Goddess Aditi – Storytelling for Everyone

Hindu Mythology

Aditi’s themes are luck, change, perspective, time, protection, prosperity, overcoming obstacles and divination. Her symbols are butter, the number twelve, and anything that changes shape.  Aditi means ‘unfettered.’

Aditi is believed to be the guardian of all life and the mother of all gods. Thus, it is believed that before the creation, the universe was inside the womb of goddess Aditi.

She represents the infinite sky and the boundlessness of time and space. She offers us this expansive perspective – one in which we are citizens of eternity. Additionally, Aditi is a protector who aids in averting or surmounting difficulties. In regional prayers, people refer to Her as the ever-young protectress who guides life’s boat safely through the roughest waters.

Buddhists believe that the world is transient – that only spirit is eternal. The Butter Festival illustrates this concept with huge butter statues of heroes that are torn, distributed to participants for luck, or tossed in a river to melt away into time.

One of India’s most honored Goddesses is Aditi. The name means “limitless.” In that respect, it fits Her well because She is considered to be all encompassing.

A strong and mighty deity, Aditi is also called Mother Cosmos. As such, She is credited with giving birth to the planets and the stars, which in turn tie her to the seven dimensions of the cosmos.

Considered a highly benevolent and gentle Goddess, Aditi holds an honored position in the pantheon of Indian Gods and Goddesses. She is the Goddess of the past as well as the Goddess of the future. She is also the keeper of the light that illuminates all life and ensures consciousness.

According to Hindu myth, Aditi was given as consort to Kasyapa. She gave birth to many children including Vishnu (in his early stages of life) and Krishna (in the latter stages). He is, of course, a figure of great import among the Hindu. Aditi’s son Mitra was god of the sun while Her son, Varuna, was god of the moon.

Another of her children, the great Goddess Indra, was called the mother of kings because Her children fathered a long line of rulers.

However, Aditi is best known as the mother of the Adityas. These children were named in Her honor and were later associated with the signs of the zodiac. They were also believed to protect humankind from all illness and catastrophe.

All of this would certainly seem to make Aditi the ultimate mother, having given birth to those who, in turn, brought life to everything else including plants, animals, and human beings. She became the guardian of all life and the supporter of all creatures.

It is in this latter role, that Her people often seek Her assistance in much the same way that a human child would turn to his or her mother. Her children ask for help from everything from sickness to sin. She, in turn, assists them in finding the path that will bring them the happiness and contentment they deserve.

Some claim that, while Aditi is always present even though She cannot be seen, that she will make Herself fully visible at the advent of the apocalypse.

It is then that She will wrap Her children in Her eternal cloak and protect them for all eternity.

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Kuchinsky, Charlotte. Yahoo! Voices, “Aditi: Uncovering the Myth of the Indian Goddess.”