Bo Pathak

Giving coolness like a bo-leaf..
shining like the pinnacle of a stupa..
in the samsaric ocean where I lost my way,
if there was a lighthouse for me,
that was you, our mother..

Bearing a lost jewel-orb,
a roof upon your shoulders,
you who never sought so much as the touch of a boon-flower,
you are, to me, mother..
a full disc of the moon

You who dawned an eternal meaning,
a lovely great pirith-chant,
overflowing all three states of mind with serene calm,
you are, to me, mother..
a spell of the nectar of the deathless

May this be a tribute to all mothers!

A reverent, image-rich tribute to a mother, cast almost as a sacred refuge. She gives coolness like a bo-leaf (the sacred fig), shines like the pinnacle of a stupa, and, in the samsaric ocean where I lost my way, she was a lighthouse for me. From the first lines the mother is holy ground and guiding light at once.

The middle honours her selfless sacrifice. Bearing a lost jewel-orb, a roof upon her shoulders, she never sought so much as the touch of a boon-flower, never asked anything for herself, and to the child she is a full disc of the moon, complete and luminous.

The close piles up sacred metaphors. She dawned an eternal meaning, she is a lovely great pirith-chant, a protective Buddhist recitation, overflowing all three states of mind with serene calm, and a spell of the nectar of the deathless (amrita). The song ends dedicated, may this be a tribute to all mothers. Sung by Harshana Disanayake, it is a devout, luminous tribute that treats a mother as a lighthouse, a moon, and a sacred chant, the holiest refuge a child could have.