1. After making His Beloved Mother Easwaramma happy by fulfilling her three wishes of providing education, healthcare and safe water to the poor villagers, on the Easwaramma Day of 1998, extolling His Mother, Swami said: “Noble mothers give birth to noble sons. Mothers should also feel lucky to have noble sons. Kondama Raju used to tell his daughter-in-law, ‘Easwaramma, you have no idea of your great good fortune. You are not an ordinary woman. The Lord Himself is with you. What a lucky woman you are!’

Easwaramma was the daughter-in-law of Kondama Raju. Has there been any instance of a father-in-law adoring his daughter-in-law? He used to say, ‘Easwaramma, your name has been vindicated. Easwara’s Mother is Easwaramma.' Kondama Raju was one of those rare persons who could perceive the Truth. Those who cannot recognize the Truth will never be able to understand it. They are like a blind man who cannot see the Sun even during the day.”

According to Swami, what was the most remarkable quality about His Beloved Mother Easwaramma?

A. She was always conscientious.
B. Everybody respected her a lot.
C. She wanted everyone to be happy.
D. She always looked after Swami’s comforts.

2. During a Divine Discourse in 1997, while preaching on the potency of a Mother’s Love, Swami gave an example of Mother Sita’s unparalleled love for her sons Lava and Kusha: “Every person, man or woman, should respect the parents, install the Divine in the heart and pray to God constantly. It is everyone's duty to bring a good name to one's parents. When the children are good, they bring a good name to the parents. It was because of the noble behaviour of Lava and Kusha that their mother, Sita, became renowned.

When Lava and Kusha were engaged in a battle with Rama, Lava aimed an arrow at Rama with the prayer that if his Mother Janaki was a Sadhvi (a supremely noble woman) the arrow should render Rama unconscious.”

What happened when Lava aimed the arrow at His Divine Father, Lord Rama?

A. Sita intervened and saved both Lava and Lord Rama.
B. Rama became unconscious.
C. Lava begged forgiveness from his Mother even to think of such an act.
D. In order to make Lava happy, Rama feigned unconsciousness.

3. Swami often remarks: “When Divinity dons the garb of a human body, people are thickly blanketed by illusion. They become blind to the Divinity of God. Illusion covers the eyes of men like a thick curtain and prevents them from seeing the Reality. However, Yashoda was the mother, and even if Krishna was Paramatma, the mother’s affection still showed up.”

During the 1996 Summer Showers, Swami pointed out how maya (illusion) can affect even the Mothers of Avatars! “Once Balarama complained to mother Yashoda that his brother Krishna was eating mud. Challenged by Yashoda to tell the truth, little Krishna made a startling statement, 'Oh Mother Dear! Am I an infant, or a foolish one, or a mad one, to eat mud?' These very words speak eloquently about the Divinity of Krishna, but poor Yashoda failed to fathom the depth of the revelation contained in Krishna’s words. On the other hand, she demanded that Krishna should open His mouth, so that she could check for herself whether Krishna had eaten mud. Little Krishna opened His mouth wide.”

At that point mother Yashoda saw the Universe in His mouth and realized that Krishna was verily God Himself. How did she react after this momentous event?

A. She ran to all the neighboring houses proclaiming His Divinity.
B. She fainted for a few days.
C. She never reprimanded Him after that.
D. She hugged Him and treated Him as an ordinary child.

4. During the 1993 Summer Showers, Swami reminds us of yet another great, Divine Mother – Mother Devaki; the real Mother of Lord Krishna, who for saving humanity from her evil brother, had to give Him up as soon as He was born: “Though Devaki was the Mother who nurtured Krishna in her womb, it was Yashoda who enjoyed the pleasure of Krishna’s company as a foster mother. Sitting under a tree Devaki lamented her misfortune thus:

It was not for me to see the wondrous deed of your sucking away the life of Putana while she suckled you;
It was not for me to kiss your wondrous belly, which ropes failed to bind;
It was given to me to suffer the labour pains to deliver you to the world;
It was given to Yashoda to fondle you in fond joy.
Though fertile, I became a barren woman.
Without begetting a son, Yashoda became the mother of a Great Son.

While explaining the inner significance of all the characters in the Divine play during the Krishna Avataar, according to Swami, while Mathura represented the navel, Gokulam represented the mouth and Mother Yashoda represented the tongue, what did Mother Devaki represent?

A. Divine Shakthi
B. Divine Sound
C. Divine Heart
D. Divine Intellect

5. During the Summer Showers Discourses of 1995, Swami talked about young Dhruva’s Divine Mother, Suniti, who exemplified sacrifice by having immense faith in God. She let go of her distraught five year old son to teach him to seek only Him to achieve the fulfillment of his desires: “Suniti said, ‘Son! No one can really help another. It is God alone who is the sole refuge of everyone. He alone can fulfill all your wishes. Go to the forest and seek Lord Narayana to achieve your desires.’

