Pulomā and Kālaka, daughters of the mighty Vaiśvanara, became the wives of Mārīca, a being of great strength and numerous offspring. In ancient times, from their union, sixty thousand Dānavas came forth, with Mārīca fathering the formidable Paulomas and Kālakhañjas. These Dānavas once inhabited the golden city of Hiraṇyapura; blessed with boons from the four-faced Brahma, they were invincible to men but ultimately met their end in battle, conquered by victory. Vipracitti, another notable figure among the Dānavas, begot nine sons with Siṃhikā, as well as thirteen nephews of Hiraṇyakaśipu. Among these were Kaṃsa, Śaṃkha, Nala, Vātāpi, Ilvala, Namuci, Khasṛma, Āṃjana, Naraka, Kālanābha, Paramāṇu, and the renowned Kalpavīrya, who furthered the lineage of Danu. From Saṃhlāda, the Daitya, came the Nivātakavacas, a clan invincible to gods, Gandharvas, serpents, and Rākṣasas, though they too were ultimately slain by Arjuna in battle, relying on their own strength. Tāmrā, empowered by Mārīca, gave birth to six daughters: Śukī, Śyenī, Bhāsī, Sugṛdhrī, Gṛdhrikā, and Śuci. Śukī, through righteousness, gave birth to parrots and owls; Śyenī to hawks; Bhāsī to kuraras; Gṛdhrī to vultures; Sugṛdhrī to pigeons and other birds; and Śuci to swans, cranes, kāraṇḍas, and waterfowl. These were the daughters of Tāmrā. Next came Vinatā, whose children were illustrious: Garuḍa, the foremost of birds; Aruṇa, lord of the winged; and Saudāminī, the maiden famed in the sky. Aruṇa’s sons, Saṃpāti and Jaṭāyu, were renowned, with Saṃpāti’s son Babhru and Śīghraga also celebrated. Jaṭāyu’s sons, Karṇikāra and Śatagāmī, were likewise famous, and their descendants among the birds became countless. Surasā gave birth to a thousand serpents in ancient times, and Kadru, steadfast in her vows, bore a thousand serpents with many heads. Among these serpents, twenty-six were especially renowned: Śeṣa, Vāsuki, Karkoṭa, Śaṃkha, Airāvata, Kaṃbala, Dhanaṃjaya, Mahānīla, Padma, Aśvatara, Takṣaka, Elāpatra, Mahāpadma, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Balāhaka, Śaṃkhapāla, Mahāśaṃkha, Puṣpadaṃṣṭra, Śaṃkharoma, Nahuṣa, Ramaṇa, Paṇi, Kapila, Durmukha, Patanjali, and others. All of these serpents had countless sons and grandsons. Most of these serpents had previously perished in the house of Janamejaya, but the host of rakṣasas was born again by Sunaman out of anger. Many fanged creatures, jackals, crows, buffaloes, cows, and cow-maidens were destroyed by Bhimasena. Surabhi, from Kashyapa, gave birth to three kinds: a group of sages, a host of sages, and a group of apsarases. Similarly, Irā produced many kinnaras and gandharvas, as well as all the grasses, trees, creepers, and bushes. Khasā gave birth to yakṣas and rakṣasas by the crore. Thus, the descendants of Kashyapa numbered in the hundreds and thousands. O Bhishma, in this Manvantara, creation is known as the Svārociṣa. Then, Diti, knowledgeable in dharma, gave birth from Kashyapa to forty-nine Maruts, all beloved of the gods. Bhishma, curious, asked: “How were the sons of Diti, the Maruts, born? And why did they become dear friends to the gods, though they were rivals?” Pulastya replied: Long ago, during the war between gods and asuras, when Diti’s sons and grandsons were slain by Hari and the gods, she was overwhelmed with sorrow and ascended to the highest earthly realm. At the sacred place of Pushkara, on the auspicious bank of the Sarasvati, Diti devoted herself to worshiping her husband and undertook severe austerities. Living only on fruits, she observed difficult practices such as Kṛcchra and Cāndrāyaṇa. For over a hundred years, burdened by age and grief, she continued her penance. Finally, scorched by her austerities, she approached Vasiṣṭha and the other sages. Diti asked them, “Please tell me a vow that will destroy my grief for my sons and bring good fortune in this world and the next.” Vasiṣṭha and the others replied, “The Pūrṇimā vow of the full moon in the month of Jyeṣṭha, by whose grace one becomes free from grief for sons.” Bhishma then asked to hear the details of this vow, by which Diti regained forty-nine sons. Pulastya explained: In the bright fortnight of Jyeṣṭha, on the full moon, one observing the vow should set up an unbroken pot filled with white rice. The pot should be adorned with various fruits and sugarcane sticks, covered with two white cloths, and anointed with white sandalwood. Arrange various foods and gold as able, and place a copper vessel filled with jaggery atop it. Above that, in a lotus-shaped cavity, create an image of Brahma in gold, and place Savitri, adorned with sugar, to its left. Offer fragrance and incense to both, and arrange singing and instrumental music; if these are lacking, perform as was done for the lotus by the Grandfather. Fashion a beautiful image of Brahma from jaggery, and worship the lotus-born one with white flowers, uncooked rice, and sesame seeds. Thus, Diti performed the sacred vow, and through its merit, she was blessed with forty-nine sons, the Maruts, who became dear to the gods.