Story of Diti

General.

A daughter of Dakṣa Prajāpati. She was married to Kaśyapa, grandson of Brahmā and son of Marīci. She had many sisters, chief among whom were Aditi, Kālā, Danāyus, Danu, Siṃhikā, Krodhā, Pṛthā, Viśvā, Vinatā, Kapilā, Muni and Kadrū. Kaśyapa’s sons by Aditi became Devas (Āditeyas) and his sons by Diti became Asuras (Daityas). (Mahābhārata Ādi Parva, Chapter 65).

Indra cut Diti’s embryo to pieces.

Devas and Asuras agreed to churn the ocean of milk as a joint endeavour. But when Amṛta rose up to the surface, they began to quarrel over it. In the battle between Devas and Asuras for the possession of Amṛta, Diti’s sons were killed.

In her inconsolable grief at the death of her sons, Diti prayed to her husband Kaśyapa 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 Diti 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 "MĀ 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 "Mā Ruda." All the fortynine Maruts later on became the helpers of Indra. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Part 1, Chapter 21).

Diti’s sons.

Asuras were Diti’s sons. Chief among them were Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa. They had a sister named Siṃhikā. Hiraṇyakaśipu had four sons—Anuhlāda, Hlāda, Prahlāda and Saṃhlāda who were famous for their glory and might. Śūrapadma, Siṃhavaktra, Tārakāsura, Gomukha and Ajāmukha were also Diti’s sons. Of them, Śūrapadma had four sons by his wife Mayasutā, who were Bhānukopa, Agnimukha, Vajrabāhu and Hiraṇya. An asura named Mahāśūra was born to Siṃhavaktra by his wife, Vibhūti. The Asuras, Śambara, Śakuni, Dvimūrdhā, Śaṅku, Aśva, were the sons of Hiraṇyākṣa. Siṃhikā married Vipracitti; Rāhu and Ketu were born to them. Saṃhlāda, the son of Hiraṇyakaśipu had three sons, Āyuṣmān, Śibi and Bāṣkala. Virocana was the son of Prahlāda; Mahābali was the son of Virocana; Bāṇa was born to Mahābali and to Bāṇa were born four crores of Nivātakavacas. All these were the prominent children of Diti. Besides them, Diti had crores of other Asuras born to her. (Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Part 1, Chapter 3; Harivaṃśa, Chapter 3).

Birth of Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa.

Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa were the rebirth of Jaya and Vijaya, the two gate-keepers of Mahāviṣṇu. (See under Jaya). There is a story as to how they were born as the sons of Diti.

Diti was one of the wives of Kaśyapa. She had no children while the other wives of Kaśyapa had children. Jealousy and grief rankled in her mind. One day she approached Kaśyapa and pressed him to beget a son for her. It was the time of dusk when Kaśyapa was deeply absorbed in his day’s devotional worship. She disturbed his "Dhyāna" (devotional concentration) by her importunity, but he was reluctant to yield to her wishes at such an inauspicious time. It is at dusk that Śiva 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. Kaśyapa asked Diti 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 Kaśyapa 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. Mahāviṣṇu would incarnate to destroy them. But since she also felt a little regret in her act, a grandson of her (Prahlāda) will become a devotee of Viṣṇu. Twin sons, Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa were born to Diti. For the rest of the story, see under Hiraṇyakaśpu and Hiraṇyākṣa. (Bhāgavata, Prathama Skandha).

5) Diti flourishes in the assembly of Brahmā. (Mahābhārata Sabhā Parva, Chapter 11, verse 39.)