Aditi Devatamayi Explained
Question:
“Kathopanishad, Chapter 2, First Valli, Verse 7 uses the word: ‘Aditi—full of divinity.’ So what is this ‘divine Aditi’?”
Answer:
Let’s understand this properly, because when we read further, these ideas will keep coming again and again.
We always say: we have to understand the Self, know the Self—I am the Self.
I am conscious energy, I am living awareness, I am energy—and my body is like an instrument I have. My body is an instrument, or you can say a machine.
Only through this instrument—the body—the conscious power that sits in my heart-cave (hṛt-guhā) can express itself. If we didn’t have this body, this instrument, then the conscious power present in the heart would have no way to express itself. So the body is the instrument through which the Self expresses. We should understand the body as an instrument, and understand ourselves as the conscious Self.
If we understand these two things clearly inside:
I am the Self, and
My body is like an instrument,
then this is called unbroken consciousness (akhaṇḍit chetanā).
Right now our condition is that we consider ourselves only the body—“I am the body.” We don’t really know the Self. Because of that, the consciousness flowing within us becomes broken consciousness (khaṇḍit chetanā). It is broken because we left out one part: we left out the Self, and we live treating the body as everything.
But when I move through life knowing I am the Self, and treating the body as an instrument, then because of the union of these two, the consciousness becomes unbroken consciousness.
The Puranas say: if you live in broken consciousness, the Puranas call that Diti. And they call unbroken consciousness Aditi.
They say: if you live in broken consciousness—meaning in dual, divided consciousness—then many impurities and distortions will arise in you. They call those distortions Daityas, born from Diti.
In the Puranas it is said Diti has two sons: Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha. Their meaning is: living in cravings—pleasure-craving, lust, and other inner distortions.
This is our condition today because we move through life believing we are only the body. So our consciousness is “Diti,” and we live mostly in desire and craving: “I want this, I want that, I want that.” Most of our attention stays there.
So these scriptures are telling us: understand yourself as the Self. When you understand yourself as the Self, treat the body as an instrument, and live in unbroken consciousness, then twelve kinds of divine qualities will be born in you.
The Puranas say Aditi has twelve sons. “Son” here means qualities, characteristics, divine powers—not physical sons. If we live in unbroken consciousness, then twelve divine qualities arise within us.
And we cannot bring them one-by-one by force—“let one divine quality come, then the next, then the next.” If we try like that, they will come for a moment and go away. But the scriptures say: if you live in unbroken consciousness, then all twelve divine qualities enter your personality together.
Now, what are those twelve divine qualities?
Question:
“What are the twelve ‘sons’ (divine qualities) of Aditi, and what do they mean?”
Answer
These are the twelve:
1) Vivasvān (विस्वान / विवस्वान) — Desirelessness
If we live in unbroken consciousness, a quality is born in us called Vivasvān, meaning a desireless state. Pleasure-craving, lust, craving for money—different kinds of cravings—naturally end, and the personality becomes free from compulsive desire.
“Desire” in a broad sense means wanting. But it becomes vasanā when the mind and intellect keep sinking into it continuously—always thinking: “I need this pleasure, I need that, I want this, I want that.” Constant obsession is vasanā. In unbroken consciousness, this obsession drops.
2) Dhātā (धाता) — Accepting the whole of existence
Dhātā means accepting the totality of existence. Existence contains good and bad, auspicious and inauspicious, flowers and thorns.
But when we live in body-identification and broken consciousness, we can’t accept existence as a whole. We want only good, never bad; only flowers, no thorns.
But existence means the Divine—everything is the Divine. When we divide existence into two pieces, we are trying to divide the Divine.
In unbroken consciousness, a deep acceptance arises: you won’t beg the inauspicious to not come, and you won’t cling to the auspicious to come. Both become equally acceptable. This is Dhātā.
3) Vidhātā (विधाता) — Becoming the maker of your destiny
Vidhātā means: when you accept existence completely—without dividing it into good and bad—you become the one who shapes your destiny.
Until you accept both sides equally, you cannot truly become the creator of your fate. That power comes with wholeness. This is Vidhātā.
4) Pūṣā (पूषा) — The nourishing power
Pūṣā means the quality of nourishment. Many processes run inside the body. When we think negatively, live in selfishness, or remain in cravings, the inner conscious energy doesn’t flow properly through the body. When flow is blocked, obstacles form—knots, issues, sickness.
But in unbroken consciousness, a power arises that constantly nourishes the body. It does not allow blockages. When flow is obstructed, tumors and knots form and health gets disturbed. Pūṣā is the nourishing power that keeps the body supported and healthy.
