Ādityas

The sovereign or ruling principles of the universe. They are personified in Hindu mythology as the children of ĀDITI, mother of the gods, the primordial substance or mūlaprak ti. Various works give different numbers to the Ādityas. The Taittirīya Samhita states that Āditi had eight sons, seven of which were normal, and the eighth appeared as a lifeless egg, and thus was rejected. This was Mārtaṇ a, which became the Sun. In the Vi ṇu Purāṇa, there were twelve Ādityas, fathered by Kā yapa with Āditi.

The twelve Ādityas are: Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Varuṇa, Dak a, Am a, Tva ṭ , Pū an, Vivasvat, Savit , Śakra, and Vi ṇu.

Helena P. BLAVATSKY states that the seven šdityas refer to the seven planetary regents of the Solar System, while the twelve Ādityas are the twelve signs of the Zodiac and the twelve months of the year. Varuṇa, which later became chief of the Ādityas, is equivalent to the Greek Uranus.

V.H.C