Adityas (Hinduism)

The Adityas are the offspring of the goddess Aditi, the lineage that emerges from her, and whom they are named after. In some representations Aditi is the personification infinity, while at other times an earth goddess.

In the Rig Veda, one of the oldest scriptures of the Vedas, there are only 7 or 8 Adityas — Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman, Daksha, Bhaga, Amsha, Savitr / Surya, and sometimes Martanda. The Vedas are the oldest scriptures, the foundation and core of Hinduism that we can specify as Vedic Religion.

In later Hinduism, this number varied. In the Brahmanas, there are 12 Adityas. The original 7–8 of Vedic Religion are:

• Varuna —
• Mitra —
• Aryaman —
• Daksha — a progenitor god of Hinduism. Daksha is also the father of Danu, and by extension, the eponymous grandfather of all the Danavas (which perfectly illustrates the blended line between the asuras and devas.

In Hindu cosmology Adityas responsible for the proper functioning of the universe, and are thus given lordship over celestial constellations (called the nakshatras in Jyotish, forces of universal intelligence intertwined with birth-death cycle of life, the identity of all created beings as in astrology, events and consciousness of daily life. [5] In each month of the year a different Aditya is said to shine.

We can see that this astrological development

Notes

1. The Adityas (a Sanskrit word that literally means “of Aditi”) are the offspring of Aditi, who is a goddess that represents infinity [5] but in other contexts, such as the Katha Upanishad, is the earth goddess. [4]
2. Described in the Rigveda as bright, pure as streams of water, free of all guile and falsehood, blameless, perfect. [5] Uphold moveables and immoveables of Dharma. Beneficent gods act as protectors of all beings, provident, and guard world of spirits and protect world. [5] In form of Mitra-Varuna the Adityas are said to be true to eternal Law and act as exactors of debt. [5]
3. Originally in the Rigveda, generally considered as the oldest of the Vedic scriptures and one of the most important texts of Vedic religion considered as shruti, there are only seven or eight Adityas: Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman, Daksha, Bhaga, Amsha, Savitr / Surya, and sometimes Martanda. [5]
4. Later on in Hinduism, the Aditya were combined together into a singular unit that refer to the sun god Surya, making the Aditya in Hinduism solar deities. While in the oldest Veda, the Rig Veda, they number 6-8, in the Brahmanas their number increases to 12.
5. In Hindu cosmology Adityas responsible for proper functioning of the universe, and are thus given lordship over celestial constellations (called the nakshatras in Jyotish, forces of universal intelligence intertwined with birth-death cycle of life, the identity of all created beings as in astrology, events and consciousness of daily life. [5] In each month of the year a different Aditya is said to shine.
6. There is an interesting parallel between the Adityas, the Anuna of the Sumerians, and the Anunnaki of the later Babylonians. In Sumerian texts there are seven principle Anuna (Anunnaki) that are central to their religious beliefs, equal to the Adityas classification, who are also all relatives with one another. Later on as Vedic Religion evolved towards and into Hinduism, their number was increased to 12, which is how the tradition evolved also from Mesopotamian tradition into Greek and Roman tradition.

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