5) Tvaṣṭā (त्वष्टा) — Continuous inner “pruning”
Tvaṣṭā means continuously shaping and trimming the personality.
Like when a tree grows, unwanted branches shoot out. If you want the tree to look beautiful, you keep pruning extra branches.
Similarly, in our “tree-like body,” branches of distortion grow: ego, selfishness, negativity. In unbroken consciousness, a power arises called Tvaṣṭā that keeps pruning these useless branches.
Example: You sit with people and gossip starts, criticism starts, likes-dislikes rise. You return home, and those thoughts keep running inside you. If you live in knowledge, a divine power arises that quickly cuts those branches of criticism and hatred—so they don’t keep multiplying inside. Tvaṣṭā continuously trims and beautifies your personality.
6) Savitā (सविता) — The power of creativity and productivity
Savitā means productivity—turning your inner world toward creativity.
Even if you’re sitting free with nothing to do, you keep making your thoughts creative, not destructive.
If someone tells you: “They were criticizing you,” one way is to get angry and become destructive. Another way is creative: “Good, I got to see my weakness; now I’ll improve.”
Savitā is the power that keeps converting every thought and emotion into creativity.
7) Bhaga (भग) — Accepting your share of karmic fruits
Bhaga is a bit subtle. It means: cultivating from the seeds of past karma.
In the subconscious mind, there are many impressions—good and bad. A power arises that “sows” these impression-seeds, and from them come three kinds of fruits: excellent, average, and poor.
Those fruits are your share—your destiny—because they come from your own actions and impressions. Good actions create good seeds, giving good fruit. Bad actions create bad seeds, giving bad fruit.
Bhaga is the power by which, even if a “bad fruit” comes into your life, you accept it as your own share and still remain calm and content. Normally we don’t accept it—we say, “I didn’t do anything, then why is this happening to me?” and we blame others.
But when Bhaga arises, whether good fruit comes or bad fruit comes, you accept it as your own, and you don’t hold others responsible.
8) Aryamā (आर्यमा) — Yama–Niyama become effortless
Aryamā means: the qualities of Yama and Niyama from Patanjali’s Yoga become natural in you.
Yamas: truth, non-violence, non-stealing, celibacy/restraint, non-possessiveness.
Niyamas: purity, contentment, self-study, surrender to God, austerity.
With Aryamā, you don’t need special effort to “practice” them—they remain effortlessly in your personality because the demonic tendencies inside come under full control. The Puranas call Aryamā a “Pitar,” meaning a deep inner conditioning—an established inner habit—forms.
9) Mitra (मित्र) — Protecting the divine part within
Mitra is a divine power that protects the “divine beings” within you—truthfulness, honesty, right conduct.
Example: Suppose your child’s admission isn’t happening and you think, “Let me give a bribe.” That thought would destroy your inner divinity. Mitra rises within and says, “No—absolutely not,” and protects your goodness.
When your inner goodness is protected, you naturally become friendly toward everyone. Hatred doesn’t remain—only friendliness remains. This is Mitra.
10) Varuṇa (वरुण) — Instant light of knowledge against ignorance
Varuṇa is the power that, whenever you lean toward ignorance, instantly spreads the light of knowledge within you.
Example: A situation comes and you want to lie. That is leaning toward ignorance. Varuṇa rises and illuminates you from inside: “Don’t go toward falsehood.” This is the Varuṇa power.
11) Vāmana (वामन) — Subtlety of mind that finds solutions
Vāmana means becoming subtle—subtlety of the mind. There is a gross mind and a subtle mind.
When complicated situations come—where you don’t know what to do—Vāmana arises and the mind becomes so subtle that it reaches the fine layer of the problem and solves it, even when no solution seems visible.
12) Indra (इंद्र) — Mastery over the senses
Indra means becoming the ruler of the senses. In unbroken consciousness, complete control becomes established over the senses. The mind becomes “Indra.”
Question
“So why does the verse say ‘Aditi, full of divinity (devatāmयी)’?”
Answer
Because Aditi means unbroken consciousness, and devatāmयी is used because twelve divine qualities arise in the personality.
There’s a difference between “creating” and “being born.”
When you live in unbroken consciousness—meaning you know yourself as the Self and use the body like an instrument—your consciousness becomes Aditi, and then these twelve divine qualities are born automatically. You don’t have to force-create them.
The point is: Aditi is not a physical woman, and Aditi’s twelve sons are not physical sons. They are qualities.
If we understand this, then slowly our personality also becomes enriched with these twelve qualities. And the root remains the same, which I keep repeating: know yourself as the Self, and understand this body as an instrument.