Shani
Shani (also spelled
Sani) is one of the nine
Navagraha or primary celestial beings in
Hindu astrology (that is,
Vedic astrology), Shani is embodied in the planet
Saturn. Shani is the Lord of Saturday; the word Shani also denotes the seventh day or Saturday in most Indian languages.
He is also known as
Sanaiscarya,
Shani Bhagavan,
Shaneesvara,
Saneesvara,
Saneesvaran,
Shani Deva, etc...
Shani is actually a demi-god and is a son of
Surya, the (
Hindu deity of the sun). It is said that when he opened his eyes as a baby for the very first time, the sun went into an eclipse, which clearly denotes the impact of Shani on astrological charts (horoscope).
In
Hindu astrology, a favourably-placed Shani on the horoscope of a person stands for a strong career, healthy life and everything positive for that person. In fact, a well-placed Shani in one's horoscope is something every astrology-believing
Hindu hopes for, as no other 'graha' can bestow what a favourable Shani can. Shani placed "unfavourably", on the other hand, denotes troubles in all of the above. Saneesvara is much feared by those Hindus who believe in astrology, as the "malefic" effects of his being unfavourably placed can be quite severe.
However, it is to be remembered that any pleasure or pain that befalls a person during Saneesvara's influence is not Saneesvara's arbitrary doing; rather, it is the result of the person's own
karma, now being manifested in the "presence" of Saneesvara. Thus an "unfavourably-placed" Shani brings about the harsh results of one's bad
karma, and vice-versa.
Shani is considered to be a stern
teacher who represents patience, effort, endeavour, and endurance; he is not one who gets carried away by platitudes like the careless and/or insincere chanting of matras or the performance of rituals without sincerity and/or faith. He forces people to be disciplined, and to understand that one needs to be humble, focussed, patient, and hardworking to achieve success.
Since most
Hindus fear Lord Shani, they prefer not to approach him alone directly; rather they turn to
God, in His various Forms, for relief.
The worship of Lord
Hanuman is a panacea for the harsh effects of the 'unfavourable' presence of Lord Shani. In the
Ramayana, Lord
Hanuman is said to have rescued Shani from the clutches of
Ravana and in gratitude, Shani promised
Hanuman that anyone who prayed to Him (
Hanuman), especially on Saturdays, would be rescued from the "malefic" effects of Saturn, or at the very least, the effects would be softened.
Another version of the encounter between Lord
Hanuman and Shani is that once Shani climbed on to
Hanuman's shoulder, implying that Shani's influence was beginning on Lord
Hanuman. At this,
Hanuman assumed a large size, and Shani was caught painfully between
Hanuman's shoulders and the ceiling of the room they were in. As the pain was unbearable, Shani requested Lord
Hanuman to release him, promising in return, that if a person prayed to Lord
Hanuman, he (Shani) would moderate the malefic effects of his influence on that person if not all together have no malefic influence on the person; following this, Lord
Hanuman released Shani.
Shani went everyday to put his ill effects on Maha Vishnu, but Vishnu was busy every time that Shani appeared. Shani was growing restless and asked Vishnu when he was available. Vishnu said tomorrow. Shani wanted to know how Vishnu would remember. Vishnu said write "tomorrow" on the wall and Shani did. When Shani came the next day, Vishnu pointed to the wall with the word "tomorrow". Shani came the next day and the same thing happened. Shani got tired of coming everyday that he left Vishnu alone.
Alternatively, one who prays to
Lord Vishnu is protected from Shani as he is said to be a great devotee of
Vishnu. (It is interesting to note that
Hanuman Himself was devoted to Lord
Rama, an
avatar of
Vishnu).
Note:Maha Vishnu is known for being reached by his devotees and not anyone else who wishes to influence him, including Shani.
In several parts of India, there are clusters of nine temples/shrines dedicated to the
Navagrahas. One such cluster is located near the town
Kumbakonam in the
state of
Tamil Nadu,
India. Lord Shani's shrine in this cluster is located at
Tirunallar. It is a Temple dedicated to Lord Darbaranyesvara, a Form of
Lord Shiva, in which Lord Shani is located in a niche in a wall. At this Temple, Lord Shani is considered to be of
benevolent nature.
Another important Shrine for Lord Shani is in Shingnapur, in
Maharashtra,
India. The deity self emerged from the
earth in form of stone block and was found by shepherds. When they touched stone with a pointed rod the stone began bleeding. The shepherds where astounded and one night one shepherd got a dream that the deity was Lord Shani. To this day, due to fear of Shani, house within a 1 km radius of the Shani temple do not have locks. No thefts happen in this place. Some who have tried to steal have received punishment (sickness, mental harrasment) (from Shani).
*
Navagraha* http://www.shanishinganapur.com/ (Temple in Shani Shinganapur)
* http://www.indiantemples.com/Articles/Tirunall.html (Shrine in
Tirunallar)
* http://karaikal.nic.in/SDS/shistory.htm (Information about
Tirunallar at the Website of the Collectorate of Karaikkal)
* http://www.jyotish.ws/wisdom/conversation_with_saturn.html (a "conversation" with Lord Shani)
* http://www.osfa.org.uk/shani.htm (learning to love Shani)
* http://www.bena.com/Sherpa1/bpa/Topics/Saturn_Shani.htm (the Karmic clean-up planet)
* http://www.chennaionline.com/festivalsnreligion/slogams/slogam13.asp
* http://www.zatang.com/astrology/planets.htm
* http://www.mantraonnet.com/navgrah.html
