Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 6 Chapter 18:48-63

Book 6: Chapter 18

Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 6: Chapter 18: Verses 48-63 An account of the birth of the Maruts (the forty-nine wind-gods) She must not bathe in water (by diving into it) nor should she lose her temper nor talk with wicked people. She must not wear a cloth that has not been (duly) washed (after being used) nor a garland that has (already) been worn on her person. She must not eat the leavings of what has been eaten by someone nor the food offered to Goddess Candika (Bhadrakali) nor (again) that which contains meat nor that fetched by a Sudra nor that which has been seen by a woman in her menstruation : nor again should she drink water with the hollow of her joined palms. She must not stir out (of her house) with the remants of food sticking in her mouth (without rinsing her mouth after eating something), nor without washing her hands and feet nor at dusk nor with dishevelled hair nor with her person unadorned and unwrapped (with an outer covering) nor with her speech uncontrolled. She must not retire with her feet unwashed nor in an impure state nor with wet feet nor with her head towards the north or the west nor in the same bed with others nor bare-bodied nor again in the morning and evening. Putting on a pair of clothes that have been (duly) washed, ever pure and decked with all auspicious ornaments, she should worship before breakfast the cow, the Brahmanas, Goddess Sri (the deity presiding over beauty and prosperity) and (the immortal) Lord Visnu. She should also worship women whose husbands are living, with garlands, sandal-paste, offerings of food and ornaments and, offering worship to her husband, should wait upon him and contemplate on him as having entered her womb (in the form of his vital energy). If you observe this vow, (known as) the Pumsavana (yielding a son), which is of a year's duration, without violating it, a son will be born to you, who will be able to slay Indra. Expressing her willingness (to undertake the vow) in the words "Very well", the strong-willed Diti, O Pariksit, then concieved the seed of Kasyapa and she also duly undertook the (sacred) vow. Having come to know the intention of his mother's sister (Diti), O respectful king, the clever Indra waited upon Diti, who was living in a hermitage (as a hermitess), through (personal) service (of every kind). He fetched everyday from the woods at the proper time flowers, fruits roots, small pieces of wood for the sacrificial fire and blades of (the sacred) Kusa grass as well as (sacred) leaves and sprouts, earth and water. Keen to discover a slip in the observance on the part of Diti, who had been duly adhering to the vow, O Pariksit, the croocked Indra continued to serve her like a hunter disguised as a game (to remove its suspicion). Though intent upon detecting some fault in her observance, O ruler of the earth, Indra did not find any; he was now filled with grave anxiety as to how his welfare could be ensured in that life. One day, however, she fell asleep (even) at dusk with remnants of food still in her mouth and without either rinsing her mouth or washing her feet, enfeebled as she was by her (austere) observance and deluded by (an adverse) fate. Finding that weak point, Indra, the master of Yoga (mystic powers), entered by dint of (his) Yogic power the uterus of Diti, who had been robbed of her consciousness by sleep. By means of his thunderbolt he cut the embryo, brilliant as gold, into seven. Addressing the crying embryo (as though with affection) in the words " Do not cry!" he further cut those pieces each into seven. (Even) while being rent (by Indra), O Pariksit, they all submitted to him with joined palms, "Why do you seek to get rid of us, O Indra ? We are Maruts (the wind-gods), your (own) half-brothers !"