: “The mother is the panacea for all kinds of calamities. The existence of the mother invests one with protection; the reverse deprives one of all protection. The man who, though divested of prosperity enters his house, uttering the words, ‘O mother!’ has not to indulge in grief. Nor will decrepitude ever assail him. A person whose mother exists, even if he happens to one who possesses sons and grandsons, and is probably hundred years old, in the eyes of his mother he looks like a child of two years of age.”

According to Bhishma in Mahabharatha, what assurance does the offspring have from having a mother?

A. Constant guidance.
B. Will always be protected.
C. Will never be sorrowful.
D. Will never make mistakes.

3. Mata Tripta, is the mother of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak. Of the many prophets who have walked the earth, many of their mothers were unable to celebrate in the joy of rearing such wondrous offspring. In contrast to all of these examples, Mata Tripta was happy and peaceful throughout her pregnancy, meditating constantly on God's name. On giving birth to Guru Nanak Dev Ji, she was blessed with all the joys of motherhood as she raised him and cherished him.

What was Mata Tripta’s reaction when, instead of using the money for family, her son Guru Nanak Dev Ji used the money his father gave to buy food for the starving monks he met on the way?

A. She was furious!
B. She was sorrow filled for months!
C. She realized the greatness of her son’s action.
D. She gave up her worldly life thereafter.

4. According to Jainism, a man can attain Godhood by his own superb spiritual efforts. This fact also applies for Mahavir. He was born at the home of King Siddharth. His mother’s name was Trishala.

When Queen Trishala was expecting the baby, she had several sequential dreams of a white elephant, a white bull, a lion, the goddess Sri, a garland, the Moon, the Sun, a large flag, a vase, a lake, the milk ocean, a celestial abode, a heap of jewels, and a fire.

After sharing these auspiscious dreams with her husband, what was the interpretation given by the scholars of Queen Trishala’s dreams?

A. He will be full of virtues.
B. He will be a powerful preacher.
C. He will never abandon his mother.
D. He will become a monk.

5. Queen Maya and King Suddhodhana did not have children for twenty years into their marriage. One day however, Queen Maya has a dream, in which she sees a magnificent white elephant, which, by striking her right side with its trunk, is able to enter her womb, and she became pregnant. According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha-to-be was residing as a Bodhisattva in the Tusita heaven, and decided to take the shape of a white elephant to be reborn, for the last time, on Earth.

How long did Queen Maya live to be fortunate enough to see the world renowned Buddha’s greatness?

A. Until Buddha got married.
B. She died at the age of 74 years.
C. She passed away seven days after his birth
D. Until Buddha left the palalce in search of Nirvana.

6. Legend has it that before the birth of Zarathustra, the magicians and wicked people knew that a person, who would teach the people the true worship of Ahura Mazda, was to be born to Dughdova. They wanted to kill her so that the people would not turn to Zarathustra for help from their wickedness, but she was saved from them.

In similarity to Bhagavan Baba’s Divine Mother Easwaramma, what Divine intervention played the role in the life of mother Dughdova before she conceived Zoroaster?

A. Many strange sounds were heard one night.
B. Dughdova’s husband had the same dream for seven nights.
C. Some angels left a note by Dughdova’s bedside.
D. Dughdova was visited by a shaft of light.

7. "There is one God, Allah, and Mohammed is his Prophet," is one of the five pillars of Islam, the cornerstones of the faith. Islam accepts the existence of numerous prophets throughout history, but Mohammed is accepted as both the greatest of the prophets and the last.

Prophet Muhammad’s mother's name was Amina. She was good, pretty and pure, and Allah, the one god, had chosen her to be Muhammad's mother. The happy news was proclaimed far and wide, in the heavens and on Earth.

When an angel came in Amina’s dream, and told her she will give birth to a divine soul, and she should place him under Allah’s protection, what else did the angel ask her to do?

A. “You must call him Muhammad.”
B. “You must give him up for adoption.”
C. “You must give a lot of charity to earn Allah’s Grace.”
D. “You should accompany him on all of Allah’s missions.”

8. In a Divine Discourse in 2000, extolling the impact of a noble mother’s thoughts on children, Bhagavan Baba narrated Gandhiji’s story: “Putlibai, the mother of Mahatma Gandhi, spent her life in the contemplation of God. She used to observe a vow wherein she would not partake of food unless she heard the singing of cuckoo. One day it so happened that the song of cuckoo was not heard. Gandhi, who was a small boy then, could not bear to see his mother fasting for a long time. He went behind the house and mimicked the singing of cuckoo.”

What did Putlibai do when she found out that her son had made the sound of the cuckoo?

A. She laughed at his prank.
B. She gave up the habit of waiting for the cuckoo's call.
C. She felt very sad that her son was uttering a lie.
D. She complimented him on his cleverness.

9. The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, and embody the core of his teaching. The values they express are as true today as they have ever been. Mother Teresa offers perhaps the best living example of the way in which the Beatitudes can be lived. She followed the ideals of Jesus: Blessed are those who are merciful; Blessed are those who are pure in spirit; Blessed are those who are pure in heart; Blessed are those who make peace; Blessed are those who mourn.

Mother Teresa, being endowed with the spirit of God and attitude of prayer, was spiritually driven by the beatitudes. And only a person whose life is deeply rooted in God and His teachings can lead a life of Beatitudes. To lead a life of the Beatitudes, Mother Teresa consecrated her life to God and humanity embracing three religious vows – Chastity, Poverty and ______________.

A. Sacrifice
B. Obedience
C. Humility
D. Gratitude

10. From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í’s have learnt a lot on motherhood: “Let the mothers consider that whatever concerneth the education of children is of the first importance. Let them put forth every effort in this regard, for when the bough is green and tender it will grow in whatever way ye train it. Therefore is it incumbent upon the mothers to rear their little ones even as a gardener tendeth his young plants. Let them strive by day and by night to establish within their children faith and certitude, the fear of God, the love of the Beloved of the worlds, and all good qualities and traits. Whensoever a mother seeth that her child hath done well, let her praise and applaud him and cheer his heart…” [page 124-125]

According to Abdu’l-Bahá, what are mothers also considered as?

A. The Guiding Posts in life
B. The First Educators
C. Pillars of Strength
D. Beacons of Light

- Heart2Heart Team