Sumatī (Mother of Kalki)

Sumatī was the wife of the brāhmaṇa Vishṇuyaśa of Śambhala. Bhagavān Vishṇu chose her womb for his descent as the Kalki avatāra. Her name Sumatī means “she of a pure and auspicious mind”. The Kalki Purāṇa tells of her in Prathamāṃśa, Chapters 1 and 2.

Chosen by Bhagavān Vishṇu

Bhagavān Vishṇu spoke to the devas at Goloka and promised to descend as Kalki. He named the mother he had chosen. He said, “Sumatī, the wife of the brāhmaṇa Vishṇuyaśa in Śambhala, will bear me as her son.”

Conception and pregnancy

Bhagavān Vishṇu descended and entered Śambhala. Sumatī conceived at a most auspicious moment, when all the planets, nakshatras (lunar stars) and rāśis (signs of the zodiac) stood in perfect order. Auspicious marks appeared on her body. In the Vedic tradition such signs show that an extraordinary being has entered the womb. Her pregnancy was a time of joy for all creation. Everything began to sense that the long-awaited divine mission was drawing near.

The birth

Sumatī gave birth in the month of Mādhava (Vaiśākha), on Śukla Dvādaśī (the twelfth day of the bright fortnight). Great signs came with the birth.

  • Rivers, oceans and mountains were filled with joy.
  • All moving and unmoving beings celebrated.
  • The ṛshis and devas rejoiced, the pitṛs (ancestors) danced, the gandharvas played music and the apsarās danced.
  • Bhūdevī, the earth devī, poured amṛta (the nectar of immortality) in the form of milk.
  • The Saptamātṛkās (the seven mothers) spoke words of blessing.
  • Ambikā cut the umbilical cord.
  • Sāvitrī bathed the infant in the water of the Gaṅgā.

At first the child appeared in the four-armed divine form of Bhagavān Vishṇu. Vāyu then brought a message from Brahmā, asking for the two-armed human form. Bhagavān Vishṇu drew back two arms. Under the spell of Vishṇumāyā, Sumatī saw only a radiant human baby with two arms. Her joy had no limit.

Full of thanks and love, Sumatī called the brāhmaṇas and gave a hundred cows in gift, a most sacred act of charity, to celebrate the birth of her son.

Raising Kalki

The Kalki Purāṇa says that Kalki grew like the moon in the bright fortnight, fed by his mother’s love. Sumatī brought him up with warmth and devotion. When Vishṇuyaśa proposed the upanayana (the sacred thread ceremony), the ceremony took place with the full joy and help of the mother.

Sources

  • Kalki Purāṇa, Prathamāṃśa, Chapter 1
  • Kalki Purāṇa, Prathamāṃśa, Chapter 2