We can claim without any regret that our dads are the best. If you're a modern kid, you've probably had a father who actually invested his love and care in you. The role they play in our lives are worthy of more than just a Father's Day once a year. But we never pause to think that this role is, in fact, quite different from the ones set by fathers from Hindu mythology.

And not just Hindu mythology. A warped sense of fatherhood seems to have been the norm with even the ancient Greeks. After all, Kronos ate all his kids, till his last-born Zeus slayed him. Anybody familiar with the Old Testament of the Bible (which is something the Jews, Christians and Muslims follow different versions of) would know just how much of a failure Eli, Samuel and David were as fathers.

Bad dads are a part and parcel of mythologies from across the globe, and no matter how inspiring the mythical kings from the vast Hindu mythology might seem to you, you just can't deny that they didn't match up to the ideals of fatherhood. Don't believe us? Here are a few dads from Hindu mythology who just weren't the best, or even there, when their kids needed them the most.

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Now this story has two children abandoned by their fathers. Vishwamitra left the heavenly nymph, Menaka, and their newborn daughter--because Menaka had dared to disturb his meditation. Menaka couldn't take the child back to heaven, so she left her in the forest, where the sage Kanva found her and adopted her. That's how Shakuntala, the heroine of Kalidas's famous Abhigyanshakuntalam was born.

She probably didn't know that history would repeat itself when she would fall in love with King Dushyant. The couple fell in love and married through the Gandharva ritual while Kanva was away, and their time together left Shakuntala pregnant. All she had as a proof of the wedding was a signet ring, which she was supposed to present to the king's court when she reached his capital. After Dushyant left to resume work in his kingdom, Shakuntala was cursed by sage Durvasa that her beloved would forget her.

The rejection of Shakuntala by King Dushyant. Picture for representation purpose. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Raj Verma The rejection of Shakuntala by King Dushyant. Picture for representation purpose. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Raj Verma

When Shakuntala travelled to Dushyant's court (and lost the ring on the way), the king rejected her. Kalidas' plot might have been poetically penned, but what sort of a man forgets a woman he married simply because of a curse? Shakuntala returned to her hermitage, and gave birth to a son--Bharat. Dushyant went on to be a king with a huge dominion, and stumbled across the young Bharat only years later.

Yes, he did finally accept Shakuntala and Bharat, but the whole story points to the fact that this mythological king didn't give two hoots about the woman he had married in secret, or the son from that union. The king whose name inspired the name of India grew up without knowing the love or recognition of his father. Dushyant might have been a great conqueror, but he was clearly not a great dad.

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2. Shiva and Ganesha

We're all aware of the wrath, the 'destroyer of the world', Shiva is capable of. But beheading his own son? That was a little extreme. The legend described in the Shiva Purana says that Parvati created Ganesha when Shiva left for an expedition, leaving her alone and bored. On being persuaded by Lakshmi, Parvati created a statue of clay and blew life into it, and created a son who was called Ganesha.

Parvati ordered her son to guard the entrance while she was bathing, which is when Shiva--oblivious to Ganesha's relation with him--returned. The obedient son that Ganesha was, he denied Shiva entry inside his mother's bath, despite all the hermits and Devas trying to convince him. A stubborn Ganesha refused to listen to anyone but his mother, enraging his father.

Shiva cut off the head of Parvati's favourite son, Ganesh, out of rage. Picture for representation purpose. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Ajinkya Prabhu Shiva cut off the head of Parvati's favourite son, Ganesh, out of rage. Picture for representation purpose. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Ajinkya Prabhu

Soon, the father and son were involved in a battle-like situation, which ended with Shiva beheading his son. The grieving Parvati begged her husband to reinstate life into her son's headless body. Giving in to his wife's prayers, Shiva placed an elephant's head on the body, and it came to life--thus, the Elephant God was reborn.

While it's okay to have ideological differences with your children--and disagreements are a part of life--such violent acts should be condemned. There were enough ways of penalising Ganesha for his behaviour; going to the extent of killing him out of rage was extreme.

