Adityas
In
They appear in the In each month of the year a different Aditya is said to shine.
Sun worship
Characterisation
The Aditya have been described in the
This class of deities has been seen as upholding the movables and immovable Dharma. Adityas are beneficent gods who act as protectors of all beings, who are provident and guard the world of spirits and protect the world. In the form of
In present-day usage in Sanskrit, the term Aditya has been made singular in contrast to Vedic Adityas, and is being used synonymously with Surya, the Sun. The twelve Adityas are believed to represent the twelve months in the calendar and the twelve aspects of Sun. Since they are twelve in number, they are referred as DvadashAdityas.[5]
The 12 Adityas are basically the monthly suns, corresponding to the approximately 12 lunations in a solar year.[b] These are also called the 12 purushas, pertaining to the 12 lunar months of the year. Here the months refer to the lunar months. In astronomy the lunar months with a solar sankranti are said to have an Aditya or purusha. The month without a sankranti is said to be neuter and an extra month or the intercalary lunar month.
Mentions in Hindu scriptures
The Ādityas are one of the principal deities of the
In hymn 7.99 of the Rigveda, Indra-Vishnu produces the sun, his discus a vestige of his solar creation, equivalent to the sun. The Vishnu Purana identifies the discus Sudarshana Chakra with the following: 'thoughts, like the chakra, flow faster than even the mightiest wind.'
The
The sun god in Hinduism is an ancient and revered deity. In later Hindu usage, all the Vedic Ādityas lost identity and metamorphosed into one composite deity,
The
The sun god is said to be married to the goddess Sanjna. She is depicted in dual form, being both sunlight and shadow, personified. The goddess is revered in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The charioteer of Surya is
Surya Namaskaram
Sun worship festivals
The sun is prayed to by South Indians during the harvest festival.
Names of solar deities
Rigveda
In the Rigveda, the Adityas are seven or eight in number and include:[2]
Brahmanas
In the
Upanishads
In the Chandogya Upanishad, Aditya is a name of Viṣṇu in his avatar as Vāmana. His mother is Aditi.
Vishnu Purana
The Adityas in the Vishnu Purana[15] are:
Bhagavata Purana
In the Bhagavata Purana, the Adityas are associated with each month of the year, it is a different Aditya who shines as the Sun-God (Surya).[16]
Name | Action | |
1 | As Indra or Vishnu (Vamana) |
he destroys the enemies of the gods |
2 | As Dhata | he creates living beings |
3 | As Parjanya | he showers down rain |
4 | As Tvashtha |
he lives in the trees and herbs |
5 | As Pushya | he makes foodgrains grow |
6 | As Aryaman | he is in the wind |
7 | As Bhaga | he is in the body of all living beings |
8 | As Vivasvan |
he is in fire and helps to cook food |
9 | As Amshuman |
he is again in the wind |
10 | As Varuna | he is in the waters and |
11 | As Mitra | he is in the moon and in the oceans |
Linga Purana
According to the Linga Purana,[17] the Adityas are:
Aditya as nakshatra devatas
Adityas are responsible for proper functioning of the universe and in Hindu cosmology they are given lordship over celestial constellations, called
Adityas manage the Shakti of the nakshatras. Here are a few examples.
- Bhaga has lordship over Purva Phalguni nakshatra. Bhaga is bestower of fortune. Bhaga in Sanskrit means "a portion" so our portion in life is regulated by this divine celestial being. Many a times this is related to fortunate marriages, or fortune from marriage and partnerships. It is a very worldly nakshatra bestowing divine intelligence with respect to worldly gains in life. Beings born when Purva Phalguni is rising in the east are literal physical manifestation of this energy.
- Uttar Phalguninakshatra and as suggested by the name, a person born under the auspices of Aryaman finds many lucky opportunities with benefactors in their lives, among many other qualities that are possessed by this divine being.
- Savitr, rules over Hasta Nakshatra and is the cheerful Aditya who manages worldly skills and artistry. Handiwork of all kinds, from needlework, pottery making to technical skills industry, sleight of hand pick pockets, magicians, and Reiki masters all are blessed by the divine intelligence and benevolence of this Aditya.
- Mitra, rules over Anuradha nakshatra they are the peacekeepers of this world.
- Shatbhishaknakshatra the nakshatra of 1000 healers and gives a person intelligence about all sorts of medicine. Varuna as its ruling Aditya is lord keeper of law, hence themes of crime and punishment, law and order fall under his rulership. Varuna in RigVeda is to be feared and not taken lightly.
This makes Vedic Adityas not some conceptual, abstract, or mythological characters in a story book, but part of the visible cosmology and the everyday realities of our daily lives. We manifest their qualities in our lives and as such are part of the divine ourselves.
See also
- Aditi
- List of solar deities in Hinduism
- List of Surya temples
- Surya Namaskar
- Other related
- Ashvins
- Prajapati
- Rudras
- Vasus
- List of Hindu deities
- List of Hindu temples
- List of Hindu pilgrimage sites
Further reading
- "On the Ādityas". hinduwebsite.com. Concepts in Hinduism.
Notes
- Caturanga Dandasana
- ^ The actual value is close to 12+7/19; 7/19 ≈ 1⁄3 ; so there always 12 complete lunar months in a solar year, and about every third year there is an extra, 13 th lunar month, which the assignment of deities to months does not appear to address.
References
- ^
Werner, Karel (2005). A Popular Dictionary of Hinduism. Routledge. p. 17. ISBN 9781135797539.
- ^ a b c
Dalal, Roshen (2014-04-18). Hinduism: An alphabetical guide. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- ^ "Destination Delhi". Indian Express. 4 September 2010.
- ^ Rig Veda. Translated by Griffith, Ralph T.H. Book 2, Hymn XXVII.
- ^
Sathyamayananda, Swami (2012). Ancient Sages. Mylapore, Chennai: Sri Ramakrishna Math. p. 173. ISBN 978-81-7505-356-4.
- ^ Singh, Kritika. Sun Salutation: Full step by step explanation. Surya Namaskar Organization. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ISBN 978-0-89281-999-7.
- ^ MacMullen, Jane (1988). "Ashtanga Yoga". Yoga Journal. September/October: 68–70.
- ISBN 978-81-8329-191-0.
- ^ "502 Bad Gateway nginx openresty 208.80.154.49". www.pongal-festival.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
- ^ "Tamizhs festival". ntyo.org. Archived from the original on 27 December 2001. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- ^
Jamison, Stephanie; Brereton, Joel (2015). The Rigveda – Earliest religious poetry of India. Oxford University Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-0190633394.
- ^ MacDonell, Arthur Anthony (1897). Vedic Mythology. Oxford University Press. p. 43.
- ^ Muir, John (1863). Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and Progress of the Religion and Institutions of India. Williams and Norgate.
- ^ "Book I: Chapter XV". Vishnu Purana – via Sacred-Texts.com.
- ^ Srimad Bhagavata Purana. 12.11.27–49.
- ^ Linga Purana.
External links
- Media related to Adityas at Wikimedia Commons