Aditi Presentation

aditi

Presented by Alexandra LicudanHRT3M1-22

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

MYTHOLOGICAL PRESENCE

III

APPEARANCE

IV

SYMBOLISM

BACKGROUND

II

WORSHIP

VI

ROLE

ROLE

Who is Aditi? What is her role or roles?

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ROLE

Aditi's prevalence in Hindu lore

Aditi is:

• The Devamata/Devamatri (Mother Goddess)
• Seen as Brahma's female counterpart
• The mother of:

a) The Universeb) The Pantheon (all 33 types/Koti)c) All Living Creatures and Zodiac beings (connected to the Adityas)d) The Adityas (Numbers vary due to inclusions and exclusions; commonly referred to as 12 in texts. Examples include: Indra, Vamana, Surya Dev, etc.), Rudras, Vasus, and Ashwini Kumars

• Referred to as the goddess of Earth, sky, space, time (past and future), fertility, and consciousness
• Protects and nutures all life

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hindu sacred texts

BACKGROUND

Where does her roles stem from?

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Earliest from Rigveda, the sage Gautama says: “Aditi is space. Aditi is Heaven. Aditi is father, children and everything we have. Aditi is the five elements of nature and source of everything that exist.”

BACKGROUND

Essential information about Aditi

• Appears in the Vedas and Puranas
• Considered powerful and illustrious
• Mentioned approx. 80 times in the Rig Veda and called the first Hindu deity
• Mentioned as the mother of all the Hindu gods and goddesses in the texts

• Is described as the simultaneous mother and daughter of Daksha
• Is married to Kashyapa
• Has many sisters, but notably, has a sister/enemy named Diti: mother of asuras/daityas (demons)
• Aditi is mother to devas ("heavenly" sons)
• Aditi prayed for a son and was blessed with Indra; her other sons were born later

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hindu sacred texts

mythological presence

What myths involve Aditi?

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MYTHOLOGICAL PRESENCE

• In Puranas, myths of conflict between Diti and Aditi's sons emerge
• Diti’s sons overtook “swarga”(heaven) with the devas captured
• Aditi dedicated her time in prayer and humbling herself to seek Vishnu’s help
• Her sincerity = Vamana’s origins, giving Aditi a son who would fix everything
• Vamana stopped the Asuras’ power to give the Devas swarga back

• In the Matsya Purana, Indra gives her earrings as a gift
• Earrings: protect the wearer by enhancing their senses to incomprehensible levels
• Another asura takes swarga and Aditi’s earrings, causing her to pray to Vishnu again for help, where he tasks Krishna to kill the asura
• Aditi regains her earrings and her sons are in command again

Vishnu and Aditi

Aditi

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The look of a goddess is reflective of her power.

The look of a goddess is reflective of her power.

APPEARANCE

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APPEARANCE

• Has many forms (example: Devaki was her earthly avatar)
• Often riding on a rooster as her "vahana" (transporter) through space

Rooster = strength and honour

• Has multiple arms (up to ten hands)

a) Hands hold weapons (most commonly added are the discus, trident, sword, and bow)b) One hand is the Abhayamudra

• Also has a "cow" incarnation

Cow = nurturing mother

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SYMBOLISM

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list

A list of all symbols

Lotus

Sword

Conch Shell

Flower

Khanda

Shankh

Represents rebirth, purity, and enlightenment

Represents slicing/cutting through ignorance

Gift representing infinity of space and in it, the endless sound of "Om"

Name

Aditi

Trident

Abhayamudra

Discus

Trishul

Chakra

Gesture

Representing the mind

A hand gesture of protection

Sanskrit meaning boundless/free of bounds

Representing protection, restoration, and more (such as the three conscious states and the Trimurti)

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SYMBOLISM

Aditi symbolizes:

• Infinity
• Entirety
• Freedom

• Everything, but keeps her pure integrity
• Change

Her appearance:

• Arms = Multiple to represent her power and ability to do many things at once
• Weapons = represent her protection; used to kill off threats, like "demons", to her followers

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WORSHIP

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WORSHIP

Typical Custom

01

• Lighting butter lamps
• Butter = positive energy
• Shows an open mind for the gods/goddesses addressed

Frequent Requests

02

• Protection
• Wishing to enter heaven
• Absolving them from sin, sickness, or other issues that may ail them
• Fulfilling and prospering life

03

Believers

• Deeply respected within the Hindu religion for what she represents
• Buddhists light 12 yellow candles in worship of her as well

04

Temple & Statues

• Temple located near Rock Cave
• Statues were found at the Sangamesswara and Naganatha temples; now located in the Alampur and Badami muesums

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CITATIONS

@sarinmail. “Is Goddess Durga the Supreme Universal Mother.” Spiritual Forums, 26 Oct. 2012, www.spiritualforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=42325. “Adi-Ag - Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary.” Theosociety.com, Theological University Press, 1999, www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/adi-ag.htm. “Aditi, The Mother of Gods.” AstroVedPedia, 16 Jan. 2018, www.astroved.com/astropedia/en/goddess/aditi. Bhat, A J. “Diwali: The Festival of Light and Beauty.” coastaldigest.com , 12 Nov. 2012, www.coastaldigest.com/column/47327-diwali-the-festival-of-light-and-beauty. “Goddess Aditi.” Journeying to the Goddess, Wordpress, 9 Mar. 2012, journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/goddess-aditi/. Jha, Brajendra. “Hinduism Symbols And Meaning- Mind Blowing Deep Secrets.” IndianYug, 6 May 2018, indianyug.com/hinduism-symbols-and-meaning-mind-blowing-deep-secrets/. Shroff, Aarsh. “Aditi.” Glorious Hinduism, 17 May 2017, glorioushinduism.com/2017/05/27/aditi/. Surabhi. “Goddess Aditi - Mother of Gods and The Guardian Of All Life.” VedicFeed, 8 Sept. 2019, vedicfeed.com/goddess-aditi/. V, Jayaram. “Aditi, The Mother of Gods.” Hinduwebsite.com, 2000-2019, www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/concepts/aditi.asp.

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THAnkS