Shloka 34

Indra's Campaign on Mount Malaya — Indra’s Campaign on Mount Malaya and the Birth of the Maruts (Origin of the Epithet Gotrabhid)

Devanagari script

तेनैव गर्भं दितिजं वज्रेण शतपर्वणा चिच्छेद सप्तधा ब्रह्मन् स रुरोद च विस्वरम्

Transliteration

tenaiva garbhaṃ ditijaṃ vajreṇa śataparvaṇā ciccheda saptadhā brahman sa ruroda ca visvaram

Translation

“With that very hundred-jointed thunderbolt, he cut the Diti-born embryo into seven parts, O Brahman; and it cried aloud, wailing.”

Speakers

• Narrator addressing a sage (‘brahman’)
• continuing the account of Indra/Śakra’s act.

Primary Deities

• Indra (Śakra)
• Diti (asura-mother, mentioned as progenitrix)

Key Themes

• Deva–Asura antagonism
• Prenatal violence and mythic multiplication
• Power of the vajra
• Portentous crying as omen

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "karuna", "secondaryRasa": "bhayanaka", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

What is the significance of cutting the embryo ‘saptadhā’ (into seven)?

Numbers like seven often signal cosmic patterning (seven worlds, seven rivers, etc.). In such myths, division can foreshadow the emergence of multiple beings or forces from a single source, intensifying the Deva–Asura narrative stakes.

Does the crying of the embryo have a narrative function beyond pathos?

Yes. Loud, extraordinary crying functions as an omen and a narrative trigger: it alerts other figures, marks the act as consequential, and often leads to a revelation or intervention in the next verses.

How does this episode relate to the broader ‘Andhaka’ cycle?

The Andhaka cycle frequently intertwines daitya origins, boons, and conflicts with Devas and Rudra’s sphere. This prenatal episode supplies etiological background for later daitya power and the chain of events culminating in major confrontations.