Glory of Shani Bhagavan

The capital of Emperor Vikramaditya was Ujjain. A great ruler – who looked after his subjects like his own children. He had nine extraordinary scholars in his court. They were called Nava Ratnas. Kalidasa, Acharya Dhanwantari, Jyotishacharya Varahamihira – they were all among them.

One day they started a debate – which planet was the greatest. The first scholar said – Surya is the greatest among planets. He is the king among planets. He is the brightest among planets. Giver of life to all beings. Without Surya there is no life. He removes pain, poverty and ill health of those who pray to him. What more – he is Suryanarayana, Narayana himself, so he is the greatest.

Then the second scholar said – Chandra is also a royal planet. Just as Surya is the king of the day, Chandra is the king of the night. He is the nourisher and protector of all plants and trees. He only provides food to everyone. He doesn’t harm anyone. Very calm and cool planet. Lord Shiva has kept him on his forehead to keep his cool. Lord Shiva is famous for his short temper. Chandra only keeps him cool. So Chandra is the greatest.

The third scholar said – Mangal is a very powerful planet. He is also very cruel. He can bless and destroy in the same way. If you worship him, he will give everything. If he is angry, he will destroy everything and even the children and grandchildren will suffer because of this. So Mangal is the greatest.

The fourth one said – Budh should be the greatest. He gives wealth. Makes you wealthy. He never harms anyone. He only gives happiness and removes sorrows. He is also well known for his wisdom. He makes you wise.

The fifth scholar argued that Guru, Brihaspati, was the greatest among planets. He is Devaguru. Respected even by the likes of Indra and Shiva. He advises even the devas. He removes troubles of even the devas. Even if you worship any other graha, just worship Brihaspati, it is as good as worshiping all Navagrahas. He is the greatest as he alone can remove all the miseries of his devotees.

Shukra is the bestower of all worldly comforts, all pleasures, wealth and happiness – said the sixth scholar. Being the Asura Guru, he is very powerful. And all the worlds are under his command. He is the greatest.

Then there were two scholars who said – Rahu and Ketu are feared even by Surya and Chandra. They can cause eclipses and can overpower Surya and Chandra. Very cruel in nature. They deserve to be worshiped, or there will be trouble throughout life. Being more powerful than Surya and Chandra, they should be the greatest.

Vikramaditya asked, is there any planet left out now? Then the ninth scholar said, Shani Bhagwan is the greatest among planets. He is the most powerful among planets. He causes a lot of pain and miseries, but he is also the greatest among those who give blessings. If Shani Bhagwan blesses, then there will not be any more troubles or obstacles in life. But he also gets angry very fast and if he gets angry, he will instantly destroy everything. He is undefeatable. Be it devas or asuras, one look by Shani Bhagwan, they are all destroyed.

This is very important. Whenever you are in a Shani temple, never ever stand face to face with the idol. Shani Bhagwan’s look can simply turn one to ashes. He is so kind, his gaze is always downwards. Still, don’t take the risk. Pray to him standing by the side. Never straight in front of him. You should never allow Shani Bhagwan’s gaze to fall upon you.

These are certain facts we should know about the divinity. Agni, we worship Agni. Surya is Agni. Surya causes water in the sea to evaporate and become clouds. Thus we get rains. Rain gives us food. We cook with Agni. Agni gives us light as lamp. Electricity is Agni. Still, if you don’t handle Agni properly, it is disastrous.

In fact, no deity you should stand face to face, even if as benevolent as Krishna or Lakshmi. You should not worship standing face to face. We don’t really need so much blessing as a full gaze, full straight gaze can give. The term used is kataksha, a glance from the corner of their eyes. That is enough for all that we need. We can’t take more than that.

How much do you need? A few kilograms of gold, maybe 10 kilograms, hundred kilograms? Suppose tomorrow morning you wake up and find three truckloads of gold in front of your house, meant for you — are you in trouble or not? We don’t need that much. Only a kataksha, a glance from the corner of the eyes is enough to change lives.

In the case of Shani Bhagwan, never ever go in front of him to worship him. Always do it from the side.

Surya is Shani Bhagwan’s father. Surya’s wife is Samjna. Samjna was the daughter of Viswakarma. Samjna had three children from Surya — Manu, Yama and Yami.

Samjna found Surya’s heat unbearable. She wanted to leave Surya. But Surya should not come to know that she was leaving. So, Samjna created a replica of herself called Chhaya. Chhaya literally means shadow. And then she left to observe tapas in the forests.

