ADVANCE Devta Field Booster (N8) Diti

Vastu Purush Mandala having 45 Devtas and Asuras.

Aditi is a vedic goddess, found mentioned in the vedas many a time, and is also mentioned with respect to the Adityas. that are progeny of Aditi.

Aditi is praised as a cow in Madhyandin Yajurveda 13.43, during the process of laying of the altar. It is found mentioned as a cow in Rigveda 1.153.3

But Aditi is also mentioned as the universe, in the form of outer space, atmosphere as well as the earth. she is the father as well as the son. Aditi is the five people, the four varnas, and the fifth the Nishad. Those who are already born, and those who are yet to be born, are forms of Aditi only. Aditirdyaurditirantarikashamditirmata sa father sa sonah |

विश्वेदेवाऽ अदितिः पंचजनाऽअदितिर्जातमदितिर्जनित्वम् || (Rigveda 1.89.10, Madhyandin Yajurveda 25.23.)

Shatpath Brahmanam (10.6.5.5) gives etymology of Aditi as :-….. Sarvam Va Attiti Tadditeradiditvam Sarvasyatta Bhavati Sarvamasyayanam Bhavati Ya Evametadditeradiditvam Veda | That one who eats everything in the world, or for whom all of the universe is the food, is the Aditi.

It also states that Aditi is the earth, the skin that covers all of the earth. Offering is made in the fire for Aditi. ( 1.1.4.5 Adityastvagasi Pratitvaditirvetvitiyam Vai Prithivyaditistasya Asyai Tvagyidamsyamdhi Kinch……, 2.2.1.19 Sa Yaddityai Charun Nirvapati | Iyam Vai Prithivyaditih Seyam Pratistha Tassyamevaitatpratisthaayam Pratisthati Tasmaddityai Charun Nirvapati), and the power of speech, the Gods established themselves through the speech form of Aditi. (Aditishte bilam grbhnaatviti vagvaaaditiretdvaaenam devaah kritva vachhaditya nirashtapayan…. 6.5.2.20).

In contrast to the same, Diti, that is mentioned as the sister of Aditi, in the puranas, is not mentioned in the vedas, nor is her progeny of the demons known as “Daityas”, although the demons like Asura and Rakshasa are there in the vedas.

The concept of Diti is purely a work of the puranas, where she is shown as a contrast to Aditi, the mother of the Aditya group of Gods. The later day stories say that both Aditi and Diti were wives of same sage Kashyap, and they produced the Gods and demons. But none of this is of vedic origin. Perhaps the Puranas have developed the concept of Diti, as an alter ego to Aditi, both were conceptualized as sisters, opposite to each other.