Daitya

According to purāṇic genealogies summarized in the sources, Kaśyapa married sisters Aditi and Diti; Aditi gave birth to the āditya/deva classes, while Diti is the progenitress of the Daityas. The term literally marks descent from Diti. Purāṇic episodes present individual Daityas (Hiraṇyaksha, Hiraṇyakashipu, Mahabāli, Holikā, Prahlāda, etc.) as arising from that lineage and acting collectively in mythic ages to challenge the cosmic order, requiring Viṣṇu's avatāras for their overthrow (as recorded in purāṇic summaries).

The supplied purāṇic and summary sources emphasize genealogy, deeds, and narrative roles rather than a standardized morphology. Individual named Daityas receive descriptive treatment in episodes (for example, narratives of combat or flight into the ocean), but there is no consistent, class-wide physical description in the provided materials.

As a class Daityas are portrayed as powerful, martial, and politically active: several prominent Daityas 'overran the earth' and mounted cosmic challenges to the devas, prompting Viṣṇu-avatāras for containment or defeat. Individual members display extraordinary potency within their stories (e.g., causing cosmic disorder, resisting gods). Interpretive commentaries summarized in the sources also treat Daityas symbolically as embodiments of 'separative consciousness' or titanic, divisive psychic forces rather than merely moral evil.