Surya could not make out that it was not Samjna, but her replica that was with him. Chhaya also gave birth to three children of Surya — Shani Bhagwan, another Manu and Tapati.

Once Chhaya cursed Yama, her stepson. Then Surya became doubtful — how can a mother curse her own son? Then he realized that it was not Samjna, but her replica, Chhaya, who was all this while with him. Then Samjna was brought back.

Samjna still found it impossible to bear Surya’s heat. She went and complained to her father Viswakarma. Viswakarma was the engineer. He put Surya’s disc under his grinder and started grinding. Even after great effort, he could only take out one eighth part of Surya. And that one-eighth portion was made into Vishnu’s Sudarshana Chakra, Shiva’s Trishula, Kubera’s Pushpaka Vimana, and Shakti — the spear of Subrahmanya.

So, Shani Bhagwan is son of Surya and Chhaya. But he is considered to be Surya’s enemy — enemy of his own father, even astrologically.

When you talk about Surya’s relationship with other planets, it is said — Shatroo... His enemies are Saturn and Venus.

As soon as Shani Bhagwan was born, he just glanced at his father Surya and Surya started losing power. Imagine — even Viswakarma, with so much of grinding, could take away one-eighth of Surya’s power, but only one glance from Shani Bhagwan. Surya developed a skin disease. He started losing his brilliance. His horses became blind. His charioteer could not move.

They tried all sorts of remedies. Nothing worked. Then Shani Bhagwan looked at him benevolently again and everything became all right.

When Vikramaditya heard this, he scornfully laughed and said, what bad luck to have a son like this. If he did so much as soon as he was born, what all did he do in the future? Tell me, I am curious to know. Vikramaditya went on mocking and taunting.

At that time, Shani Bhagwan was roaming around in his chariot and he happened to be near Ujjain. He saw all this and heard Vikramaditya mocking at him. He descended upon Vikramaditya’s court. The scholars immediately told Vikramaditya that it was Shani Bhagwan who had arrived.

The king immediately got up and bowed before him. Shani Bhagwan said, you seem to be very good in sarcasm and mockery. You didn’t even spare me. I will teach you a lesson for your arrogance. I am going to come and occupy Kanya Rasi in some time. You are going to see some changes in your life. I will show you who I am and what real bad luck is.

The king begged for mercy. Shani Bhagwan brushed him aside and left. Vikramaditya felt a fool of himself. Why did he have to ridicule Shani Bhagwan and incur his wrath? It was not necessary. Vikramaditya became really worried about what was going to happen. When Shani Bhagwan can terrorize the three worlds even otherwise, what is he going to do to me when I have made fun of him?

The court was dismissed. Within one month, Saturn moved into Kanya Rasi. As per Vikramaditya’s horoscope, the 12th house. His Janma Rasi was Tula and Saturn moved into Kanya Rasi.

Whenever Saturn transits your Janma Rasi, the Rasi before that and the Rasi after that, it is called Sade Sathi. Saturn stays in one Rasi for two and a half years. So — Janma Rasi, 12th from it and 2nd from it — three Rasis. Three multiplied by two and a half makes it seven and a half years — worst period in one’s life.

So, Vikramaditya’s Sade Sathi started.

Now, it was not because Vikramaditya made fun of Shani Bhagwan that he was going to suffer. His Sade Sathi was anyway going to start. He himself added to the trouble by incurring Shani Bhagwan’s wrath at the beginning of it.

The scholars told him to do some remedies. They told him to make an idol of Shani Bhagwan in a horseshoe, install it in a mud pot, perform its abhishek with til oil, chant Shani mantra 23,000 times, and propitiate brahmins through daan thinking that they are Shani Bhagwan.

The king thought nothing was going to help him. He told the scholars to go away. This is what happens when bad time comes. You won’t even feel like doing what could give some relief. All sorts of thoughts and logic and rationalism come up. This is all useless. These are all ways and means devised by the pandits to make money and take advantage of the gullible. Who can change fate?

All these thoughts come up. Then you end up doing nothing and end up suffering to the fullest possible extent. You should have some real good karma in your account, for someone to give a good advice when the times are bad, you being able to do it and also for that to work for you. It is not easy.

So, here Vikramaditya — in spite of being advised by the best of scholars, his own people whom he always trusted — did not or could not do what was told to him as a remedy.

