Trivikrama

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Trivikrama, literally meaning thrice conquered or Three Steps, is an Indian name. It is a super-constellation in Ursa Major that consists of three constellations of two stars each, Yugma (युग्म) and Yugmaka (युग्मक) (the "double stars" in the ancient sense of the term, meaning two stars very close together but clearly separate for the naked eye). This Indian constellation equals the Chinese constellation Santai (三台) (three steps), but the direction of transfer is yet unknown.

Concordance, Etymology, History

This epithet refers to the three steps or strides of God Vishnu in the Rigveda. His three steps symbolise either three worlds or three planes: "In three places he planted his step, (one step on the earth, a second in the atmosphere, and a third in the sky) as Agni, Vayu, and Surya each after the other"[1], or the rising, culmination and setting of the Sun. The name is one of the forms of God Vishnu, who is depicted as having four arms, holding lotus flower, conch, wheel and mace. There are 24 forms based on the permutation of these four in to the four arms. The text Manasollasa Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many prepared in the context of the use for astrolabes lists the three pairs and the verse concludes as

इतीह युग्मत्रयमेवलोक्य त्रिविक्रमस्य प्रवदन्ति पादान्

itiha yugmatrayamavalokya trivikramasya pravadanti padan

"Here, it is being told that the three (traya) such twin pairs (yugmaka) as the legs (pādān) of the trivikrama, are imagined."

Indian name translation Dhruvaka Viksepa R.A. 1638CE Dec 1638CE in Chinese
युग्मक Yugmaka "double" 102 20 29 6h 54m 52 Surya (Sun) Upper Steps ικ UMa
युग्म Yugma "double" 119 45 29 8h 9m 49 19 Vayu (Air) Middle Steps λμ UMa
युग्मक yugmaka 'double' 137 25 9h 18m 40 48 Agni (Fire) Lower Steps ξν UMa

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

Mythology

mnemonic tales and cultural significance

Weblinks

References

2.https://www.ms.uky.edu/~sohum/sanskrit/yogavasishtha/Manasollasa.pdf

  1. Muir, John (1873). Original Sanskrit Texts on the Origin and History of the People of India (Vol. 4) (in Sanskrit). Harvard University. Trübner. pp. 64, 67, 87, 122