Although she was not a great mother to Karna, I would still say Kunti was one of the best moms of Mahabharat, because she was widowed very young in her life and left in charge of five children. Even today it is difficult to bring up five kids single-handedly, so credit must be given where it's due. Also, Kunti always treated Madri's two kids as her own. In fact, she spoiled them than she did her own three so that they'd never feel neglected or unloved. As a mother to the Pandavas, Kunti was a great mother, but because of her abandonment of Karna not only in infancy but also in adulthood, we can't call her an ideal mother. Still, she is one of the best mothers in the epic.
But I voted for Devaki because her story has always touched my heart. Even if she was not able to raise any of her sons, she sacrificed all her happiness to keep them safe. When she and Vasudev found out that Krishna and Balaram were in Gokul, they kept the truth from Kans though often, they were threatened or tortured for information. I also love Yashoda, who raised Krishna for 12-14 years thinking him to be her own biological son. Even when she found out the truth from Akrur, she never stopped loving Krishna. I think both Devaki and Yashoda are two of the ideal mothers in Krishna Leela.
I think Karna's adopted mother should also be included, becase unlike Yashoda, who raised Krishna thinking him to be to her own son, Radha raised Karna knowing he was not her own. Still she loved him equal to her own children. In fact, if folk stories are to be believed, she loved him even more than her own children.
Subhadra is also one of the best mothers, because like Kunti, who raised Madri's sons without any distinction or favoritism, Subhadra took care of Draupadi's sons for 13 years while their fathers and mother were in exile. She treated them equal to her own Abhimanyu.
Edited by JanakiRaghunath - 11 years ago