The Rig Veda: An Anthology

Aditi (literally, “innocence”) is the feminine principle of creation or infinity and the mother of the Adityas—Varuna, Mitra, and Aryaman. Aditi both gave birth to Daksa, the male principle of creation, and also was born from him. Her eighth son, Martanda, was either miscarried or cast aside, and became the first mortal. The most important sons of Aditi—Varuna, Mitra, and Aryaman—are gods who preside over the social order, enforcing various aspects of the moral law that governs the social relations of the community.

Agni (literally, “fire”) is the personification of the sacrificial fire and the domestic hearth. He was born to or freed from the cosmic waters, wherein his spirit still exists. As the sacrificial fire, he eats oblations; as the fire of cremation, he consumes the bodies of the dead. Agni is associated with the sun and lightning; as the carrier of the priests’ sacrificial offerings, he is the messenger of the gods, the divine mediator between mankind and the Vedic deities. Like Soma, Agni is both a physical substance and a god; both are invoked more frequently than any other deities in the Rig Veda.