Thus, when the churning of the ocean reached its climax, the Daityas came to be known as asuras, while the sons of Aditi were called suras—the gods. The gods rejoiced greatly when Vāruṇī, the goddess of wine, was accepted among them. From the ocean emerged Uccaiḥśravā, the foremost of horses, and the radiant Kaustubha gem, O best of men, and at last, the supreme nectar—the amṛta itself. But as soon as the nectar appeared, a great conflict erupted. For its sake, O Rāma, there was a terrible destruction of entire clans. The sons of Aditi, the Ādityas, fought fiercely with the sons of Diti, the Daityas. All the asuras joined forces with the rākṣasas, and a dreadful, bewildering battle shook the three worlds. When devastation had swept through all, mighty Viṣṇu, assuming an enchanting form, swiftly seized the nectar. Those who tried to approach Viṣṇu, the imperishable Supreme Person, were struck down by his great power. In this fierce and terrible war between Daityas and Ādityas, the sons of Aditi slew the sons of Diti, O heroes. When her sons had been slain, Diti was overwhelmed with grief. She turned to her husband, the great sage Kaśyapa, son of Mārīca, and spoke with sorrow: “O revered one, your mighty children have slain my sons. I am bereft. I desire to undertake severe austerity to obtain a son who will be the slayer of Indra.” She pleaded, “Grant me this boon, O lord. Permit me to conceive a son who will defeat Indra in battle.” Hearing her anguished words, Kaśyapa, radiant and compassionate, replied, “So be it. May auspiciousness be yours. Remain pure, O devoted one. If you maintain your purity for a full thousand years, you shall bear from me a son who will destroy the three worlds and slay Indra.” With these words, the sage gently touched Diti, blessed her, and departed for his own austerities. Greatly delighted, Diti journeyed to the sacred place called Kushaplava and began her arduous penance. While Diti performed her austerities, Indra, the king of the gods, served her with humility. He brought her fire, sacred kusa grass, wood, water, fruits, roots—whatever she desired. He attended to her comfort, massaging her and relieving her fatigue at all times. As only ten years remained of her thousand-year vow, Diti, filled with joy, spoke to Indra: “Only ten years remain, O best among the powerful. Then you will see your brother, born for victory, who will share with you the conquest of the three worlds, free from affliction. At your request, your great-souled father granted me this boon.” One day, as midday approached, Diti, overcome by sleep, lay down with her feet where her head should be, thus breaking the rule of purity. Indra saw her in this state—her hair and feet together—and rejoiced. Seizing the opportunity, he entered her body through its opening and, with his supreme power, divided her embryo into seven parts. As Indra split the embryo with his thunderbolt, each part cried out sweetly. Diti awoke in alarm. Indra spoke to the embryo, “Do not cry, do not cry,” but even as it wept, he continued to divide it. Diti, distressed, pleaded, “Do not kill, do not kill.” Out of respect for his mother’s words, Indra withdrew. With thunderbolt in hand and palms joined, Indra addressed Diti: “O goddess, you slept impure, with your head at your feet. Seizing this moment, I split the embryo—who would have been my slayer—into seven parts. For this, I beg your forgiveness.” Diti, her heart aching for her lost children, spoke gently to the unconquerable Indra: “Because of my own fault, this embryo has been split into seven. O lord of gods, slayer of the strong, you are not to blame. I ask only this: let these seven become the guardians of the seven groups of Maruts. Let them, carried by the wind, roam the heavens as Maruts, divine in form, my own children. Let one move in Brahmā’s world, another in Indra’s world, and a third, famed as Divyavāyu, be renowned. Four others, by your command, may roam the directions. In time, these shall be my sons, and by your deed, they will be known as Maruts.” Hearing her words, the thousand-eyed Indra, slayer of Bala, bowed with joined palms and replied, “All shall be as you have said, O mother, without doubt.” And thus, the seven Maruts were born, guardians of the winds and directions, fulfilling both the boon and the destiny shaped by the actions of gods and asuras alike.