Don’t Fear the Shani

Don’t Fear the Shani

Shani has been derived from the word Shanaischara, which means slow mover. The planet takes almost two and a half years settled in a particular zodiac, and hence the Shani Sade Sati persists almost for a span of seven and a half years, including the other two zodiacs, the one that comes after and before the one we consider. Shani, the deity has been mentioned in the Hindu Puranas and has been crowned the Supreme God of Justice. He is the God that controls the Karma if people. Therefore Sade Satis is time, it is considered when the karma of the people reflects. 

 

 

 

SHANI THE PLANET

 

Shani has been mentioned as a planet from the very early times. The Puranas mentioned it as one of the Navagrahas and Shani has also found a place in the great astrologer Aryabhatta's Aryabhatika. Varahamihira and Brahmagupta have also mentioned about the planet.  aspects of Shani also give information about the astronomical aspects, like the time of the revolution, rotation, apogee, perigee, aphelion, perihelion and such. 

 

Shani is the basis of Shanivara, or Saturday, based on the Greek naming after Saturn. This naming was based when astrology was just on the rise during the time Alexander visited India around the 4th century BCE.

 

 

 

SHANI THE DEITY

 

As a planet, Shani is the only one to be given the status of a God, for the immense power it reflects in the form of the wellness it brings and the adversity it may strike. 

 

 

Shani the deity is considered to be highly inauspicious, the supreme God of deliverance and penance. He is the one who maintains a record of karma. He delivers misfortune and misery to those who deserve it.

 

 

According to Hindu mythology, he is the son of Chhaya(shadow) and Sun. The peepal tree is considered to be the abode of Shani. The crow is considered the deity's transport. Chhaya observed tough penance during her pregnancy under the Sun. This caused Shani to become black.

Shani always had a misunderstanding with his father the Sun. Sun doubted whether a baby as black as Shani could belong to him, and so rejected him. Shani cast an evil eye on him and hence they were always fallen out.

 

 

Hindu mythology says that Shani was an incarnation of Vishnu. He is considered to be the brother of Dharma (Yama). He's the brother-in-law of Shiva as he's married to Kali.

 

 

 

THE WORSHIP OF SHANI

 

Shani is the one that never overlaps the dungeons that lay in the human heart and also brings out the danger that lurks inside there. He is one of the most powerful deities that the Hindu religion worships to destroy evil and any such obstacles.

 

Shani is the guardian of the human soul, that keeps in check whether it is in the right paths and also keeps an eye on all the evil that the soul may have overdone. In the eyes of Shani, no one is safe as there's always an eye cast on us. Shani makes it a point that the pursuit of pleasures and materialism does not overlap with the purity in our souls, so he makes an effort to clean our souls of negative doings. 

 

Shani temples are always black in color. He's worshipped on Saturdays, and best on new moons (Amavasya). He's seen wearing black or blue robes and carries a mace, a trident, and a machete sometimes. 

 

 

SADE SATI

 

The myth with Sade Sati is that people fear it unnecessarily. Shani's Sade Sati is considered to be the period as always observed when it makes a person turn from "राजा" to "रंक" and from "रंक" to "राजा". But it's not true. Shani harasses those whose justice has yet to be meted out. During Sade Sati of the planet, Shani delivers justice to those, who in their lives have wronged. Therefore people must observe penance and pray to Shani as a sign of repentance of their misdoings in order to cleanse their souls of the evil that resides in there. Observing fasts on Saturday is considered to be a remedy.  

 

Shani is like that one parent to us, who we may mistake as the strong and strict influence. But the truth beheld, he is actually the one who's the best influence on us. He is more of a friend than a foe. He helps us live our lives in accordance with the code of conduct. Shani favors the hardworking the most. He is the supreme judge and hence we should gravitate towards the good influence of the planet rather than his evil influence.