The Earth IS the Mother: A Yogic Reflection on Reverence, Oneness, and Responsibility
- Jennifer Lenhart
- Mar 31
- 5 min read
Last summer, while camping, I had one of those experiences that feels impossible to put into words. Not because it was unclear, but because it was so direct.
In a profound and undeniable way, the Divine Mother—Devi Durga—revealed herself to me. And what she revealed was not symbolic. It was not metaphorical. It was a simple, unmistakable truth:
This Earth is the Mother.
Not something that represents her. Not something separate from her. But her very presence—alive in everything. In everything manifest. In everything animate and inanimate. In every tree, every stone, every river, every breath.
And with that realization came another:
This entire Earth is her temple.
How Do We Behave in a Sacred Space?
If you’ve ever entered a temple in India, you know the feeling. You become more aware. More humble. More intentional. You remove your shoes. You dress modestly. You bow your head. You move with reverence. You offer something—flowers, incense, water, fruit. You remember: this is sacred.
And yet…
When we step outside into the wider world, something changes.
If this Earth is truly the temple of the Divine Mother, then we are forced to ask:
Why don’t we treat it that way?
We see instead: Water polluted and filled with plastic; Air that is increasingly toxic; Forests being destroyed at alarming rates; Species disappearing; Oceans dying under the weight of overuse; Wars that scar the very body of the Earth. It’s difficult—but important—to sit with this question:
What would change if we truly lived as though the Earth were sacred?
A Different Way of Walking
The great teacher Thich Nhat Hanh offered this:
“Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.”
What if this wasn’t just a beautiful idea, but a way of life? What if every step were an offering? What if every action reflected reverence?
The Yogic Truth: “All One”
My guru, Neem Karoli Baba, expressed the essence of yoga in two simple words:
“All One.”
This is not just philosophy—it is a description of reality. We are not separate. Not from each other. Not from nature. Not from the Divine. All beings—human, animal, plant, river, mountain—are expressions of the same underlying reality. In yoga, the belief that we are separate is called avidya—ignorance. It is the root of suffering. Because when we forget our connection, we act as if our actions don’t affect the whole. But the truth is:
From the One comes the many.
And the many are never separate from the One.
The Mother Across Traditions
This understanding is echoed in many spiritual traditions. In the Andes, the Earth is known as Pachamama—the great Mother of space and time. She is the source of life. The sustainer of life. The field in which all life exists. Like Durga, she is both nurturing and powerful. She is generous—and, when balance is disrupted, capable of destruction. Because everything is interconnected. Nothing exists in isolation. What affects one part affects the whole.
The Web of Life
Modern environmental science expresses this same truth through the idea of the Web of Life. Every being plays a role. Every action has an impact. Pull one strand, and the entire web responds. This is what Thich Nhat Hanh called interbeing. And in yoga, we understand this through the law of karma: Every thought, word, and action matters. Not just personally—but collectively.
The Power of the Divine Mother
Durga is not only the Mother. She is also the warrior. She protects what is sacred. She stands for dharma—what is right, what sustains life. And she responds when we call upon her. But there is an important truth here: She does not act for us. She acts through us. She gives strength. She gives clarity. She gives courage. But we must still act. This is tapasya—the willingness to do the work. The mantra to invoke Durga is:
Om Dum Durgāyai Namah
When we invoke her, we must ask:
What do you want me to do with my power?
How can I serve what is sacred?
The Root of the Problem
At the heart of so much suffering—both personal and collective—is the illusion of separation. “My life.” “My needs.” “My gain.” An over-identification with “me” and “mine.” In the Devi Mahatmaya, Durga defeats the demons Shumbha and Nishumbha—symbols of ego and attachment. And she declares:
“I alone exist in the world.”
Not as an individual…but as the One consciousness and energy present in all. When we truly understand this, how could we harm another being? How could we harm the Earth?
A Shift in How We Live
Maharaji offered this teaching:
“See all women as mothers. Serve them as your mother.
When you see the entire world as the mother, the ego falls away.”
What would it mean to live this way? To see the Earth not as something to use, but as someone to honor? To move through life not as a consumer, but as a participant in something sacred?
A Quiet but Powerful Invitation
Astronomer Carl Sagan called our planet a “tiny blue dot.” And yet, from the yogic perspective, it is something infinitely more intimate. It is the body of the Divine Mother. And if that is true, then the way we think, speak, and act begins to matter in a new way. Not from fear. Not from guilt. But from love. From remembrance. From reverence.
The Divine Mother is not somewhere else. She is here, now. In the ground beneath your feet. In the breath moving through your body. In every being you encounter. The question is not whether she is present. The question is:
Can we learn to see her?
And once we do…how will we choose to live?
Practicing This Together
If this reflection resonates with you, you don’t have to explore it alone. At Satsang Yoga Studio, our classes and gatherings are an invitation to reconnect with this deeper vision of yoga—not just as movement, but as a way of seeing and living. Through practice, meditation, chanting, and study, we begin to remember what is easy to forget: that we are not separate, that all life is sacred, and that the Divine is present in all.
xo
Sharada Devi
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