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254
VEDIC HYMNS.
Váruna, Mitrá, Agni, Aryamán, Savitár, and Bhága. In I, 89, 3, Bhaga, Mitra, Aditi, Dáksha, Aryamán, Váruna, Sóma, Asvina, and Sarasvati are invoked together with an old invocation, pūrvaya ni-vídå. In the Taittiriya-aranyaka, I, 13, 3, we find the following list: 1. Mitra, 2. Varuna, 3. Dhâtar, 4. Aryaman, 5. Amsa, 6. Bhaga, 7. Indra, 8. Vivasvat, but there, too, the eighth son is said to be Märtânda, or, according to the commentator, Åditya.
The character of Aditi as the mother of certain gods is also indicated by some of her epithets, such as rága-putra, having kings for her sons; su-putrã, having good sons; ugra-putrà, having terrible sons :
II, 27, 7. pípartu nah aditih rãga-putra áti dvéshâmsi aryamã su-gébhih, brihát mitrásya várunasya sarma úpa syama puru-vîrâh árishtah.
May Aditi with her royal sons, may Aryaman carry us on easy roads across the hatreds; may we with many sons and without hurt obtain the great protection of Mitra and Varuna!
III, 4, II. barhíh nah astâm áditih su-putrā. May Aditi with her excellent sons sit on our sacred pile !
VIII, 67, 11. párshi dîné gabhîré ã úgra-putre glghâmsatah, mäkih tokásya nah rishat.
Protect us, O goddess with terrible sons, from the enemy in shallow or deep water, and no one will hurt our offspring!
Aditi identified with other Deities. Aditi, however, for the very reason that she was originally intended for the Infinite, for something beyond the visible world, was liable to be identified with a number of finite deities which might all be represented as resting on Aditi, as participating in Aditi, as being Aditi. Thus we read:
I, 89, 10 (final). áditih dyaúh aditih antariksham áditih måtã sáh pitã sáh putráh, vísve devâh aditih páñka gánâh áditih gâtám áditih gáni-tvam.
Aditi is the heaven, Aditi the sky, Aditi the mother, the
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| SR No. | 007673 |
| Book Title | Zend Avesta Part 03 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | L H Mills |
| Publisher | Oxford |
| Publication Year | 1887 |
| Total Pages | 2618 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 49 MB |