ADITI - MOTHER OF GODS OF HEAVEN

She was not like Eve, Mother of all humans. But ADITI, in Hindu mythology, was Mother of Gods and Demons.

Born as daughter of Daksha Prajapati, son of Brahma, God of the Trinity in charge of Procreation, (Vishnu and Siva, the other members, were respectively Gods of Stability and Destruction), she was married to Kasyapa, grandson of Brahma. Kasyapa married not only Aditi, but all her thirteen sisters also. From Aditi was born thirty three children, of whom twelve became Adity (Suns), including the one that illumines our Earth. From them were born three hundred and thirty three million gods of heaven. Indra is lord of them all. She wanted to be the Mother of Vishnu; He took birth as her son in his Avatar as Vaamana the Dwarf. (The word “deva” in Sanskrit also means “playful”. As Shakespeare said, “they kill us for their sport”!)

In some myths, sister and “co-wife” Diti was mother of demons. Another sister and co-wife, Danu, gave birth to the Daanava, also demons. Together, they were known as Asura. Between the gods of heaven and the Asura, no love was lost. The myths invariably favour the gods, and denigrate the Asura. Literally, “Sura” means fermented alcoholic liquor, and gods of heave indulge in it liberally. “Asura” implies those who abstain.

Indra made an unsuccessful effort to maintain monopoly about brewing and distilling liquor. He had trained ascetic Dadhyanga, in the art. His temporary enemies, godly twins Aswani Devas, tried to get it out of Dadhyanga, but Indra had threatened to behead him if he did so. The Aswini reassured Dadhyanga, who gave them the secret. When Indra beheaded him, Aswini revived him, affixing the head of an ass on his shoulders.

Kasyapa promised Diti that her son would be greater than Indra. Envious, Indra worked out a plan; he befriended Diti, and offered to nurse her during pregnancy. Beguiled, she slept soundly; Indra used his all-powerful weapon to cut the foetus in her womb into forty-nine pieces, which ultimately were born as the progenitors of the Asura.

Indra had a keen eye for beautiful women, human, divine, or demoniac. Early in his career, he desired Ruchi, beautiful wife of ascetic Devasarma. He seduced her to agree to spend a night with him, but Devasarma’s disciple, Vipula berated Indra, until, shamed, the lord of gods withdrew. Arun, charioteer of the Sun, once took disguise as a girl to witness the dance of divine courtesans. Indra raped “her”, from which was born Baali, most powerful of the Apes. Indra was not above bestiality; Rg Veda mentions (Bk 1, Mandala 18, sukta 121) that he had sex with a mare, and the progeny were bovines! He often used divine courtesans to seduce and defeat his enemies.

The myths are silent about what happened to Aditi. Let us believe that She remains, the primordial Female, ever tolerant despite the follies of her children.

T. Madhava Menon