Shloka 8
Uttarā-diśā Māhātmya — Suparṇa’s Praise of the Northern Quarter
Suparṇa–Gālava Saṃvāda
अत्र देवीं दितिं सुप्तामात्मप्रसवधारिणीम् । विगर्भामकरोच्छक्रो यत्र जातो मरुद्गण:,इसी दिशामें देवराज इन्द्रने सोयी हुई गर्भवती दितिदेवीके (उदरमें प्रवेश करके उसके) गर्भका उच्छेद किया था, जिससे मरुद्गणोंकी उत्पत्ति हुई
atra devīṃ ditiṃ suptām ātma-prasava-dhāriṇīm | vigarbhām akaroc chakro yatra jāto marud-gaṇaḥ ||
Here it was that Śakra (Indra), finding the goddess Diti asleep and bearing within her the seed of her own offspring, entered her womb and cut down the embryo, rendering her ‘without a fetus’; from that act the host of the Maruts came into being.
युपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the tension between ends and means in dharma: even a ruler of the gods may commit a covert, harmful act to avert a perceived threat and preserve order, prompting reflection on whether ‘cosmic necessity’ can justify violence and deceit.
The speaker points out a specific location associated with a famous myth: Indra (Śakra) found Diti asleep while pregnant, entered her womb, destroyed the fetus, and from the divided embryo the Maruts were born.