Aditi. A female deity, the mother of several gods, including Varuṇa
and Mitra. In later mythology she is made the mother of gods in
general. Sometimes she is identified with the earth.

Āditya(s). Literally the son(s) of Aditi, the term in the plural refers to
a group of gods, including some prominent ones such as Varuṇa,
Mitra, and Indra. Early texts give their number as eight, but the
Br5hmakias already show their number as twelve, which has
remained the norm ever since. Together with the Vasus and the
Rudras, they constitute the three major classes of gods. In the
singular, the term Āditya refers to the sun.

Agastya. The name of an ancient sage, said to be the son of Mitra
and Varuṇa. In a later myth he is said to have instructed the
Vindhya mountains to remain bowed (not to grow taller) until he
turns from southern India.

Agni. Fire and the god of Fire.

All-gods (viśvedeva). The name of a class of gods. In the later
Dharma texts they are listed as ten in five pairs: Kratu and
Dakṣa, Vasu and Satya, Dhuri and Locana, Kāla and Kāma, and
Purūravas and Ardrava. See Kane 1962-75, iv. 457.

Ambaṣṭha. A mixed social class consisting of offspring fathered by a
man on a woman one class (varṇa) below him.

Aήga. The name of the far eastern region of the Ganges plain,
roughly corresponding to the western part of Bengal.

Āήgirasa. The name of a class of priests closely associated with
another group called Atharvan. The name is also used with refer-
ence to a group of sundry divine beings and is an epithet of several
gods, especially the fire god Agni.

Antyāvasāyin. A child fathered by a Śūdra man on a Vaiśya woman.

Āraṭṭa. The name of a people and a region in the Punjab, in the
north-western part of India. This region was outside the cultural
area of Brahmanism and out of bounds to Brahmins.

Asaṃvϒ+̥ta. The name of a hell: see Va 18.15; M 4.81.

Aśvins. Twin deities described as young, beautiful, fond of honey,
and expert in medical knowledge. They are the physicians of the
gods.

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