3. Arjun and Iravan

The son of Pandava prince, Arjun, and Naga princess, Ulupi, turned out to be the ultimate sacrificial son. Devdutt Pattanaik reveals in Jaya that Iravan played a vital role in the battle of Mahabharata. Arjun met and fell in love with the Naga princess when he was living in the forest for a year as punishment for entering Draupadi's chamber while she was with Yudhishtira.

He married her, and the two were blessed with a boy, Iravan--the son Arjun abandoned shortly after, only to turn him into his scapegoat later. Iravan lived in Nagalok with his just mother, until the day he decided to visit Arjun. Arjun was fighting the battle that the Kauravas were winning, and Iravan joined in on his father's command--because that's what one should do, after a son you abandoned shows up out of respect.

Arjun left Princess Ulupi and his son, Iravan, till he needed them during battles. Picture for representation purpose. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Lord Krishna - The essence of universe Arjun left Princess Ulupi and his son, Iravan, till he needed them during battles. Picture for representation purpose. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Lord Krishna - The essence of universe

Soon after Iravan's entry into the battle, it was declared that the Pandavas could only win the battle if a prince was sacrificed to Goddess Kali. As expected, Iravan agreed to offer himself to the deity, because that's what an obedient son was expected to do. Iravan chopped his head off for the father who abandoned him, without looking back with regret. Arjun might be the greatest archer in the world, but clearly, he wasn't the greatest father.

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4. Bhima and Ghatothkach

Another scapegoat from the Mahabharata, Ghatothkacha was the son of the strongest Pandava, Bhima, and his Rakshasni wife Hidimbi. Like Arjun, Bhim abadoned his son and wife in the forest only to think of his half-human half-rakshas son when the need arose.

Devdutt Pattanaik explains how Ghatothkacha embodied the strengths of a rakshas, and the intellect of a human. This made him one of the strongest warriors in the battle of Mahabharata. Abandoned by his father on Kunti's (his grandmother) wishes, Ghatothkach was remembered first when the Pandavas were too fatigued to walk. So, he carried them along with his rakshas-pals on his shoulders.

Bhima's son, Ghatothkach, helped the Pandavas time and again. Picture for representation purpose. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Sri Krishna Leelai Bhima's son, Ghatothkach, helped the Pandavas time and again. Picture for representation purpose. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Sri Krishna Leelai

The next time Ghatothkach was called to duty by Bhima was during the battle, where he killed Kauravas like ants under an elephant's foot. To stop the terror he had unleashed on the Kauravas, Karna killed him using the Vaijanthi Shastra granted to him by Indra. Such was the power of this human-rakshas, who died serving his father, and is still an unsung hero.

5. Shantanu and Bhishma

To be fair to Shantanu, one has to admit that he did try to stop Bhishma's mother, Ganga, from drowning him at birth. He pined for both Ganga and his eighth son. When the father and son were reunited on the banks of the Ganga years later, Shantanu announced Devavrata as the crown prince.

But here, the good bit of this story from the Mahabharata ends. Four years after reuniting with Devavrata, Shantanu went for a little stroll in the forest, where he fell for the sweet-scented Satyavati. Of course he couldn't control himself, and Satyavati was not foolish enough to be seduced by a king without benefits. Her father, the chief fisherman of the village, asked Shantanu to vow that any child born of Satyavati and his union could claim the throne of Hastinapur.

Bhishma took a vow of lifelong celibacy to make way for his father's new queen. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/WordPress.com Bhishma took a vow of lifelong celibacy to make way for his father's new queen. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/WordPress.com

Devavrata succumbed to his father's lust and took a bhishma pratigya of renouncing the throne, and staying a lifelong celibate so that none of his lineage could ever challenge Satyavati's children. He was named Bhishma thanks to this vow, and he didn't stray from his word till he died at Kurukshetra. Bhishma has always been an ideal for us, but don't you think Shantanu's lust was the root of everything the young prince had to go through--even the war at Kurukshetra?

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6. Hiranyakashipu and Prahlad

Both the Bhagavat Puran and Vishnu Puran describe the terrifying story of this father-son duo. Most Hindu kids have grown up hearing the stories of the villain that Hiranyakashipu was, thanks to the nearly immortal boon he got from Brahma. His son Prahlad, born away from his father's evil influence under the tutelage of sage Narada, was a bhakt of Vishnu--whom Hiranyakashipu hated.

