Child is the symbol of a mother. That love for the child, that tenderness of the heart which characterises a mother, is so significant that it is often associated with the change of red-blood into milk.

"Metta"usually rendered by that cross-bred term, loving kindness is the universal love for which the mother’s love for her child is the unit. The Buddha speaking about metta says for instance, "Just as a mother would protect her only child even at the risk of her own life, so should one develop a boundless heart towards all beings"

A mother is not only born with the child she brings forth, she also grows up with the child she brings up. Her growth is in terms of the other three Divine Abidings or Brahma Vihara - compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. In bringing up her child, sometimes a mother has to be stern and tactful . Her soft tender love matures into a compassionate sternness, when the child is passing through the unruly boyhood, and reckless adolescence. But that hardness of her heart melts at the correct moment like butter. The child has now reached manhood. He can stand on his own feet with enviable self-confidence. The mother also grows up with sympathetic joy enjoying the fruits of her labours. Her complacence, like curd, is serene and has nothing meddlesome about it.

The bringing forth and the bringing-up is over. The time comes now to let go of the attachments and involvements regarding the child. But for that separation too, the mother, now mature in her experience, is fully prepared with equanimity. Like a pot of ghee she is not easily upset.