But although the foregoing remarks give as complete a description of Aditi as can be gathered from the hymns of the Rig-veda, a few words have to be added on certain passages where the word áditi occurs, and where it clearly cannot mean the goddess Aditi, as a feminine, but must be taken either as the name of a corresponding masculine deity, or as an adjective in the sense of unrestrained, independent, free.

V, 59, 8. mímâtu dyaúh áditih vîtáye nah.

May the boundless Dyú (sky) help us to our repast!

Here Aditi must either be taken in the sense of Âditya, or better in its original sense of unbounded, as an adjective belonging to Dyú, the masculine deity of the sky.

Dyú or the sky is called áditi or unbounded in another passage, X, 63, 3:

yébhyah mâtâ´ mádhu-mat pínvate páyah pîyû´sham dyaûh áditih ádri-barhâh.

The gods to whom their mother yields the sweet milk, and the unbounded sky, as firm as a rock, their food.

IV, 3, 8. kathâ´ sárdhâya marútâm ritâ´ya kathâ´ sûré brihaté prikkhyámânah, práti bravah áditaye turâ´ya.

How wilt thou tell it to the host of the Maruts, how to the bright heaven, when thou art asked? How to the quick Aditi?

Here Aditi cannot be the goddess, partly on account of the masculine gender of turâ´ya, partly because she is never called quick. Aditi must here be the name of one of the Âdityas, or it may refer back to sûré brihaté. It can hardly be joined, as Professor Roth proposes, with sárdhâya marútâm, owing to the intervening sûré brihaté.

In several passages áditi, as an epithet, refers to Agni:

IV, 1, 20 (final). vísveshâm áditih yagñíyânâm vísveshâm átithih mâ´nushânâm.

He, Agni, the Aditi, or the freest, among all the gods; he the guest among all men.

The same play on the words áditi and átithi occurs again:

VII, 9, 3. ámûrah kavíh áditih vivásvân su-samsát mitráh átithih siváh nah, kitrá-bhânuh ushásâm bhâti ágre.

The wise poet, Aditi, Vivasvat, Mitra with his good company, our welcome guest, he (Agni) with brilliant light came at the head of the dawns.