Obviously, this father was very disappointed with his son for choosing a god he didn't love one bit. We're sure your father might have been disappointed with your choices--of friends, careers, or partners--and learnt to deal with them in time. That's what parents do when they realise their child is an individual, and has a right to his/her own choices. But that's a good father we're talking about, not Hiranyakashipu.

Prahlad was constantly attacked by his father, till the Narasimha killed him. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/WordPress.com Prahlad was constantly attacked by his father, till the Narasimha killed him. Picture courtesy: Pinterest/WordPress.com

He tried to get his son killed on numerous occasions. At one point, he has his sister, Holika, sit with Prahlad on a burning pyre. This led to Holika dahan, but Prahlad the Devout was unscathed. Finally, Hiranyakashipu directly challenged Prahlad's beliefs, and Vishnu himself appeared in his Narasimha avatar to kill the demon king.

7. Uttaanpaad and Dhruva

Another character mentioned in Bhagavat Puran and Vishnu Puran, Dhruva craved the love of his father--but did not receive it. He was born to King Uttaanpaad and his first wive, the gentle queen Suniti. His favourite wive was, however, Suruchi, who also had a son and competitor for the throne, Uttam.

Suruchi always managed to turn Uttaanpaad against Dhruva. On one occasion, Dhruva was sitting on his father's lap when Suruchi forcefully separated them. When Druva lay claim to his father's affection, Suruchi told him to go and ask god for it. So Dhruva did. He performed severe austerities and prayed to Vishnu, who finally granted him his presence, love and Dhruvapad (which means that he would become a celestial body after death, and be untouched by mahapralay or apocalypse).

Dhruva never received his father's affection. Picture courtesy: rupa-anuga.com Dhruva never received his father's affection. Picture courtesy: rupa-anuga.com

Dhruva went back to his kingdom and ascended the throne at the age of six. He was a good ruler, no thanks to his dad, and became the Dhruva star after his death. If only Uttaanpaad had been a fair and loving father, Dhruva wouldn't have had to compete with his brother for his affection. Vishnu was clearly a better father-figure in this story than this king.

8. Ram and Luv-Kush

There are as many versions of how Ram came to know about his sons as there are versions of the Ramayan in this subcontinent. According to the Valmiki Ramayan, Sita lived in Valmiki's ashram after her banishment from Ayodhya under the suspicion of having committed adultery. The story states that Sita had twins, Luv and Kush, who were born and brought up in Valmiki's ashram, and trained by the sage himself.

They stopped the horse from Ram's Ashwamedha yagya, and went on to battle with (and defeat) Shatrughan, Bharat and Laxman. Finally, Ram encountered these twin boys in battle, and invited them to the yagya in Ayodhya after witnessing their prowess. It was then that he was told that these young warriors were his sons.

Sita brought up her twin sons, Luv and Kush, without their father, Ram. Picture for representation purpose. Picture courtesy:Instagram/thomaswilliam2595 Sita brought up her twin sons, Luv and Kush, without their father, Ram. Picture for representation purpose. Picture courtesy:Instagram/thomaswilliam2595

Other versions say that Luv and Kush travelled to Ayodhya with Valmiki, and sang the sage's Ramayan to the citizens as well as the king. The citizens commented on their resemblance with Ram, and Valmiki finally revealed that they were the king's true-born sons. No matter which narrative you choose to believe, it's clear that Ram's love for laws exceeded his love for his unborn children, especially when he banished Sita during her pregnancy.

Some might choose to believe that this proved Ram was an ideal ruler, but don't you think he failed as a father by not just missing out on the twins' birth, but also by not keeping in touch with his wife and kids while they lived a life of penance in the jungle?

Our mythical kings and princes were quite the inspiration, but only as rulers. Their lives stand testimony to the fact that they weren't the best dads; most of them were absent during their kids' childhood, some didn't even recognise the child's mother until much later. These are clearly not the examples our great fathers looked up to, and we couldn't be more glad for it.