Part 5 - The twelve Ādityas in the form of the twelve months

The twelve aspects of the Sun-god are worshipped in twelve different forms in the Purāṇas.

As they are the children of Aditi, they are called the Ādityas:

aditiḥ kāśyapājjajñe ādityāndvādaśaiva hi/^[1]

Right from the time of the Vedas the Ādityas are worshipped as the children of Aditi. It is believed that with his twelve forms, the Sun roams in the twelve months and by the movement he lightens the universe.^[2] It is cited in the Purāṇas that the twelve Ādityas take their place in the heaven inside the solar orb.^[3] Different Purāṇas give the names of Ādityas in different ways. The Bhāgavatapurāṇa mentions the twelve Ādityas as Indra, Dhātṛ, Bhaga, Tvaṣṭṛ, Mitra, Varuṇa, Yama, Vivasvat, Savitṛ, Pūṣan, Aṃśumat and Viṣṇu.^[4] The Brahmāṇḍapurāṇa has almost given the same list, but mentions the name of Aṃśu instead of Yama. Again, in the list of the twelve Ādityas in the Matsyapurāṇa, the names of Dhanada, Parjjanya, Ravi are included in place of Yama, Vivasvat and Aṃśumat.^[5]

The Purāṇas give the list of twelve Ādityas, associating them with the twelve months of the year. According to it,

1. Indra is responsible for the Āśvina,
2. Dhātṛ for the Kārtika,
3. Parjanya for the Śrāvaṇa,
4. Pūṣan for the Pauṣa,
5. Tvaṣṭṛ for the Phālguna,
6. Aryaman for the Vaiśākha,
7. Bhaga for the Māgha,
8. Vivasvat for the Jyeṣṭha,
9. Aṃśu for the Āṣādha,
10. Viṣṇu for the Caitra,
11. Varuṇa for the Prauṣtha and
12. Mitra for the Mārgaśīrṣa.^[6]

The depiction of the twelve Ādityas in the form of the twelve months can be traced its origin in the Vedas.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid., 171.55

[2]:

Agnipurāṇa, 19.1-5; Bhāgavatapurāṇa,6.6.39; Viṣṇupurāṇa, 2.10.3-17

[3]:

Bhāgavatapurāṇa, 6.6.39; Matsyapurāṇa, 171.55-57; Viṣṇupurāṇa, 1.15.130-133

[4]:

Bhāgavatapurāṇa, 12.11.30-45

[5]:

Matsyapurāṇa, 171.56

[6]:

Bhaviṣyapurāṇa, 1. 74.8; Skandapurāṇa, 7.10.62-66