Art Thou Mother or Father?

Art thou Mother or Father to me, my Mother ?

I have searched the Vedas and the Vedanta, the
Tantras and the Mantras, yet nowhere have I found thy fulness.

As Rama thou dost take the bow, as Syama the
flute : as Shyama the black, thou dost seize the sword.

Some offer at thy feet the tulasi , some the atasi ,
some come with handfuls of hibiscus, some bring the
leaves of bel.

O Mother, Mother of the Universe, art thou male or
female ? Who can say ? Who knows thy form ?

In whatever form men think of thee, in that form
do thou, Universal One, appear to them.

Nilakantha’s mind ever thinks of thee as chief
amongst the deities .
Mother, if thou wouldst be Mother indeed, then why at my Mother’s feet should
my Father lie prostrate ?

---by Nilakantha Mukhopadhyaya (1841– 1912)