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Puranic encyclopaedia

by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222

This page describes the Story of Aditi included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).

Story of Aditi

1) Genealogy. śⲹ貹, grandson of and son of Ѳī married Aditi, daughter of Dakṣaprajāpati. Aditi had twelve sisters: Diti, , ٲܲ, Danu, ṃh, ǻ, ṛt, վś, վԲ, , Muni and ū. (Ѳٲ, Ādi Parva, Chapter 65, Verse 12). Devas are sons born to śⲹ貹 by Aditi and hence they are known as Āditeyas also. śⲹ貹 married all the thirteen sisters including Aditi, and all living beings owe their origin to them. (See śⲹ貹).

Descendants.

33 sons were born to Aditi. 12 of them are called Dvādaśādityas, viz. ٳ, , Mitra, Ś, ղṇa, ṃśa, Bhaga, վ, ūṣ�, , ձṣṭ and վṣṇ. Amongst the other 21 sons are the 11 Rudras and 8 Vasus. (See Ѳٲ Ādi Parva, Chapter 65, Verse 15).

Main incidents.

How Ѳ屹ṣṇ was born as the son of Aditi.

The Ѳٲ and the 峾ⲹṇa refer to a story about the birth of Ѳ屹ṣṇ as the son of Aditi. վṣṇ entered the womb of Aditi as 峾Բ (Dwarf). This story was related by the sage վśmitra to the boys and ṣmṇa while they were accompanying the sage in the forest. When they entered Siddhāśrama վśmitra pointed to the latter that the Āś was sacred, because Ѳ屹ṣṇ had stayed there for long as 峾Բ. The Devas induced Ѳ屹ṣṇ to obstruct the sacrifice (yāga) being performed by Emperor Ѳ, son of Virocana. At that time Aditi, the wife of śⲹ貹 was doing penance so that Ѳ屹ṣṇ might be born as her son, and accordingly he entered her womb. 1000 years later she gave birth to վṣṇ, and that child was known as 峾Բ. (See 峾Բ; also Ѳٲ Vana Parva, Chapter 272, Verse 62, ԳśԲ Parva, Chapter 83, Verses 25 and 26, as also ī쾱 峾ⲹṇa, Canto 29).

Rebirth of Aditi.

Once śⲹ貹 made all arrangements to perform a sacrifice (yāga). Having failed to get the suitable cow for it, he stole ղṇa’s cow and conducted the yāga. Not only that, śⲹ貹 refused to return the cow even after the yāga was over. ղṇa in hot anger rushed to śⲹ貹’s hermitage. śⲹ貹 was absent, and his wives, Aditi and ܰ did not treat ղṇa with due respect. The enraged ղṇa cursed them to be born in Gokula. He also complained about the matter to . told śⲹ貹: "Since you, a learned person, have stolen the cow, may you along with your wives be born in Gokula and tend cows". Accordingly śⲹ貹 and his wives, Aditi and ܰ, were born respectively as Vasudeva, ٱ𱹲ī and dzṇ� in Gokula in the 28th ٱ貹 yuga. (This story has been told by ղ to Janamejaya). (ٱī岵ٲ, Skandha 4).

Aditi in prison.

ٱ𱹲ī is Aditi reborn. There was reason for ٱ𱹲ī being imprisoned on the orders of ṃs. When śⲹ貹 was living in an Āś with Aditi and Diti he was so much pleased with the services of Aditi that he asked her to beg for any boon she wished. Accordingly she prayed for an ideal son. The boon was readily granted, and Indra was the son thus born to her. The birth of Indra engendered jealousy in Diti towards Aditi, and she also demanded a son equal to Indra. śⲹ貹 obliged Diti also. As Diti advanced in pregnancy and her beauty also increased Aditi got jealous of the former and she called her son Indra and told him that unless something was done in time, Diti would deliver a child equal to him (Indra) thus relegating him probably to the place of second Deva. Thus admonished by his mother the artful Indra approached Diti and told her: "Mother, I have come to serve you". Diti was greatly pleased. Indra’s services drove Diti to sleep very quickly, and Indra used the opportunity to enter the womb of Diti and cut into 49 pieces the child with his weapon, the Vajra. The child in the womb began crying on receiving cuts with Vajra when Indra asked it not to cry. (Mā ruda, don't cry) and so the child got out of Diti’s womb as 49 ܳٲ (winds). Then did Diti wake up and cursed Aditi as follows: "Your son did treacherously kill my offspring in the womb itself. So he will forfeit the three worlds. You were responsible for the murder of my child. You will, therefore, have to spend days in prison grieving over your children. Your children also will be annihilated". Because of this curse of Diti, Indra once lost Devaloka and had to live elsewhere, and ṣa functioned, for a time as Indra. (See ṣa). In the 28th ٱ貹 yuga Aditi transformed as ٱ𱹲ī had to be a captive of ṃs, and ṃs killed her children by dashing them on the ground. (ٱī岵ٲ, Skandha 4).

ܰ stole the earrings of Aditi.

ܰ, who turned out to be a curse and menace to the three worlds consequent on the boon he got from վṣṇ, attacked Devaloka once, and carried off Indra’s royal umbrella and Aditi’s earrings. Ѳ屹ṣṇ incarnated himself as Śrī ṛṣṇa, killed ܰ in battle and got back the earrings etc. (Ѳٲ Udyoga Parva, Chapter 48, Verse 80; Parva, Chapter 38, Verse 29; 岵ٲ Daśama Skandha).

Ѳ屹ṣṇ became seven times son to Aditi.

Once, desirous of having children Aditi cooked food (rice) sitting herself in the entrails of Mount Mynaka (Ѳٲ Āṇy Parva, Chapter 135, Verse 3). Dharmaputra, in the course of singing the glories of Lord ṛṣṇa after the great war refers to վṣṇ having taken birth seven times in the womb of Aditi. (Ѳٲ ŚԳپ Parva, Chapter 43, Verse 6).

Budha cursed Aditi.

A story in the Ѳٲ refers to Budha’s once cursing Aditi. The ever increasing power of Asuras made the Devas anxious. Aditi, the mother of the Devas decided to send them all to annihilate the Asuras. She had finished cooking food for her sons, and lo! there appeared before her Budha and asked for food. Aditi asked him to wait pending her sons taking their food hoping that there would be some food left after that. This caused Budha to lose his temper and he cursed her that (Aditi) she would become the mother of վ in his second birth as ṇḍ, when she would suffer pain in her abdomen. (Ѳٲ ŚԳپ Parva, Chapter 34, Verses 96-98).

Former birth of Aditi.

During the former years (period) of ⲹܱ Manu the ʰ貹پ called Sutapas, along with his wife ṛśn did Tapas for 12000 years. Then Ѳ屹ṣṇ appeared before them, and ṛśn prayed for a son like վṣṇ himself, and Ѳ屹ṣṇ was born as her son named ṛśngarbha. This story is related by Śrī Kṛsna to his mother on his birth as the son of Vasudeva. (岵ٲ, Daśama Skandha, Chapter 3).

She, who became the wife of ʰ貹پ as ṛśn before ⲹܱ Manu, and was born again as ٱ𱹲ī, the wife of Vasudeva is one and the same person.

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