Aditi, (Sanskrit: “The Boundless”) the personification of the infinite, unbound, unlimited and unfettered. She is the personification of the sky and space in which reside all gods, from where Indra sends down his thunder bolt or fights with Vrata to release the waters or where one can see Aditya, the sun god, riding in his golden chariot yoked by seven ruddy horses, illuminating the the sky and the earth with his effulgence as he rides from east to west. In the Vedas, the personification of the infinite and mother of a group of celestial deities, the Adityas. As a primeval goddess, she is referred to as the mother of many gods, including Vishnu in his dwarf incarnation and, in a later reappearance, Krishna. Aditi means one who is unbound, unlimited and unfettered First or Prime Conscience that evolved when OM Universe was formed.
She being the mother of gods, the hymns urge Aditi to mediate between men and gods and exert her motherly influence upon them to help the worshippers. They also seek her help directly for protection, cattle, forgiveness, freedom from sin and abundance. Those who live in the heavens belong to Aditi. So those who desire to go to heaven should seek her help and mediation. In some Vedic hymns she is mentioned as Prithvi, the supporter or substratum of all. In some she is compared to a cow, as the provider of nourishment for all creatures.
Adityas are her effulgent solar sons, who are mentioned to be either seven, eight or twelve of whom one is said to be her husband also. She is also described as the mother of Indra. The Vedas describe her as the wife of Daksha, the grand father of all living forms. But in the Puranas and the epics we see a clear shift in her status and role. They depict her as deva matri, the mother of not just the Adityas, but all the 330 million gods.
In the Matsya Purana she appears in a brief role as the receiver of a pair of ear rings from Indra, the ruler of heavens, as a gift during the churning of the oceans. The Vishnu Purana describes her as the daughter of Daksha and the wife of Kashyapa, the progenitor of human race, through whom she begot Vamana, an incarnation of Vishnu. According to the Devi Bhagavata, Devaki, the mother of Lord Krishna, is an earthly manifestation of Aditi. In the Puranas Aditi has an opponent in the form of Diti (the bound one), who is the mother of daityas or asuras, a type of demons.
All Gods are sons and daughters of Aditi. In fact for the entire universe, she is the mother meaning all Gods are enlightened by her that is why they are called Gods. The 3 moorthis and their wives have full infinite conscience called Aditi. This is represented by Sudharshana Chakra of Krishna, Vishnu or any avatar. You can see all gods has this chakra or wheel on their index finger. Aditya means son of Aditi. Meaning Our Sun or Surya. For humans he is the direct Visible Conscience in the sky which we never fully can see and also experience the features. We will be burnt in no time. If Surya is so intense, imagine the infinite conscience of Aditi, Can we withstand her full intensity?
When the universe was formed, it was completely dark and the knowledge is withdrawn to stabilize. In the first light formed the first Conscience called ADITI. You can say it as first star in the universe. This Star was 1000 crores brighter than our Sun. When Krishna showed viswaroopam to Arjuna says ohh Krishna i am not able see and recognize you. You are glowing like 100 crore suns. So she is a female or nature.
Now the mother Conscience divided the Universe into different conscience levels. So Vedas call it 7 sons of Aditi. They are Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman, Bhaga, Dhaksha, Amasha and Surya or Our Sun. So if you would like to know how bright is Conscience, just look at our sun at 12 pm on bright sunny day. If you read any story and philosophy, if Sun is mentioned means, treat it as Visible Conscience.
Now these 7 Conscience were used to spin many concepts and stories. In this case Daksha is a son of Aditi, in few stories he is husband. Whatever is the relationship, Dhksha’s mother or wife Aditi means, his conscience is glowing like crazy. That is why Scriptures says all Gods are giver of cows and horses. Meaning wisdom and life force prana. These are the 2 important factors.
In vedas all these 7 sons play a crucial role, especially Mitra and Varuna. Apart from this Indra is also son of Aditi. There are seven oceans meaning these 7 Conscience which are very very to tough to achieve or elevate. Surya, Usha etc all attributes the either consciousness or rays of it. Many Rishis used the concept ADITI to explain the Sanathana Dharma. If you are blessed by Aditi means, you are almost close to Vishnu.
In Hinduism, Diti (Sanskrit: दिति) is an earth goddess. She is mother of both the Marutas and the Asuras (Daityas) with the sage Kashyapa. She is said to have wanted to have a son who would be more powerful than Indra. He is said to have killed her previous children because they tried to murder him.
Aditi vs Diti is based on duality. Both are equal and opposite. Together they represent 12 months in real world, where as different consciences in spiritual world. In meditation you reach different conscience levels. Aditi is higher and Diti is lower. Like seasons in a year, a seeker goes through different phases Some times upbeat, Saraswathi flowing like Hanga and other times depressed and dejected.
Aditya means he whose mother is Aditi. The Adityas are children of Aditi mother of gods and Kashyapa Prajapathi, the grandfather of all creation. Adityas are solar deities who reside in the heavenly regions and personify various natural phenomena. There is an inconsistency about their numbers.
