bibharti hi sutaM maataa
dhaarayiShyati maam iti
maataraM bhajate putro
garbheN' aadhatta maam iti
- = - - - = = =
= - = - - = - -
= - = - - = = =
= = = = - = - -
15.36
For mother cherishes son
Thinking "He will keep me,"
And son honours mother
Thinking "She in her womb bore me."
COMMENT:
The operative words in this verse, as I read it, are maam, "me," (twice) and the verbs bibharti, "she cherishes," and bhajate, "he honours."
Maam, appearing prominently, like a lamb's baa-ing, as the final long syllables in lines 2 and 4, seems to flag a certain interest of mother and son in What's in it for me?
Bibarti and bhajate seem intended to include a loving element, which is picked up by the mention of affection (sneha) in 15.37. At the same time, bibharti means not only to cherish emotionally but more literally to bear, support or nurture practically. Similarly, bhajate means not only to honour or revere emotionally but also more literally to give something to, or to serve practically. So in this verse, as I read it, the Buddha is considering love between family members not at all in the abstract but by looking at how family members actually behave towards each other.
In philosophical terms, Platonic Love is a nice idea, but empirical evidence to support it is thin on the ground.
When old couples who have been together for donkey's years are asked what is the secret of a lasting marriage, sometimes they talk about loving each other, but more often they talk about a sense of humour, and most often what they talk about is "give and take."
One human being with a true (non-Platonic) love for dogs might be Cesar Milan, a.k.a. TV's Dog Whisperer, who is currently spreading the good word in Britain. Cesar is conspicuously not like a typical American "dog lover," who is imbalanced himself and who overfeeds and pampers his imbalanced pooch while failing to give it exercise and discipline. Cesar's golden rules for a true dog lover are exercise, discipline, and affection. In the background to Cesar's recognition of the problem behaviour of imbalanced American and British dogs, is Cesar's recognition of the problem behaviour of imbalanced American and British dog-owners (and parents). Cesar's recognition and Cesar's message, in my view, are absolutely spot on.
Another thought-provoking piece of empirical evidence in the news this week has been the report on how the Catholic Church in Ireland conspired to cover up multiple scandals of sexual abuse in which priests purporting to be emissaries of a kind of Platonic Love, were, in empirical fact, having sex with children. Those original perpetrators of sexual abuse were living a lie, and their superiors perpetuated the lie with a policy of "Don't ask, don't tell." Successive archbishops seemed to have the idea that the reputation (and money) of the Catholic Church itself was the most important matter -- more important, apparently, than preventing further abuse of children.
What is the Buddha saying in this verse about the pure, unconditional Platonic love of a mother for her son, and about the pure, unconditional Platonic love of a son for his mother? What might the Buddha have advised those archbishops of Dublin who thought that the reputation of God's Church in Ireland was of paramount importance?
The clue, again, might be in the canto title: vitarka-prahaaNa, Giving Up an Idea.
Similar to "Don't ask, don't tell," the Japanese have a proverb: kusai mono ni futa, "Put a lid on that which stinks." But I have never bought that. I think it is just a Japanese idea, not the Buddha's teaching. I think the Buddha's teaching is that when something has a disgusting stink about it, then get to the bottom of what is causing that disgusting smell, and if it is an idea (even if the idea is Love, even if the idea is God), then let the idea be given up.
EH Johnston:
For the mother cherishes her son, thinking 'He will support me', and the son loves his mother, thinking 'She bore me in her womb'
Linda Covill:
For a mother loves her son with the thought 'He will support me,' and with the thought 'She bore me in her womb,' the son honours his mother.
VOCABULARY:
bibharti = 3rd pers. sg. bhR: to bear , carry , convey , hold ; to support , maintain , cherish , foster
hi: for
sutam (acc.): m. a son
maataa = nom. sg. maatR: f. a mother
dhaarayiShyati = 3rd pers. sg. future causitive dhR: carry , maintain , preserve , keep
maam (acc.): me
iti: thus, " "
maataram = acc. maatR: mother
bhajate = 3rd pers. sg. bhaj: to divide, distribute, supply; to serve , honour , revere , love , adore
putraH (nom.): son
garbheNa = inst. garbha: womb
aadhatta = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect dhaa: to put; to make , produce , generate , create ; to accept , obtain , conceive (esp. in the womb)
maam: me
iti: thus, " "
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