Aditya
In Hinduism, the Ādityas are a group of solar deities, the sons of Aditi and Kashyapa.
"Aaditya" and its modifications like "Vikramaditya","Aditya","Suryaaditya" etc are also common Indian male names, as a mark of respect to the Sun God.
Vedas
In the Rigveda, the Adityas are seven deities of the heavens, headed by Varuna, followed by Mitra:
- Varuna
- Mitra
- Aryaman
- Bhaga
- Daksha
- Anśa
- Sūrya (the Sun) or Savitr.
- Ravi
As a class of gods, the Rigvedic Ādityas were distinct from other groups such as the Maruts, the Rbhus or the Viśve-devāḥ (although Mitra and Varuna appear also in the context of the latter).
In the Yajurveda (Taittirīya Samhita), their number is given as eight.
Brahmanas
In the Brāhmaṇas, their number is expanded to twelve, corresponding to the twelve months:
Vedanta and Puranic Hinduism
Āditya in the (Chāndogya-Upaniṣad) is also a name of Viṣṇu, in his Vāmana (dwarf) avatāra. His mother is Aditi.
Another such list, from the Vishnu Purana [1] is:
References
- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna Dallapiccola
| The Rigveda | |
|---|---|
| Mandalas |
1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · 9 · 10 |
| Deities |
Devas (Agni · Indra · Soma · Ushas) · Asuras (Mitra · Varuna · Vrtra) · Visvedevas · Maruts · Ashvins |
| Rivers |
Sapta Sindhu · Nadistuti · Sarasvati · Sindhu · Sarayu · Rasā |
| Rishis |
Saptarishi (Gritsamada · Vishvamitra · Vamadeva · Atri · Angiras · Bharadvaja · Vasishta) |
| Hindu deities and texts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Female deities | Devi · Saraswati · Lakshmi · Sati · Parvati · Durga · Shakti · Kali · Sita · Radha · Mahavidya · Navadurga · Matrikas · more |  |
| Male deities | Deva · Brahma · Vishnu · Shiva · Rama · Krishna · Ganesha · Murugan · Hanuman · Indra · Surya · more | |
| Texts | Vedas · Upanishads · Puranas · Ramayana · Mahabharata · Bhagavad Gita | |
| Hinduism · Hindu mythology · Indian epic poetry | ||
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Aditya". Image Credit.
