# Mataji

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mataji
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mataji.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mataji
> Source revision: 1329926784
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Hindi term}}
{{italic title}}
{{One source|date=December 2025}}

'''''Mataji''''' ([Hindi](/source/Hindi) माताजी ''mātājī'')<ref>{{cite web |title=Trimandir - Matajis or Indian Goddesses {{!}} Trimandir - Hindu Goddesses {{!}} Trimandir - Goddess Worship {{!}} trimandir.org |url=https://www.trimandir.org/main-temple/goddesses/ |website=trimandir.org |access-date=28 December 2025}}</ref> is a Hindi term meaning 'mother of all'.

==Etymology==
"Mātā" (माता) is the Hindi word for "mother", from [Sanskrit](/source/Sanskrit) ''mātṛ'' (मातृ), and the "-jī" (जी) suffix is an honorific suffix used to indicate respect.

==Use==
"Mataji" is a term used to respectfully address a (Mother or female god) in Bharatiya (Indian) culture, particularly if she is unknown to the speaker. Another term that is sometimes used is the [anglicized](/source/anglicized) "auntie". The term is also used for some female spiritual teachers and leaders.

"Mataji" is sometimes used by [ISKCON](/source/ISKCON) devotees as a title, for example, "Radha Mataji". In some communities, men are encouraged to call all devotee women "Mataji", because according to [Vedic culture](/source/Vedic_culture), all women who are not one's wife are to be treated as one's mother. Many women in ISKCON shun the term and prefer they be called [Prabhu](/source/Prabhu), which was a term [A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada](/source/A._C._Bhaktivedanta_Swami_Prabhupada), the founder of ISKCON, used to refer to all members, or [Devi](/source/Devi), meaning goddess in Sanskrit.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://forum.iskcondesiretree.info/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=1184 Prabhu ji and Mataji: a discussion on the use of these terms]

Category:Hindi words and phrases

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mataji](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mataji) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mataji?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.