Kaśyapa's Wives Aditi and Diti's Prayers for Progeny

This article presents a thematic survey of the prayers, vows, and maternal struggles of Aditi and Diti, the two wives of the sage Kaśyapa Muni. It organizes the teachings found in the Vaniquotes categories: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Aditi and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Diti.

Aditi and Diti are sisters, daughters of Dakṣa, and wives of the great progenitor Kaśyapa Muni. Yet, they are the matriarchs of two eternally warring factions: the demigods (Adityas) and the demons (Daityas). Their interactions with their husband and the Supreme Lord shape the history of the universe. Aditi, representing goodness (sattva-guṇa), approaches the Lord to restore her sons' lost kingdom. Diti, often influenced by passion (rajo-guṇa), initially seeks children out of lust and later seeks a son to kill Indra out of revenge. However, both mothers ultimately serve the supreme will of Providence.

Aditi: The Pious Mother (Prayers for Protection)

In the Eighth Canto, the demigods are defeated by Bali Mahārāja and driven out of their heavenly residence. Aditi is heartbroken to see her sons in such a condition. When her husband Kaśyapa returns from meditation, she pours out her heart and asks for a solution.

Lamentation for Lost Opulence

Aditi describes the pitiful state of her sons, who have been stripped of their positions by the demons. She appeals to Kaśyapa's power as a Prajāpati to intervene.

  • "The demons, our formidably powerful enemies, have taken away our opulence, our beauty, our fame and even our residence. Indeed, we have now been exiled, and we are drowning in an ocean of trouble."
  • "O best of sages, best of all those who grant auspicious benedictions, please consider our situation and bestow upon my sons the benedictions by which they can regain what they have lost."
  • "Therefore, most gentle lord, kindly favor your maidservant. We have now been deprived of our opulence and residence by our competitors, the demons. Kindly give us protection."
  • "O my lord, since you are a Prajāpati and are personally my instructor in the principles of religion, where is the possibility that all my desires will not be fulfilled?"

The Ideal Wife

Before asking for her own desire, Aditi assures Kaśyapa that she has maintained all religious duties in his absence, caring for guests and the household fires.

  • "O my respected brāhmaṇa husband, all is well with the brāhmaṇas, the cows, religion and the welfare of other people. O master of the house, the three principles of dharma, artha and kāma flourish in household life, which is consequently full of good fortune."
  • "O beloved husband, the fires, guests, servants and beggars are all being properly cared for by me. Because I always think of you, there is no possibility that any of the religious principles will be neglected."

The Payovrata Sacrifice

Kaśyapa instructs her to worship Lord Viṣṇu through the Payovrata vow. Aditi accepts this instruction with faith, asking for the specific regulative principles.

  • "Śrīmatī Aditi said: O brāhmaṇa, tell me the regulative principles by which I may worship the supreme master of the world so that the Lord will be pleased with me and fulfill all my desires."
  • "O best of the brāhmaṇas, kindly instruct me in the perfect method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead in devotional service, by which the Lord may very soon be pleased with me and save me, along with my sons, from this most dangerous condition."
  • "O lotus-eyed one, kindly bless me by fulfilling my desire. When someone in distress approaches a great person, his pleas should never go in vain."

Prayers to the Supreme Lord

Upon successfully completing the vow, the Supreme Lord appears before her. Aditi offers prayers glorifying Him as the maintainer and the only shelter for the suffering.

  • "The goddess Aditi said: O master and enjoyer of all sacrificial ceremonies, O infallible and most famous person, whose name, when chanted, spreads all good fortune."
  • "O original Supreme Personality of Godhead, supreme controller, shelter of all holy places, You are the shelter of all poor, suffering living entities, and You have appeared to diminish their suffering. Please be kind to us and spread our good fortune."
  • "Although You engage Your energy in matter, You are always situated in Your original form and never fall from that position, for Your knowledge is infallible and always suitable to any situation. You are never bewildered by illusion."
  • "My Lord, You are the all-pervading universal form, the fully independent creator, maintainer and destroyer of this universe."

