Diti

In Hinduism, Diti (Sanskrit: दिति) is the Mother of Asuras and supporter of Asuric attributes. She is mother of both the Marutas and the Asuras (Daityas) with the sage Kashyapa.

Diti
The mother of asuras
Personal information
Parents	Daksha Panchajani
Siblings	Aditi, Danāyus, Danu, Kadrū, Kālikā, Krodhā, Muni, Vinata, Viśvā, etc.
Consort	Kashyapa
Children	Daityas including Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, Holika Marutas

She is said to have wanted to have a son who would be more powerful than Indra. She is said to have killed her previous children because they tried to murder her. Diti used black magic to keep herself pregnant for one year.[1] Indra used a thunderbolt to splinter the fetus into many pieces, from which originated the Marutas.

Diti is one among a group of sixty daughters of Dakṣa and Panchajani. Her sisters included Aditi and Satī, among many more. She is one of the thirteen wives of the sage Kashyapa. Her two most famous sons were Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa, who were the gatekeepers of Lord Vishnu at Vaikunta & who are said to have failed to keep their dharma and were slain by Vishnu in subsequent rebirths until they went back as the gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya. Diti also had a daughter named Holikā.

She is usually depicted as being cruel to both her husband Kashyapa and her sister Aditi. She is obsessed with trying to bring the Asuras into power. She is a bitter enemy of Aditi's sons, the gods, and she was instrumental in gaining control and autonomy over them.

References

1. Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 6 Chapter 18 Verse 45 Archived 28 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine

Books/Article References

• Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 978-0-500-51088-9) by Anna Dhallapiccola
• TTD Publications.Go to this link to buy 'A Synopsis of Srimad Bhagavatam' for further details.