There was a horse market that assembled once in a while, where beautiful and powerful horses from all around the world were brought and traded. This was in Ujjain.

Vikramaditya went there. Shani Bhagwan also came there disguised as a horse trader. The king was impressed with one of the horses that Shani Bhagwan brought. He mounted the horse and started riding it. The horse was really fast. The king went on whipping it to run faster and faster.

Then after some time, he wanted to slow it down and whipped it to slow down. Then he realized that the horse was not acting as per his command. It was on its own. It had its own plan. After some time, they had come a long distance, crossed a river and at nightfall reached a forest. Then the horse stopped.

King got down from the horse. He was so tired that he lay down on the ground and fell asleep. In the morning when he woke up, he started walking. After walking a few yojanas he reached a place called Tamlinda.

In the meantime, at Ujjain everyone waited for the king and the horse to come back and the night passed. In the morning the horse trader demanded a hefty price for his horse. They paid him and he went away. Everybody became worried about the safety of the king.

In Tamlinda, the king met a very prosperous merchant. The merchant assessed the king by his looks and thought that he must be a noble person. The merchant asked him who he was. The king said he belonged to a royal family and was just passing by.

The merchant offered him food and called him over for dinner at his residence. He had another plan in mind. He had a daughter of marriageable age, called Alolika, and could not find a suitable groom for her. This man could fit the bill.

He went and told his daughter that he had identified a husband for her and was going to get her married to him. Alolika said that she would agree only after she sees him and convinces herself.

After dinner, Vikramaditya was asked to retire to a room in which there were many paintings. The paintings looked as if they were real. The room was well decorated with a lot of antiquities.

After some time, the king lay down to sleep. Alolika came in. She was wearing attractive dress, makeup and ornaments. The king pretended as if he was asleep. He had high moral values. He should look at her as if she was his own daughter. He didn’t know about the merchant’s plans.

Alolika waited for the king to wake up. She even sprinkled some water on his face to wake him up. He wouldn’t wake up. You can wake up a sleeping man, but never someone who is pretending to be asleep.

After some time, Alolika also felt tired and went off to sleep in a corner of the room, after removing an expensive pearl necklace from around her neck and hanging it on a hook. She thought the king had no manliness in him.

At midnight, a swan from one of the paintings came to life. It started swallowing the girl’s necklace which was hanging on the hook. Vikramaditya saw that, but then it was already half swallowed. He thought that if he tried to pull it out, he might harm the bird. So, he just left it like that.

In the morning, the girl found the necklace missing. She thought that the man must have stolen it. She started screaming. She told her father that the man he identified for her as husband turned out to be a thief.

The merchant told Vikramaditya — I thought you were a gentleman and belonged to a decent family. I offered you food and place to rest. I even offered you my daughter’s hand in marriage. What have you turned out to be? A petty thief?

Now, better return the necklace wherever you have hidden it and go back to wherever you came from. This is no place for a thief like you.

The king said, I am not lying. I have not stolen the necklace. It is my ill fate that is putting me through all these troubles.

Nobody believed him. So the servants of the merchant tied him and beat him up. The king kept on saying that he was not lying and he didn’t steal.

The merchant thought that this man is a real hard-core and seasoned thief. He approached the king of that place — a king called Chandrasena — and told his grievance.

Chandrasena asked Vikramaditya to be produced in the court. Vikramaditya repeated the same — he didn’t steal, he is innocent, and he was not lying. Even if he had told that it was the swan in the painting who had taken the necklace, who would believe him?

Vikramaditya said — the position of planets in my horoscope is weak. That is why all this is happening to me. Shani Bhagwan entered Chandrasena’s mind. His judgement became clouded. Chandrasena became furious and ordered that Vikramaditya’s hands and feet be cut and he be left in the open to die. Nobody should give him food or water.

Accordingly, the soldiers took him out, cut his hands and feet and left him in the open. Vikramaditya was in unbearable pain. On top of that, nobody dared to give him anything to eat. He kept on weeping day and night, pleading for the mercy of Shani Bhagwan.

After some time, Bhagwan felt a bit of sympathy towards him. He influenced Chandrasena’s mind again. He ordered that the limbless thief can be given food or water. So, he started getting food and water. But still, the pain was unbearable.

