Aditya is the other name of the Sun. The Sun is also called Surya (and Vivaswat), the chief of the gods at a very early period. The twelve solar dynasties of the sun under a different name and sign of the zodiac in each month of the year are called Adityas. All these belong to a pre Vedic period. They belonged to a time when the worship of the elements, particularly of the sun, was first enriched and extended by fancy. The name Adityas is a metronymic from Aditi. Vishnu is called chief of the Adityas. The various stories associated with the sun or of the Adityas are there in connection with the histories of the demi-gods to which they refer.

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