Aditi, in her cosmic character, is the Beyond, the unbounded realm beyond earth, sky, and heaven, and originally she was distinct from the sky, the earth, and the ocean. Aditi is mentioned by the side of heaven and earth, which

shows that, though in more general language she may be identified with heaven and earth in their unlimited character, her original conception was different. This we see in passages where different deities or powers are invoked together, particularly if they are invoked together in the same verse, and where Aditi holds a separate place by the side of heaven and earth:

I, 94, 16 (final). tát nah mitráh várunah mamahantâm áditih síndhuh prithivî´ utá dyaúh.

May Mitra and Varuna grant us this, may Aditi, Sindhu (sea), the Earth, and the Sky!

In other passages, too, where Aditi has assumed a more personal character, she still holds her own by the side of heaven and earth; cf. IX, 97, 58 (final):

I, 191, 6. dyaûh vah pitâ´ prithivî´ mâtâ´ sómah bhrâ´tâ áditih svásâ.

The Sky is your father, the Earth your mother, Soma your brother, Aditi your sister.

VIII, 101, 15. mâtâ´ rudrâ´nâm duhitâ´ vásûnâm svásâ âdityâ´nâm amrítasya nâ´bhih, prá nú vokam kikitúshe gánâya mâ´ gâ´m ánâgâm áditim vadhishta.

The mother of the Rudras, the daughter of the Vasus, the sister of the Âdityas, the source of immortality, I tell it forth to the man of understanding, may he not offend the cow, the guiltless Aditi! Cf. I, 153, 3; IX, 96, 15; Vâgasan. Samhitâ XIII, 49.

VI, 51, 5. dyaũh pítar (íti) príthivi mâ´tah ádhruk ágne bhrâtah vasavah mriláta nah, vísve âdityâh adite sa-góshâh asmábhyam sárma bahulám vi yanta.

Sky, father, Earth, kind mother, Fire, brother, bright gods, have mercy upon us! All Âdityas (and) Aditi together, grant us your manifold protection!

X, 63, 10. su-trâ´mânam prithivî´m dyâ´m anehásam susármânam áditim su-pránîtim, daívîm nâ´vam su-aritrâ´m ánâgasam ásravantîm â´ ruhema svastáye.

Let us for welfare step into the divine boat, with good oars, faultless and leakless—the well-protecting Earth, the peerless Sky, the sheltering, well-guiding Aditi!

X, 66, 4. áditih dyâ´vâprithivî´ (íti).

Aditi, and Heaven and Earth.

Where two or more verses come together, the fact that Aditi is mentioned by the side of Heaven and Earth may seem less convincing, because in these Nivids or long strings of invocations different names or representatives of one and the same power are not unfrequently put together. For instance,

X, 36, 1-3. ushásânáktâ brihatî´ (íti) su-pésasâ dyâ´vâkshâ´mâ várunah mitráh aryamâ´, índram huve marútah párvatân apáh âdityâ´n dyâ´vâprithivî´ (íti) apáh svãr (íti svãh). 1.

dyaúh ka nah prithivî´ ka prá-ketasâ ritávarî (íty ritávarî) rakshatâm ámhasah risháh, mâ´ duh-vidátrâ níh-ritih nah îsata tát devâ´nâm ávah adyá vrinîmahe. 2.