mother.. nothing more than that..

A very important quote from Apastambha Dharmasutram..

माता पुत्रत्वस्य भूयांसि कर्माण्यारभते तस्यां शुश्रूषा नित्या पतितायामपि

आपस्तंबधर्मसूत्रे

mātā putratvasya bhūyāṁsi karmāṇyārabhate tasyāṁ śuśrūṣā nityā patitāyāmapi

āpastaṁbadharmasūtra

The mother acts selflessly for the sake of her own son and does so many things for him .. therefore the mother should be served by the son every day... even if that mother is fallen..

Haradattamishra comments on this

The mother considers her child as a part of herself ever and for the sake of the son the mother has done so many things that only a mother can do. Like carrying him in her womb, cleaning his body and looking after his comforts when he is helpless , feeding him with her breast milk, and she prays and prostrates before god every day for the welfare of the son, she observes fasts for the son,.

Therefore when the mother is sick, helpless or fallen, physically or socially, the son should serve her.. every day.. by looking after even her personal things like applying oil over her body, giving her a bath.. and ensuring personally that all her comforts are looked after..

Here, this law should apply to the daughter too with equal force..

In law, usually for common causes covering men and women, the masculine gender is used

(पुत्रत्वस्य स्वार्थिकस्त्वः। यथा देहत्वमेनान्यदिति।  पुत्रस्य कृते माता भूयाम्सि 

दृष्टार्थानि गर्भधारणाशुचिनिर्हरणस्तन्यदानप्रदक्षिणनमस्कारोपवासादीनि 

कर्माणि करोति तस्मात्तस्यां पतितायामपि शुश्रूषा अभ्यङ्गस्नपनादिका। नित्या नित्यमेव कर्तव्या॥

putratvasya svārthikastvaḥ| yathā dehatvamenānyaditi|  putrasya kṛte mātā bhūyāmsi 

dṛṣṭārthāni garbhadhāraṇāśucinirharaṇastanyadānapradakṣiṇanamaskāropavāsādīni 

karmāṇi karoti tasmāttasyāṁ patitāyāmapi śuśrūṣā abhyaṅgasnapanādikā| nityā nityameva kartavyā||)