Shloka 34
Diti’s Untimely Desire and the Birth-Cause of the Asura Line
Prelude to Hiranyākṣa–Varāha
दितिरुवाच न मे गर्भमिमं ब्रह्मन् भूतानामृषभोऽवधीत् । रुद्र: पतिर्हि भूतानां यस्याकरवमंहसम् ॥ ३४ ॥
ditir uvāca na me garbham imaṁ brahman bhūtānām ṛṣabho ’vadhīt rudraḥ patir hi bhūtānāṁ yasyākaravam aṁhasam
Diti dit : Ô brāhmaṇa, je t’en prie, veille à ce que cet embryon ne soit pas détruit par le Seigneur Rudra (Śiva), maître de tous les êtres, à cause de la grande offense que j’ai commise envers lui.
Diti was conscious of her offense and was anxious to be excused by Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva has two popular names, Rudra and Āśutoṣa. He is very prone to anger as well as quickly pacified. Diti knew that because of his being quickly angered he might spoil the pregnancy she had so unlawfully achieved. But because he was also Āśutoṣa, she implored her brāhmaṇa husband to help her in pacifying Lord Śiva, for her husband was a great devotee of Lord Śiva. In other words, Lord Śiva might have been angry with Diti because she obliged her husband to transgress the law, but he would not refuse her husband’s prayer. Therefore the application for excuse was submitted through her husband. She prayed to Lord Śiva as follows.
FAQs
This verse shows Diti acknowledging her wrongdoing toward Rudra—recognized as the lord of beings—and fearing its consequences, implying that offenses to great devas bring serious karmic reactions and call for humility and repentance.
In the narrative of Canto 3, Chapter 14, Diti fears that a powerful divine being may punish her through harm to her pregnancy, because she had acted improperly and views her offense as the root cause of impending suffering.
It teaches accountability: when one realizes a mistake—especially against saints, elders, or sacred principles—one should respond with humility, correction, and sincere restraint rather than denial.