Re: Prthvi or Aditi

From: Patrick Ryan
Message: 56355
Date: 2008-03-31

Francesco, I lived in Arizona for a while, and came into contact with many
Mormons.

If we all lived our lives as they do, there would be far less trouble in the
world.

Whatever their dogma may be, their practice of it in everyday life is
extremely admirable.

And no, I am not a Mormon nor even a Christian.


Patrick


----- Original Message -----
From: "Francesco Brighenti" <frabrig@...>
To: <cybalist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2008 1:27 PM
Subject: [tied] Re: Prthvi or Aditi








--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Joao S. Lopes" <josimo70@...>
wrote:

> From Wiki:

You should avoid at all costs using Wiki for even quick references
to the Vedic tradition. Wiki articles on the Vedas are often written
or edited by *sectarian* Hindus who aim at presenting as ultimate
truth their own, often confused or misinformed interpretations of
Vedic texts (particularly of the Rigveda, which is what you seem to
be concerned with in your quest for IE antecedents of Vedic
goddesses). It would be like trusting a Wiki article on the Quran
written/edited by a Taliban, or one on the Bible written/edited by a
Mormon! It is much better to resort to scholarly sources; for
instance, as regards your query on Vedic goddesses, you may wan to
have a look at this e-book, which is by now considered a classic on
Hindu (and also Vedic) goddesses:

http://tinyurl.com/ynu9q6

> "[Prithivi] is the wife of Dyaus Pita ('father Dyaus')."

..and she is his *only* wife. Aditi and Danu are not Dyaus' wives
as you have speculated in your earlier post. Aditi in the Rigveda
has no consort (although she has children, see below), and Danu, who
in the Rigveda is said to be the mother of the serpent Vritra,
likewise has no consort. It is true that Aditi is virtually
identified with the earth-goddess Prithivi in the Brahmana texts,
yet the latter postdate the composition of the Rigvedic hymns by
several centuries.

> "[Prithivi] is the mother of Indra and Agni."

Not exact. In some Rigvedic hymns Agni is addressed as the son of
Prithivi, but in others he is the son of the goddess of dawn Ushas,
of the Apas ('Waters'), and so forth. Vedic theogony is not so
linear as Greek cosmogony! As regards Indra, in the Rigveda he is
sometimes said to be son of Aditi, yet in most cases his mother,
when mentioned in a hymn, goes unnamed. Indra can be regarded as son
of Prithivi only starting from the Brahmana period, when Aditi is
generally identified with Prithivi.

> Maybe some of the gods were children of Prhtvi, other ones from
> Aditi... any idea?

It is Aditi who, though she has no consort, is regarded in the
Rigveda as the mother of so many gods. Her children are a class of
male gods called Adityas ('Sons of Aditi'), forming a group of
divinities of fluid number (seven or eight in early Vedic texts;
later on becoming twelve). The group contains, as core gods, Varuna
('True Speech'?), Mitra (whose name has been etymologized either
as 'Contract' or as 'Friend'), and Aryaman ('Hospitality'). They are
followed in enumerations by Bhaga ('Share') and Amsa ('Lot'). Then
there are (in the Rigveda) Daksha, Surya(or Savitar), Ravi.

Hope this helps,

Francesco