A revered shabad (sacred hymn) composed by the fifth Guru of the Sikh tradition, this mantra is traditionally sung daily by women during pregnancy as a transmission of spiritual intention and loving protection for their unborn child. Carrying the essence of the Divine Mother’s blessing, it is an invocation that the child may walk always in grace, truth, and love. It is a prayer not for worldly gifts, but for remembrance of the Divine in every moment.
pootaa maataa kee aasees
nimakh na bisaro
tum ko har har
sadhaa bhajahu jagadhees
Translation: Oh, child this is your mother’s blessing, that you may never forget the Lord.
Language: Gurmukhi
Source: composed by Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Siri Guru Granth Sahib
Further Info: link to the entire prayer
Chanting this mantra is a precious daily practice through pregnancy to connect with and bless the growing child. If you feel intimidated by learning the full Shabad, you can listen to this version (from album Maha Mata) and sing along with the “chorus” above. Let it be a balm and a remembering of the Divine Feminine that holds and heals. Perfect for:
- Morning meditations
- Prenatal chanting or birthing rituals
- Times of grief, transition, or tenderness
- Remembering the child within
Read on for the story of how this particular melody was received as a transmission during Amy’s pregnancy…
Divine Conception
Amy discovered she was pregnant a few weeks after we decided to dedicate our album – Maha Mata – to the birthing process. Powerful stuff, mantra!
We had literally been having conversations about whether to call the album “Garbha” (Sanskrit for “womb”) the week it transpired she had conceived. Given that her husband had been undergoing chemo for cancer and there were uncertainties about fertility, it was especially joyous news.
In the end we decided “Garbha” sounded too much like “garbage”! But the theme remained.
The Melody’s Birth
In the late summer of 2016, I (Vaishnavi) was living in a beautiful old farmhouse. I remember the scene perfectly: I was in the kitchen, cooking at the Aga, when a message pinged on my phone. It was a voice-note from Amy, who was living in Sicily at the time.
She was in the process of “catching” melodies and would often send them over for feedback. My role, unofficially, was quality control—and I was ruthless when something didn’t feel quite “there.”
But this one? This one was different.
As soon as I pressed play, I felt the hairs on my arms rise. I was completely bewitched by the melody — and still am today. If I had to pick a favourite track off Maha Mata, it would be Pootaa Mata. It’s certainly the track I’ve listened to most in the years since.
I remember thinking: “This is a hit.” And then listening to it again. And again.
It had that rare kind of beauty that lands in your heart like a memory you didn’t know you had.
It was through daily chanting of the Pootaa Mata mantra that this melody emerged—sung in quiet devotion to the child she was carrying.
A Song from the Womb
Throughout the crowdfunding process, Amy had terrible morning sickness. And you would never know it from the celestial sounds she comes out with on the album, but it was even worse by the time we got into the studio.
In 15+ years of knowing her, I had never seen her so grey and grim-faced! But in her own words, “I cannot believe how ill I felt with morning sickness at this time, and the power of mantra to help me temporarily forget! ”
Despite her discomfort, what came through in her voice was pure soul. Tender intimacy.
The quiet power of a mother singing to her unborn child.
This track is more than music.
It is her son’s blessing, carried by the breath of his mother.
It is mantra turned to melody.
Love turned to sound.
Listen to Pootaa Mata by Earth:
