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 man with two faces (looking to all directions) holding two stars in his hands. One of the two stars is interpreted as Vega (α Lyrae). As this is the fifth brightest star in the night sky, the other one mostbe 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).

Mythology

mnemonic tales and cultural significance

References

• References (general)