Two months passed. One day, a woman from Ujjain was passing by where limbless Vikramaditya was lying. She was married to an oil maker’s family in Tamlinda. She had gone to her parental home and was returning. She instantly recognized the king.

She went near him and asked what happened. First, the king enquired about the well-being of his people back at Ujjain and then narrated whatever happened to him. He blamed his fate and the bad position of planets for all that happened.

The woman put the king in a palanquin and asked her servants to take him to her in-laws’ place. Her in-laws became worried. How can they help somebody punished by King Chandrasena?

The woman told them that the man was in fact King Vikramaditya of Ujjain and how great a king he was. It was a fortune to have him home and be of help to him.

Vikramaditya told them not to disclose to anyone who he really was. The oilmaker went to King Chandrasena and asked permission to keep the thief at home and feed him. Chandrasena agreed.

Vikramaditya spent seven years at the oilmaker’s house, helping him in whichever way he could at his work. Vikramaditya was an accomplished singer.

One evening, while helping the oilmaker at his work, he started humming in raga Deep. Deep is a raga — if sung properly, lamps would light up on their own. As Vikramaditya went on singing, the lamps started lighting up on their own. The lamps of the whole city lit up as if it was a festival.

The princess of Tamlinda was Padmasena. She noticed that all the lamps of the city had lit up suddenly for no reason. There was no marriage. No festival. She noticed that somebody had sung raga Deep. The singer cannot be an ordinary person.

She sent her maids around to find out. Padmasena’s maids found out that it was the same thief — whose limbs were cut off — who was singing in raga Deep. They came back and reported to Padmasena.

She wanted to get him to the palace immediately. Even if he was a thief and punished by her father, she was not bothered. She even wanted to marry him. The maids got scared. They couldn’t take the risk.

Padmasena told them that she would take complete responsibility of everything. So, the maids brought Vikramaditya to the palace. Padmasena asked him to continue singing. As he sang, the lamps in the palace lit up.

Chandrasena saw this. He wanted to know what it was. His servants told him that it is better that he himself goes and finds out. The king was sleepy. He didn’t go.

The Sade Sathi was coming to an end. Vikramaditya was hoping that all his troubles would be over soon. He would be able to go back to Ujjain once his Sade Sathi was over.

While he was thinking this, Shani Bhagwan appeared before him. Vikramaditya could not stand up. He did not have legs to stand on.

Bhagwan said, it looks like you still don’t recognize my power. Haven’t you had enough trouble already? The king lay on the floor, prostrating before Shani Bhagwan.

Shani Bhagwan was pleased. He said, ask for any boon.

Vikramaditya said — please do not cause suffering to mankind. Let anyone else not suffer as I have suffered in the past seven and a half years.

Bhagwan gave the hands and legs back to the king and made him as handsome, robust, and healthy as before.

And Bhagwan said — agree that I gave a lot of trouble to you, but this is nothing compared to what I did to Devaguru Brihaspati, who was also my own Guru.

One day, Shani Bhagwan went to Brihaspati, bowed before him and told him that he was going to occupy his twelfth house as the time had come for his Sade Sathi. Brihaspati said — no, don’t even come near me.

Shani Bhagwan said — nobody likes me. Even you don’t like me. But I am duty-bound to do this. Being my Guru, at least allow me to be with you for at least five years. Or even two and a half years. Or at least seven and a half praharas. One prahara is three hours.

Brihaspati refused to accept even that. Finally, a settlement was arrived at between the two — Shani Bhagwan can affect him for two and a half hours.

Brihaspati thought — I will spend two and a half hours at the river doing prayers, and what can be done to me during that time?

As Brihaspati started walking towards the river, Shani Bhagwan came disguised as a sanyasi. He gave two melon fruits to Brihaspati. Brihaspati accepted them and gave two coins as bhiksha to the sanyasi.

In the meantime, the prince and the minister’s son had gone hunting. They did not return in time. The king got worried and sent soldiers to look around for him.

Brihaspati was walking towards the river with the melons in his shoulder bag. Bhagwan, through his magical power, turned the melons into human heads.

The soldiers saw the brahmin in traditional attire and asked him what was in the shoulder bag. He said — melons.

They said — if they are melons, then why are they dripping blood?

They opened the shoulder bag and found the severed heads of the prince and the other boy in it.

They shackled Brihaspati, beat him up, and took him to the king. When the king saw his son’s severed head, he fainted in agony. When he regained consciousness, he ordered that the killer be pierced with a spear and left to die on top of it outside the city limits.

As the soldiers took Brihaspati to be killed, he requested them to wait for some time before they pierced him with the spear. He offered them a lot of money.

They said — why not. He is only asking for some time. So, this used to happen even then.

By this time, the two and a half hours had passed.

The prince and his friend came back riding home. The confusion was cleared. The king apologized to Brihaspati, and Brihaspati explained to him what had happened. They opened the bag again, and there were only two melons in it.

Shani Bhagwan came and asked how it went. Brihaspati said — you destroyed me in two and a half hours. What would you have done to me if I had allowed you seven and a half years?

Brihaspati said — I am the greatest among planets. However, I will confer that rank upon you now.

Shani Bhagwan said — Gurudev, you were proud about your greatness. Pride catches my attention, and I don’t spare those who are proud and arrogant.

Everybody has to undergo trouble as and when Shani Bhagwan’s period comes. But those who are arrogant and consider themselves to be above all, suffer one of the greatest falls.

See, Shani Bhagwan did not spare even his own Guru.

Once, Shani Bhagwan went to visit Lord Shiva at Kailasa. Shiva got worried — is he coming to catch me?

Shiva said — how can you come unannounced like this?

Shani Bhagwan said — okay, I will come back tomorrow.

Next day, when Shani Bhagwan went again, Shiva had gone into hiding.

Shani Bhagwan became happy. The whole world trembles at the anger of Shiva — and he has gone hiding from me!

Lord Rama’s vanavasa and Seeta’s abduction happened when they were under the influence of Shani Bhagwan.

Ravana once captured all the Navagrahas and tied them under his throne. He would sit and walk over them.

Narada went and asked Shani Bhagwan — you say that you are very powerful and you are tied up here and helpless. It looks like you can’t do anything with brave people like Ravana. You only trouble the weak?

Shani Bhagwan said — I am tied here face down. Give me one chance to look at Ravana and see what happens.

So Narada went and told Ravana — why have you kept all the planets tied face down? There is no fun walking over their backs. You should turn them up and walk over their bodies. That is befitting of a brave man like you.

So, Ravana turned all of them up. One look at Ravana’s face — and Shani Bhagwan devastated his entire clan within six months.

Raja Harishchandra had to sell his wife and become a slave when he came under the influence of Shani Bhagwan. King Nala got cursed by Kaushika Maharshi and suffered a lot along with his wife Damayanti — that also under the influence of Shani Bhagwan.

Indra lost his moral judgement and got cursed by Rishi Gautama. Chandra committed a grave sin by getting into an affair with his Guru’s wife and got the permanent black mark on himself. This was also during Shani Bhagwan’s period.

Vasishta lost his hundred sons during Shani Bhagwan’s period. The Pandavas lost everything when they came under the influence of Shani Bhagwan. Not only the Pandavas — even the Kauravas’ downfall was because of him.

Even Krishna came to be called a thief, when Syamantaka Mani went missing. He was under Shani Bhagwan’s influence. Krishna admitted and told Shani Bhagwan that he was the greatest among planets.

Shani Bhagwan was telling all this to Vikramaditya. He prostrated before Shani Bhagwan and said — now give me that boon, that you will not trouble anyone anymore.

Bhagwan said — I can only give you one boon. Those who read, listen, or help to preserve this story by spreading it, I will protect them day and night.

And those who ridicule this story or ignore it, I will destroy them.

Those who read or listen to this story at least on Saturdays, I will not harm them in any way. They will also have all kinds of fortune.

Shani Bhagwan blessed Vikramaditya and disappeared. Chandrasena gave his daughter Padmasena in marriage to him. Then they all went to the room where Vikramaditya was sleeping and found the necklace in the swan’s painting. They were all surprised at how all this happened.

Vikramaditya married the merchant’s daughter also. Then they all asked him who he really was.

Vikramaditya revealed that he was the king of Ujjain. Due to the bad position of planets in his horoscope, he insulted Shani Bhagwan and had to undergo all these sufferings. Your thinking and actions are influenced by those planetary positions.

After a month, Vikramaditya returned to Ujjain with the new brides and a lot of gifts from Chandrasena and the merchant.

He became humble and constantly worshipped Shani Bhagwan. The people of Ujjain also became very happy to have their king back.

With the blessings of Shani Bhagwan, he delivered his duties as a king very well and his kingdom became happy and prosperous.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi