Adityas

Āditya (Sanskrit: आदित्य), meaning "of Aditi or related to Aditi", refers to the offsprings of Aditi. Adityas are solar class deities. In the Rigveda, the Ādityas are the seven celestial deities, sons of Āditi, headed by Varuna, followed by Mitra: They are: Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Anśa or Aṃśa, Dhātṛ or Dakṣa, and Indra. The eighth Āditya (Mārtanda) was rejected by Aditi, leaving seven sons. In the Yajurveda (Taittirīya Samhita), their number is given as eight, and the last one is believed to be Vivasvāna. Hymn LXXII of Rig Veda, Book 10, also confirms that there are eight Adityas, the eight one being Mārtanda, who is later revived back as Vivasvāna.  The Adityas being Solar deities have been described in the Rig Veda as bright and pure as streams of water, free from all guile and falsehood, blameless, perfect. These class of deities have been attributed to as upholding the movables and immovable Dharma. Adityas are beneficent Gods who act as protectors of all beings, who are provident and guard the world of spirits. In the form of Mitra-Varuna, the Adityas are true to the eternal Law and act as the debt exactors. In present day usage in Sanskrit, the term Aditya has been made singular in contrast to Vedic Adityas, and are being used synonymous with Surya, the Sun.There is differences regarding the number of Adityas as per various non-vedic texts.The Vedas do not identify the Ādityas and there is no classification of the thirty-three gods, except for in the Yajurveda (7.19), which says there are eleven gods in heaven (light space), eleven gods in atmosphere (intermediate space), and eleven gods in earth (observer space). In the Satapatha Brahmana, the number of Ādityas is eight in some passages, and in other texts of the same Brahmana, twelve Adityas are mentioned. The list of 12 Adityas is as follows: Aṃśa, Aryaman, Bhaga, Dakṣa, Dhātṛ, Indra, Mitra, Ravi, Savitṛ, Sūrya or Arka, Varuṇa, and Yama. Āditya in the Chāndogya-Upaniṣad is also a name of Viṣṇu, in his Avatar known as Vāmana, the dwarf, his mother is Aditi. Another such list, from the Vishnu Purana  is: Aṃśa, Aryaman, Bhaga, Dhūti, Mitra, Pūṣan, Śakra, Savitṛ, Tvaṣṭṛ, Varuṇa, Viṣṇu, Vivasvat.

In Vishnu Puran

There were twelve celebrated deities in a former Manvantara, called Tushitas, who, upon the approach of the present period, or in the reign of the last Manu, Chakshusha, assembled, and said to one another,

"Come, let us quickly enter into the womb of Aditi, that we may be born in the next Manvantara, for thereby we shall again enjoy the rank of gods."

And accordingly they were born the sons of Kashyapa, the son of Marichi, by Aditi, the daughter of Daksha; thence named the twelve Adityas; whose appellations were respectively, Vishnu, Sakra, Aryaman, Dhuti, Twashtri, Pushan, Vivaswat, Savitri, Mitra, Varuna, Ansha, and Bhaga. These, who in the Chakshusha Manvantara were the gods called Tushitas, were called the twelve Adityas in the Manvantara of Vaivaswata, which is the current Manvantara.