Adishesha was the churning rope, according to
some versions of the story. It is also said that,
when time begins again in a new era, the world
sits on the head of Adishesha; whenever he stirs,
earthquakes result. At the end of each cosmic
era he vomits out the fire of destruction, which
incinerates the universe.
In the story of PRAHLADA and HIRANYAKASHIPU,
Prahlada prays to Adishesha when forced by his
father to eat poison and is saved. Other stories
associate Adishesha with cosmic poison in differ-
ent ways.
Many different personages in Indian tradition
have been said to be incarnations of Adishesha,
most notably BALARAMA, the brother of Lord
KRISHNA. Adishesa is usually described as the son
of a rishi, a seer. However, as is common in Indian
mythology many contradictory stories exist, and
some say that he was born of SHIVA. He has even
been identified with the eternal, all-encompassing
BRAHMAN itself.
Further reading: Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van
Buitenen, Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the
Sanskrit Puranas (Philadelphia: Temple University
Press, 1978); E. Washburn Hopkins, Epic Mythology
(Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1986).
Aditi
Aditi (she who has no limit) is one of the few
goddesses mentioned by name in the RIG VEDA,
the earliest extant Indian text. There she is said
to be the mother of the ADITYAS, a group of seven
(sometimes eight or 12) important divinities,
including VARUNA and MITRA. However, the list of
her children varies in other texts; SURYA, the Sun
God; AGNI, the god of fire; or even INDRA, the king
of the gods, is referred to as aditya, that is, “hav-
ing Aditi as mother.” Aditi is said to have sprung
from the RISHI DAKSHA (although in Rig Veda,
Daksha is also simultaneously her son). There is
no iconography of Aditi (see ICONS).
Further reading: Joel Peter Brereton, The Rgvedic
Adityas (New Haven, Conn.: American Oriental Soci-
ety, 1981); Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen,
Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit
Puranas (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1978);
E. Washburn Hopkins, Epic Mythology (Delhi: Motilal
Banarsidass, 1986); M. P. Pandit, Aditi and Other Deities
in the Veda (Pondicherry: Dipti, 1970); W. J. Wilkins,
Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic (Calcutta: Rupa,
1973).Adityas
Aditya means “whose mother is ADITI,” the Vedic
goddess. The father of the Adityas is usually said
to be the RISHI^ Kashyapa, a famous Vedic rishi.^
The Adityas are sometimes referred to as seven,
sometimes eight, and sometimes 12 in number.
The Vedic list is seven or eight. The list of seven
includes VARUNA, MITRA, ARYAMAN, BHAGA, DAK-
SHA, ANSHA, and SURYA or SAVITRI. The list of eight
sometimes includes Martanda, who is said to have
been excluded by his mother.
When 12 Adityas are listed, in later times,
they represent the 12 months of the year;
they are Dhatri, MITRA, ARYAMAN, RUDRA, SURYA,
Bhaga, VIVASVAT, PUSHAN, SAVITRI, TVASHTRI, and
VISHNU. In some lists AGNI, the god of fire, or
even INDRA, the king of the gods, is referred to
as an “Aditya.”Further reading: Joel P. Brerton, The Rg Vedic Adityas
(New Haven, Conn.: American Oriental Society, 1981);
Pravesh Saxena, Aditya from Rgveda to the Upanisads
(Delhi: Parimal, 1992); W. J. Wilkins, Hindu Mythology,
Vedic and Puranic (Calcutta: Rupa, 1973).adrishta
Adrishta literally means the “unseen,” a category
in MIMAMSA and VAISHESHIKA traditions.
In Mimamsa the term refers to any invisible
result of a ritual act that accrues to a person; itK 8 Aditi