Originally they were described to be six or seven in number in the Rigvedic hymns, of whom Varuna, Mitra, Savitr and Pusan were the most prominent. Later the number increased to 8 and Aditi was described as the wife of one of them, besides being mother of all Adityas. Subsequently the number increased to 12. In some vedic hymns Indra and Agni are also described as children of Aditi. By the time of the Puranas Aditi became the mother of all divinities numbering some 330 millions. So practically all the gods became Adityas.
The Aditya represents light. Of them, Surya, the sun god is the most prominent. Their names are also used as the epithets of Surya, suggesting their connection with one another and their nature as light beings. "Bright and pure as streams of water, free from all guile and falsehood, blameless, perfect," these are gods of light, with many eyes (rays) corresponding to the 12 months of the year and described as the 12 spokes of the wheel of time.
In deep meditation, usha the dawn, raises inside you as you see it in the real world. You go through many sun rises and moons. With each rise you experience different Aanandam.
THE SECRET OF THE VEDA
Usha is described repeatedly as the Mother of the Cows. If then the cow is a Vedic symbol for the physical light or for spiritual illumination the phrase must either bear this sense that she is the mother or source of the physical rays of the daylight or else that she creates the radiances of the supreme Day, the splendour and clarity of the inner illumination. But we see in the Veda that Aditi, the Mother of the Gods, is described both as the Cow and as the general Mother; she is the Supreme Light and all radiances proceed from her. Psychologically, Aditi is the supreme or infinite Consciousness, mother of the gods, in opposition to Danu or Diti the divided consciousness, mother of Vritra and the other Danavas – enemies of the gods and of man in his progress. In a more general aspect she is the source of all the cosmic forms of consciousness from the physical upwards; the seven cows, sapta gāvaḥ, are her forms and there are, we are told, seven names and seven seats of the Mother. Usha as the mother of the cows can only be a form or power of this supreme Light, of this supreme Consciousness, of Aditi. And in fact, we do find her so described in I.113.19, mātā devānām aditer anīkaṃ, “Mother of the gods, form (or, power) of Aditi.”
Aditi is the mother principle. In Rig Veda she is the mother of all the gods and all creation. Her name stands for “boundlessness and freedom”. As one who unbinds, her role is similar to that of her son Varuna as the guardian of rta, the cosmic moral order. She is the supporter of all creatures. She is invoked for protection and wealth. Aditi is mentioned about sixty times in the Rig Veda; yet, no hymn is exclusively addressed to her. She is usually mentioned with other gods and goddesses. It is difficult to get a clear picture of her nature. She is not a consort of any god. She is also not related to a natural phenomenon. Physically, she is rather featureless. Unlike Ushas and Prithvi her nature is undefined. She appears to be an ancient deity whose original function and nature are forgotten in later Rig Veda.
aditirdyauraditirantarikṣamaditirmātā sa pitā sa putraḥ
viśve devā aditiḥ pañca janā aditirjātamaditirjanitvam –RV_01.089.10.1-2
Perhaps the most outstanding feature of Aditi is her Motherhood. She is Devamatri. She is the mother of Adityas. She is the mother of Indra, the mother of kings and of all the gods. She is also the mother of Vamana an incarnation of Vishnu. She is the source of the entire manifested reality-the past, the present and the future; “all that has been and will be born”.
She bestows safety, wealth and abundance. She is sometimes compared to a cow that provides health, nourishment and holiness. Her milk is compared to redemptive, invigorating drink Soma.
Sri Aurobindo addresses her as the goddess of infinity and the infinite consciousness.
Aditi guard our herd by day, Aditi, free from guile, by night,
Aditi, ever strengthening, save us from grief!
And in the day our hymn is this: May Aditi come nigh to help,
With loving-kindness bring us weal and chase our foes.
Aditi is Heaven, Aditi is the Atmosphere,
Aditi is Mother (Mata), Father and the Son (putra) .
Aditi is the Universal Deities, Aditi is the Five Races,
Aditi is all that has been and will take birth.
–Rig Veda.I.89.10
Hymns of the Atharva Veda HYMN VI - A prayer to Aditi for help and protection
- Aditi is sky, and air's mid-region, Aditi is the father, son, and mother,
Aditi all the Gods and the Five Nations, Aditi what is now and what is future. - We call for help the Queen of Law and Order, great mother of all those whose ways are righteous,
Far-spread, unwasting strong in her dominion, Aditi wisely leading, well protecting. - Sinless may we ascend, for weal, the vessel, rowed with good oars, divine, that never leaketh,
Earth, our strong guard, incomparable Heaven, Aditi wisely leading, well protecting. - Let us bring hither, in pursuit of riches, Aditi with our word, the mighty mother,
Her in whose lap the spacious air is lying: may she afford us triply-guarding shelter!
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