Are there such mothers today, who send their five-year-old sons to the forest for penance? She placed her hand on Dhruva’s head as blessing and said, ‘Whether you are in the forest, city, village, mountains, or sea, God is the only refuge of the forlorn. Instead of suffering in the palace, it is much better to delight in thoughts of God in the forest. Wherever you may be, I am not in a position to help you. God will take care of you. Don’t think of the forest as a forest but as God’s abode. Go and seek Him, my son.’”

According to Swami, besides a mother’s blessings, what is that other factor that helps us to attain the Lord or any goal in life?

A. Determination
B. Sacrifice
C. Forbearance
D. A Guru’s guidance

6. During a Divine Discourse delivered in 1988, Swami used the example of the Pandava brother’s Divine Mother Kunti to teach us how fortune can be sought with the support of a mother’s love: “If the Pandavas were able to become so dear to Krishna and make their lives worthy by serving Him, it was not on account of their own merit or austerities. It was mother Kunti Devi's love for them that brought to them such a great fortune. Even when they had to live in a forest or in the House of Wax, she always stayed with them and prayed for their welfare. The Pandavas also reciprocated her love, and that accounts for their final victory.”

What did Mother Kunti request her sons to do when they informed her (from outside her house) that they had brought her a valuable fruit?

A. She asked them to bring it to her.
B. She asked them to share the fruit equally between them­selves.
C. She told them to offer to Lord Krishna first.
D. She requested them to give it way to a hungry beggar.

7. During a Divine Discourse from 1988, Swami teaches us as to what can happen when the mother does not bestow the power of her blessings and maternal love on her children - no matter how old they are: “All our epics and sacred books emphasize the power of the mother's love, her blessings and grace. Consider the story of Gandhari and her sons - the Kauravas. When Krishna visited Gandhari to console her after the Kurukshetra war, she accused him of partiality towards the Pandavas. ‘Though You are God, how could You be so partial? Why did You support the Pandavas in full measure, and allow the destruction of all my sons?’ she asked Him.”

What reason did Lord Krishna give to the blindfolded Gandhari for her sons losing the battle of Kurukshetra?

A. She was always mentally engrossed in her own material pursuits.
B. She wasn’t their true mother after all.
C. She didn’t cast a loving glance on them at any time.
D. She was more focused on them earning name and fame.

8. During a Divine Discourse from 1997, Swami shared the very powerful story of how by the blessings of his Divine Mother Aaryaamba, the very famous saint, Aadi Shankara won Divine Grace. “Here is another illustration from the life of Aadi Shankara. He was born in Kaaladi in Kerala. When he was a six-year old boy, his mother, Aaryaambha, told him ‘Son, your father was a very pious person and. He used to worship God according to the prescribed rituals. You must follow his example. You are very lucky. I am always devoted to God. Having taken birth as my son, you should conduct yourself in such a way that you achieve great name and fame and bring a good name to me. Act according to your father's example. It is the mother who makes the son noble and great. It is a noble son who brings glory to the mother. Hence, remembering this, act according to your father's injunctions.’”

What was result of the power of mother Aaryaaamba’s blessings when a Goddess appeared in front of Aadi Shankara after being touched by his perseverance and devotion?

A. He attained powers of being able to heal people by mere touch.
B. He became a great King and ruled vast kingdoms.
C. He mastered all the Vedas effortlessly.
D. He attained a boon and lived on for a hundred years.

9. During a Divine Discourse from 1999, Swami taught us what happens when we don’t heed to a Mother’s advice: “When Abhimanyu was in the womb of his mother Subhadra, his father Arjuna used to tell her many stories. One day, Arjuna was explaining to her the intricacies and nuances involved in entering Padmavyuha (a military formation in the shape of a lotus). Before he could explain to her how to come out of the Padmavyuha, Lord Krishna, the supreme director of the cosmic drama, entered the scene. God comes whenever the need arises and plays His role appropriately.

Krishna asked Arjuna, ‘What a mistake you are committing! It is not Subhadra, but it is the child in her womb who has been listening to you all the while. Where is the necessity for you to teach the child about Padmavyuha?’ He took Arjuna away with him.”

What happened to Abhimanyu when he didn’t pay heed to his mother’s advice of not entering the padmavyuha since he only knew how to get into it and not how to come out of it?

A. He nearly died fighting a fierce battle.
B. He lost his life in it.
C. He called on Lord Krishna who came and saved him from sure death.
D. His father Arjuna had to go in to save him.

10. During a Divine Discourse from 1968, Swami enlightens us with the knowledge that there are five different kinds of Divine Mothers: “The mother is the first of the five Maathas (Mothers) that the Indian child encounters: Dheha-maatha (the mother that gave birth to this body); Go-maatha (the cow that gives sustaining milk); Bhoo-maatha (the land that grows the crops which feed the body); Dhesa-maatha (the Native country that gives protection, care, love, rights and chances to serve and elevate oneself to one's full height), and Vedha-maatha (the heritage of spiritual treasure that reveals the aim and purpose of human life and takes one step by step, towards the Goal of Self-realization).”

According to Swami, in the spiritual path, while Truth represents the father, who represents our Mother in the spiritual family?

A. Devotion
B. Love
C. Wisdom
D. Peace

- Heart2Heart Team