Diti: The Passionate Mother (Desire and Revenge)

Diti's story is one of intense material desire that is slowly purified. In the Third Canto, she approaches Kaśyapa at twilight, overwhelmed by lust. In the Sixth Canto, she seeks a son to kill Indra, but through the rigorous vows imposed by Kaśyapa, she eventually achieves spiritual elevation.

The Untimely Request (Canto 3)

Diti confesses to Kaśyapa that she is being tormented by Cupid and begs for children, even though the time (sunset, the time of Lord Śiva's ghosts) is inauspicious.

  • "In that place the beautiful Diti expressed her desire: O learned one, Cupid is taking his arrows and distressing me forcibly, as a mad elephant troubles a banana tree."
  • "Therefore you should be kind towards me by showing me complete mercy. I desire to have sons, and I am much distressed by seeing the opulence of my co-wives. By performing this act, you will become happy."
  • "A woman is honored in the world by the benediction of her husband, and a husband like you will become famous by having children because you are meant for the expansion of living entities."
  • "In days long ago, our father, the most opulent Dakṣa, who was affectionate to his daughters, asked each of us separately whom we would prefer to select as our husband."

Fear of Lord Śiva

After conceiving, she becomes terrified that Lord Śiva and his ghosts might harm her embryo because of the inauspicious timing. She offers prayers to appease him.

  • "The beautiful Diti said: My dear brāhmaṇa, kindly see that my embryo is not killed by Lord Śiva, the lord of all living entities, because of the great offense I have committed against him."
  • "Let me offer my obeisances unto the angry Lord Śiva, who is simultaneously the very ferocious great demigod and the fulfiller of all material desires. He is all-auspicious and forgiving, but his anger can immediately move him to chastise."
  • "Let him be pleased with us, since he is my brother-in-law, the husband of my sister Satī. He is also the worshipable lord of all women. He is the personality of all opulences and can show mercy towards women, who are excused even by the uncivilized hunters."

Acceptance of Destiny

When told her sons (Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu) will be demons killed by the Lord, she finds solace that they will die by the divine hand rather than by the curse of brāhmaṇas.

  • "Diti said: It is very good that my sons will be magnanimously killed by the arms of the Personality of Godhead with His Sudarśana weapon. O my husband, may they never be killed by the wrath of the brāhmaṇa devotees."
  • "A person who is condemned by a brāhmaṇa or is always fearful to other living entities is not favored either by those who are already in hell or by those in the species in which he is born."

The Vow to Kill Indra (Canto 6)

Years later, grieving the death of her sons, Diti asks Kaśyapa for a son who can kill Indra. Kaśyapa agrees but imposes a strict vow of purity (Puṁsavana) for one year.

  • "Diti replied: O my husband, I have now lost my sons. If you want to give me a benediction, I ask you for an immortal son who can kill Indra. I pray for this because Indra, with the help of Viṣṇu, has killed my two sons Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu."
  • "Diti replied: My dear brāhmaṇa, I must accept your advice and follow the vow. Now let me understand what I have to do, what is forbidden and what will not break the vow. Please clearly state all this to me."
  • "O King Parīkṣit, Diti, the wife of Kaśyapa, agreed to undergo the purificatory process known as puṁsavana. 'Yes,' she said, 'I shall do everything according to your instructions.'"
  • "With great jubilation she became pregnant, having taken semen from Kaśyapa, and faithfully began discharging the vow."

The Birth of the Maruts

Indra discovers a flaw in her vow and cuts the embryo into 49 pieces. Instead of dying, they become the Maruts (demigods). Diti questions Indra and accepts the outcome.

  • "I prayed for only one son, but now I see that there are forty-nine. How has this happened? My dear son Indra, if you know, please tell me the truth. Do not try to speak lies."
  • "Thereafter, Diti said to Indra: My dear son, I adhered to this difficult vow just to get a son to kill you twelve Ādityas."

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

This article is a thematic compilation of the teachings presented in the Vaniquotes categories Category:Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by Aditi, Kasyapa Muni's wife - Vaniquotes and Category:Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by Diti, Kasyapa Muni's wife - Vaniquotes. We invite you to visit the links to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.

Retrieved from "https://vanipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kaśyapa%27s_Wives_Aditi_and_Diti%27s_Prayers_for_Progeny&oldid=637366"