॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Tuesday, 10 January 2023 VI.18 - The failed attempt of Diti to avenge Indra who made Maha Vishnu kill her two sons Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu and how Indra secured the allegiance of her 49 sons who became Maruts.
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Taken from Bhaktivedanta's commentary:
This chapter gives the history of Diti, the wife of Kaśyapa, and how she followed a vow to have a son who would kill Indra. It also describes how Indra attempted to foil her plan by cutting to pieces the son within her womb.
Sage Shuka quickly touches several dynasties and their offspring in his rambling narration. All of them can be summed up by stating that Bhagavan willed and arranged for the propagation of, creation of, divine, human and demonic beings
Bhrigu, the mind-born son of Brahma, took his birth again from Carshani, the wife of Varuna, and the great sage Vālmiki appeared from Varuna’s semen. Agastya and Vasishtha were two sons of Varuna and Mitra born as the foetuses of Urvashi incubated in a pot. Vamana was born as an incarnation of Maha Vishnu to address the issue of Bali, grandson of Prahlada who threatened Indra. These stories come later in the book.
Diti’s sons known as the Maruts became gods. Diti romanced her husband Sage Kashyapa who was enticed by her loving care. She then extracted a promise from him that she would get a son to kill Indra. Kashyapa regretted his giving her such a boon in a moment of weakness.
Kashyapa advised Diti to follow the Vaiṣṇava ritualistic ceremonies to purify herself and worship Maha Vishnu. Indra came to know her plan. While she was pregnant, he came as a servant and stayed and watched her closely. Once, when she fell from her ritualistic purity, he managed to enter her womb. He decimated the foetus into forty-nine fragments (7x7). When Diti delivered, she was astonished to see Indra and 49 other offspring. Luckily this story ended well as the 49 children became Maruts and associates of Indra. They were all, like Indra, devotees of Maha Vishnu in a fine brotherhood!
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
