Vedic Mythology c5.s4.t2.4

c5.s4.t2.4

Aditi is the mother of Mitra and Varuṇa (8, 25³; 10, 36³. 132⁶) as well as of Aryaman (8, 47⁹). Hence she is called the mother of kings (2, 27⁷, cp. v. ¹), of excellent sons (3, 4¹¹), of powerful sons (8, 56¹¹), of heroic sons (AV. 3, 8³; 11, 1¹¹), or of eight sons (10, 72⁸; AV. 8, 9²¹). She is once said to be the mother of the Rudras, being the daughter of the Vasus and (strange to say) sister of the Ādityas (8, 90¹⁵), and the AV. (6, 4¹) mentions her brothers as well as her sons. In another passage of the AV. (7, 6² = VS. 21, 5) she is invoked as the great mother of the devout, the mistress of *ṛta*, strong in might, undecaying, widely extended, protecting, skilfully guiding. Such passages and the constant invocation of Aditi along with the Ādityas, her sons, show that her motherhood is an essential and characteristic trait. Her epithet *pastyā*, housewife (4, 55³; 8, 27⁵) may possibly also allude to her motherhood. In the Epic and Purāṇic mythology Aditi is the daughter of Dakṣa and mother of the gods in general, and expressly of Vivasvat, the Sun, and of Viṣṇu in his dwarf incarnation. She is said to be the wife of Viṣṇu in VS. (29, 60 = TS. 7, 5¹⁴).