The Orion, or Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas c12.16

c12.16

∗ Aditi is here said to be the daughter of Daksha, also cf, Rig. vii. 66. 2. In Purânic traditions the 27 Nakshatras are said to be the daughters of Daksha who gave them to the moon. If we combine these two traditions Aditi would be at the head of all the Nakshatras, in the same way as Mrigashiras or the Krittikas headed the list in later times. There are again many legends in the Puranas, stating that everything was born from Aditi. We can account for all these facts if we place Aditi at the vernal equinox, when the calender was first fixed for the sacrificial purposes.