Best Father According To Hindu Mythology

Just like the mother, a father too has a great role in the upbringing of a child. The mother is considered soft and the parent who showers the child with love. On the other hand, the father is supposed to be strong and the person who stands by the child through thick and thin. The father is a super hero for most children and a role model whose footsteps the kids follow.

The Hindu mythology has a lot of great fathers who have raised strong and charismatic sons and daughters. There are many stories that demonstrate the virtue and the nobility of their character. These stories talk about how the sons and daughters of the mythical times honoured their fathers above everyone and everything else.

Today, on the occasion of Father's day, we bring to you some of the stories where the parents or specifically the fathers were held in great esteem. Some killed people just because their father asked them to, while others gave up everything they had to keep their father's word. Read on to know more.

Dasharatha And Rama

Dasharatha was the King of Ayodhya and Rama was his first born son. Rama was supposed to succeed to the throne after Dasharatha. But it so happened that Dasharatha's second wife, Kaikeyi, wanted Rama to be exiled; she wanted her son Bharata to become the King. She used the boons that Dasharatha had given to her earlier. Dasharatha was helpless. Rama accepted his mother's wishes without any ill feelings and retired to the forest. He did this only to honour the word of his father and the boon that he had given to his step-mother Kaikeyi.

Shantanu And Bhishma

Shantanu was the King of Hastinapura. He had a son named Devavrata born from Ganga. Later, Shantanu fell in love with Satyavati who was the daughter of the chief of fishermen. Satyavati refused to marry Shantanu because he already had a son who would become the King after him. If she married Shantanu, her children would not receive the kingdom and would remain under Devavrata. Devavrata came to know about this and he renounced his claim to the throne. He also pledged that he would never marry. This way, he would not have successors who would claim the right to the throne. Due to this terrible vow, Devavrata came to be known as Bhishma. Bhisma did all of this just for the happiness of his father.

Jamadagni And Parashurama

Parashurama was the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was born to the great sage Jamadagni and his wife, Renuka. Once, Renuka went to the river to fetch some water. There, she witnessed a prince engaged in play with his concubines. For a second, Renuka's mind wandered and became prey to lust. Her husband, Jamadagni, realized what had happened by his powers. In anger, he asked his sons to kill their mother. When none of his elder sons obeyed, he asked Parashurama to do the deed. Parashurama immediately chopped of his mother's head. Happy with Parashurama's obedience, Jamadagni asked him to ask for a boon. Parashurama asked his father to revive his mother and to forgive her for her sin.