#Diti
A daughter of Daksa Prajapati. She was married to Kasyapa, grandson of Brahma and son of Marici. She had many sisters, chief among whom were Aditi, Kala, Danayus, Danu, Simhika, Krodha, Prtha, Visva, Vinata, Kapila, Muni and Kadru.
Kasyapa’s sons by Aditi became Devas (Adityas) and his sons by Diti became Asuras (Daityas).
(Maha-bharata Adi Parva, Chapter 65) .
2) Indra cut Diti’s embryo to pieces. Devas and Asuras agreed to churn the ocean of milk as a joint endeavour. But when Amrta rose up to the surface, they began to quarrel over it. In the battle between Devas and Asuras for the possession of Amrta, Diti’s sons were killed.
In her inconsolable grief at the death of her sons, Did prayed to her husband Kasyapa that she should be blessed with a brave and heroic son who would be capable of killing Indra. The sage granted her the boon and told her that by worshipping the lord with a pure mind and body for a hundred years, she would bear a son who would be mighty enough to kill Indra. In due course Did became pregnant and following her husband’s advice, she fervently worshipped the Lord and remained pure in mind and body. When Indra came to know that the child in Diti’s womb was to be his slayer, he approached her under the disguise of an attendant, offering to serve her. He waited for an opportunity to get access to her and before the expiry of a hundred years he got a chance.
One day, Diti went to bed without washing her feet and fell asleep. Indra took his Vajra and gaining access to her womb cut the embryo within it into seven pieces. The child in the womb began to cry loudly. Indra asked it “MA RUDA” (Do not cry). Then he proceeded to cut each of the seven pieces again into seven and finally there were fortynine pieces in all. They subsequently became Devas known as #Maruts. They got the name Maruts because Indra told them “Ma Ruda.” All the fortynine Maruts later on became the helpers of Indra.
(Visnu Purana, Part 1, Chapter 21) .
3) Diti’s sons.
Asuras were Diti’s sons. Chief among them were Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa. They had a sister named Simhika. Hiranyakasipu had four sons- Anuhlada, Hlada, Prahlada and Samhlada who were famous for their glory and might.
Surapadma, Simhavaktra, Tarakasura, Gomukha and Ajamukha were also Diti’s sons. Of them, Surapadma had four sons by his wife Mayasuta, who were Bhanukopa, Agnimukha, Vajrabahu and Hiranya. An asura named Mahasira was born to Sirmhavaktra by his wife, Vibhuti. The Asuras, Sambara, Sakuni, Dvimurdha, Sanku, Asva, were the sons of Hiranyaksa.
Simhika married Vipracitti; Rahu and Ketu were born to them. Samhlada, the son of Hiranyakasipu had three sons, Ayusman, Sibi and Baskala. Virocana was the son of Prahlada; Mahabali was the son of Virocana; Bana was born to Mahabali and to Bana were born four crores of Nivatakavacas. All these were the prominent children of Did. Besides them, Diti had crores of other Asuras born to her.
(Visnu Purana, Part 1, Chapter 3; Harivamsa, Chapter 3).
4) Birth of Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaka.
Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa were the rebirth of Jaya and Vijaya, the two gate-keepers of Mahavisnu. (See under Jaya) . There is a story as to how they were born as the sons of Did.
Diti was one of the wives of Kasyapa. She had no children while the other wives of Kasyapa had children. Jealousy and grief rankled in her mind. One day she approached Kasyapa and pressed him to beget a son for her. It was the time of dusk when Kasyapa was deeply absorbed in his day’s devotional worship. She disturbed his “Dhyana” (devotional concentration) by her importunity, but he was reluctant to yield to her wishes at such an inauspicious time. It is at dusk that Siva goes about with his attendant hordes of spirits, wearing the crown of his matted hair covered with the dust carried by the whirlwinds from cremation grounds and keeping his three eyes wide open. Kasyapa asked Did to wait for a few minutes, until that terrible time was over, but she did not heed his advice. In the fury of her passion she sprang towards him and stripped him of his clothes and in the end Kasyapa yielded to her carnal desires. But after the act he in a repentant mood told her that she had defiled her mind by having sexual union in that unholy hour and by doing so had sinned against the gods. As a result, twin sons will be born in her womb. They would persecute and torture the three worlds. Visnu would incarnate to destroy them. But since she also felt a little regret in her act, a grandson of her (Prahlada) will become a devotee of Visnu.
Twin sons, Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa were born to Diti. For the rest of the story, see under Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa. (Bhdgavata, Prathama Skanda)
5) Diti flourishes in the assembly of Brahma.
(Maha-bharata Sabha Parva, Chapter 11, verse 39.)
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