Shloka 11
Diti’s Untimely Desire and the Birth-Cause of the Asura Line
Prelude to Hiranyākṣa–Varāha
तद्भवान्दह्यमानायां सपत्नीनां समृद्धिभि: । प्रजावतीनां भद्रं ते मय्यायुङ्क्तामनुग्रहम् ॥ ११ ॥
tad bhavān dahyamānāyāṁ sa-patnīnāṁ samṛddhibhiḥ prajāvatīnāṁ bhadraṁ te mayy āyuṅktām anugraham
Ainsi, ô bienheureux, je me sens comme brûlée; accorde-moi ta pleine miséricorde. En voyant l’opulence de mes coépouses je suis affligée; je désire des fils, et par cet acte toi aussi tu seras comblé.
In Bhagavad-gītā sexual intercourse for begetting children is accepted as righteous. A person sexually inclined for simple sense gratification, however, is unrighteous. In Diti’s appeal to her husband for sex, it was not exactly that she was afflicted by sex desires, but she desired sons. Since she had no sons, she felt poorer than her co-wives. Therefore Kaśyapa was supposed to satisfy his bona fide wife.
FAQs
This verse shows Diti “burning” on seeing her co-wives prosper with children, illustrating how comparison and envy intensify worldly distress and drive urgent requests for fulfillment.
Diti longs for children and, seeing her co-wives blessed with progeny, appeals to her husband Kashyapa to grant her favor—setting the emotional context for the events that follow in this chapter.
Avoid measuring your worth against others’ success; instead, seek blessings through patience, right timing, and principled action, so desires do not push you into harmful choices.