Shrimdbhagavate Conto 3 Chaper 14.
The Pregnancy of Diti in the Evening
This is the story of how the two most powerful demons in the universe took birth ,and how even from a demoniac womb,the Lord’s greatest devotee was destined to appear .
After hearing about the creation of the universe,Vidura became inquisitive to know more about the dynasties of the sages.He asked the great sage Maitreya ,”O learned one ,I have heard that the sage Kashyapa ,who is the son of Marichi and the grandson of Lord Brahma ,married the thirteen daughters of Daksha .From them ,the entire population of the three worlds was generated. Please tell me what happened between Kashyapa and his wife Diti.”
Maitreya smiled and began the narration.Diti was one of the daughters of Daksha and wife of the great Prajapati Kashyapa Muni .She was the mother of the Maruts,but at one time she was burning with lust,one evening as the Sun was setting,she approached her husband Kashyapa ,who was sitting in his hermitage,absorbed in meditation after offering oblations to the sacred fire of the evening twilight.
Her mind was agitated by the desire for a child and by Cupid.Decorated with attractive clothes and restless eyes,Diti spoke to Kashyapa in sweet ,alluring words.She said ,O learned Brahmana ,Cupid is forcibly attacking me like an elephant attacking a banana tree.As the father of all creatures,you should satisfy my desire.My sisters who have children are happy,and also desire to have sons like them”,O lotus -eyed one ,please fulfill my wish.”
She continued,”A husband is the path to liberation for a wife .You are my husband who can give me good children .Who would refuse such a request.?”
Kashyapa Muni though fully aware of the consequences,was moved by her pitiable condition .He tried to pacify her and give her good counsel.He said,”O beautiful Diti ,your desire is certainly praise worthy .To beget children is one of the prime duties of a house holder. I shall certainly fulfill your desire . But you must wait for a short-time .”
He explained the reason.”O Chaste one ,this is a most inauspicious hour.This is the evening twilight ,the Sandhya time .This time belongs to Lord Shiva,the destroyer,who is surrounded by his ghostly followers,,bhutas,pretaas and pishachas. Lord Shiva ,known as Rudra ,travels at this time . At this dreadful hour,Brahma and others also cease their activities .This is the time when people should stop material activities ,take bath,and chant the holy names.More over ,your elder sister Aditi’s husband’s brother Lord Shiva ,will be offended if we perform such an act at this forbidden time .”
Therefore”,O Diti, control yourself for a few moments.If you conceive at this moment ,you will give birth to two sons who will be the tormentors of the three worlds. They will be disrespectful to the great souls and will cause disturbance everywhere.”
But Diti was completely over powered by lust.,like a shameless women ,she could not wait .She caught hold of Kashyapa’s deerskin garment like a street dog ,without shame . Seeing no other way ,and being under the influence of inevitable providence ,Kashyapa consented .He performed the act of creations with his wife,but only after offering obeisances to Lord Shiva in his mind ,seeking forgiveness for this untimely act .
After words,Kashyapa took a bath and sat for chanting the Gaytri mantra silently.Diti now ashamed of her act performed at an improper time ,came back to her senses with her head bent down,she approached her husband and spoke with great remorse.
” O Brahamana ,I have committed a great offence against the great Lord Shiva ,who is the best among the demigods . I have also offended you.O merciful sage ,please forgive me .I pray that the great and compassionate Lord Shiva may not punish my children -Lord Shiva satisfies the desires of all living beings,but his anger can destroy everything. Still ,I hope he will be merciful to me ,for I am only a women ,less intelligent and submissive to her husband.
Seeing this wife repentant and trembling with fear ,Kashyapa’s heart melted.He said ,”O Diti,because your mind was impure at the time of conception ,because you disobeyed my order,and because you did not wait for the auspicious time ,your womb will give birth to two most sinful and degraded sons .
As he said this ,the whole universe showed inauspicious omens .The earth trembled,terrible earthquakes shook the mountains,meteors fell from the sky and violent winds blew,scattering dust in all directions.The sun and moon were covered by eclipses without any astronomical cause ,jackals and owls made fierce,ominous sounds.Dogs howled with upraised mouths.Asses brayed loudly . Birds cried fearfully from their nests,Trees fell without any wind. clouds thundered without rain and roared harshly.
Diti became even more frightened. Kashyapa continued,”Your sons will be so powerful that they will conquer all the three worlds. They will deprive Indra and other demigods of their positions. They will be the enemies of Lord Vishnu and because of their atrocities the Lord Himself will have to descend to kill them .”
Hearing that her sons would become enemies of the Supreme Lord Diti became over whelmed with grief .Kashyapa to console her,added the most auspicius part of the prophecy.
” However,O Diti,do not lament by the mercy of the Lord ,one of your grandsons born from one of these sons will become a great devotee .His fame will be spotless.He will be fixed a devotional service,free from material attachment ,and his holy qualities will be chanted by saintly persons .The whole world will be purified by his character,The Lord will be so pleased with him that even enemies will become his friends .
When Diti heard that a great Vaishnava a pure devotee of Lord Vishnu ,would take birth in her family ,she became extremely happy . She said ,”O sage,I pray that my sons may be killed directly by the Lord Himself ,and not by anyone else.A person killed by the Lord attains liberation immediately.
Kashyapa blessed her,saying,” Because you are not repentant,because you desire that your sons be killed by the Lord,and because you have developed respect for Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu ,your desire will be fulfilled.”
Thus Diti became pregnant with twin sons who would be known as Hirnayaksha and Hirnayashipu . She kept the powerful embryos in her womb for one hundred years,and due to their effulgence,the Sun lost ite brightness in all directions. The demigods ,being disturbed by this darkness ,approached Lord Brahma to know the cause .
This chapter teaches us two profound lessons .First ,it shows the importance of time place and consciousness during conception and all important activities . An impure consciousness creates an impure result. Second it shows that even a great sin can be rectified by sincere repentance and by attachment to the Lord.From Diti’s condemned womb came Prahalad Maharaj ,the greatest of all devotees proving that devotion to Lord Vishnu can purify any family and any circumstances.
By-Madan Lal Sharma
Website-thegodweknow.com