Diti’s Puṁsavana Vow, Indra’s Intervention, and the Birth of the Maruts
अनुह्रादस्य सूर्यायां बाष्कलो महिषस्तथा । विरोचनस्तु प्राह्रादिर्देव्यां तस्याभवद्बलि: ॥ १६ ॥
anuhrādasya sūryāyāṁ bāṣkalo mahiṣas tathā virocanas tu prāhrādir devyāṁ tasyābhavad baliḥ
The wife of Anuhlāda was named Sūryā. She gave birth to two sons, named Bāṣkala and Mahiṣa. Prahlāda had one son, Virocana, whose wife gave birth to Bali Mahārāja.
This verse traces Bali’s ancestry: Prahlāda’s son is Virocana, and from Virocana (through his wife Devī) Bali was born; it also notes Anuhlāda’s sons Bāṣkala and Mahiṣa through his wife Sūryā.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is listing the descendants in the Daitya line while narrating the broader history connected to Diti’s progeny; Prahlāda is a key link leading to Virocana and Bali.
They remind a reader that character and destiny unfold through time and relationships; reflecting on saintly figures like Prahlāda and notable devotees like Bali can inspire steadiness in dharma and devotion across generations.