Abhijit

Abhijit, the 28th nakshatra, as depicted in temples.

The 28th nakshatra is typically identified with the area around Vega; here mapped to the Stellarium star chart (SMH for WGSN 2025).

... is an Indian name, used by the Indian Vedic tradition. Most of these names are roughly 3000 years old. They pre-date Hinduism but were taken over by it.

Etymology and History

Origin of Constellation

Abhijit means "The Victorious One". The depiction in temples typically shows a group of three stars, one of them is interpreted as Vega (α Lyrae). As this is the fifth brightest star in the night sky, the other stars most be much fainter; perhaps it is associated with the two stars η, θ Lyrae that are typically referred to as "double star" in ancient time (not in the modern sense of the term) and β and γ Lyrae.

In our animated GIF to display the position of Abhijit, the nakshatras Shravana and Dhanishta happen to be at the edge of the map. This way, it becomes obvious that Abhijit is really far north, away from the line of the other asterisms.

Mythology

mnemonic tales and cultural significance

References

• References (general)