O noble one, listen to the wondrous events that unfolded during the churning of the ocean. When the waters were churned, the very essence of their depths gave rise to many excellent women—thus, the apsarases, celestial nymphs, came into being. Sixty crores of these radiant apsarases emerged, their attendants beyond counting. Yet, neither the gods nor the demons claimed them; because they were not taken, the apsarases became common to all, belonging to no single group. Then, O delight of the Raghu lineage, Varuṇa’s daughter, Vāruṇī, blessed with great fortune, arose from the waters, seeking acceptance. The sons of Diti, the Daityas, did not accept Varuṇī; but the sons of Aditi, the Ādityas, welcomed her, for she was blameless. Thus, the Daityas became known as asuras, while the sons of Aditi were called suras, the gods. The gods rejoiced greatly at the acceptance of Vāruṇī. From the churning also appeared Uccaiḥśravā, the foremost of all horses, and the Kaustubha gem, along with the supreme nectar, amṛta. For the sake of this nectar, a great destruction of clans took place, as the sons of Aditi fought fiercely with the sons of Diti. All the asuras united with the rākṣasas, and a terrible battle ensued, bewildering the three worlds. When all seemed lost, mighty Viṣṇu, assuming an enchanting form, swiftly seized the nectar. Those who approached Viṣṇu, the imperishable supreme person, were crushed in battle by his power. In this fierce war between the Daityas and the Ādityas, the sons of Aditi slew the sons of Diti. Now hear the next part of the tale. When her sons were slain, Diti was overwhelmed with grief and approached her husband, Kaśyapa, son of Mārīca. She pleaded, “O revered one, I am bereft of sons, slain by your mighty children. I desire a son, gained through long austerity, who will be the slayer of Indra. Therefore, I shall undertake austerity; you ought to grant me conception and permit me to obtain a son who will be Indra’s slayer.” Kaśyapa, possessed of great splendor, replied gently, “So be it; may auspiciousness be yours. Remain pure, O possessor of austerity. If you remain pure for a full thousand years, you will bear from me a son who will destroy the three worlds and slay Indra in battle.” Having spoken thus, the radiant sage blessed her and departed for his own austerities. Delighted, Diti went to the place called Kushaplava and undertook severe austerity. While she performed her penance, Indra, endowed with supreme virtues, served her. He brought her fire, kusa grass, wood, water, fruit, roots, and whatever else she desired. Indra also attended to her with massages and relief from fatigue, ever watchful and helpful. When only ten years remained of the thousand, Diti, greatly rejoicing, spoke to Indra, “Ten years remain of my austerity, O best among the powerful. After that, you will see your brother, may it be auspicious for you. The son whom I shall bear for your sake, eager for victory, will share with you, free from affliction, the conquest of the three worlds. At your request, your great-souled father granted me a boon concerning a son.” As midday approached, Diti was overcome by sleep and, in her exhaustion, placed her feet where her head should be. Seeing her impure, with her hair at her feet instead of her head, Indra laughed and rejoiced. He seized the opportunity and entered her body, and with supreme power, divided her embryo into seven parts. As the embryo was split by Indra’s thunderbolt with a hundred spikes, it cried out melodiously, awakening Diti. Indra spoke to the embryo, saying, “Do not cry, do not cry,” and even as it wept, the mighty Indra continued to split it. Diti pleaded, “Do not kill, do not kill,” and out of respect for his mother’s words, Indra withdrew. Indra, holding the thunderbolt and with joined palms, addressed Diti, “O goddess, you slept impure, with your head at your feet. Finding that moment, I split the embryo—who would have been my slayer in battle—into seven parts. For this, you ought to forgive me.” Now, O listener, hear the next chapter. When her embryo had been divided into seven, Diti, greatly distressed, spoke gently to the unconquerable thousand-eyed Indra, “Because of my fault, this embryo has been split into seven parts; O lord of the gods, slayer of strong ones, there is no fault of yours in this matter. I wish for you to do something pleasing for me regarding the fate of my embryo: let these seven become the guardians of the seven groups of Maruts.” Thus, through the events of divine churning, fierce battle, and the sorrow of a mother, the Maruts—storm gods—came to be, guardians of the seven groups, born from Diti’s longing and Indra’s intervention.