THE FASCINATING SHANI DEV MANTRA

Lord Shani is the male deity who is very handsome and sits on a vulture, buffalo or a crow. He is Lord Sun’s son. Lord Shani is the elder brother of Yama, the God of death, who corresponds to the deliverance of justice in some scriptures.

Astrologically, Shani or Saturn is the slowest moving planet that resides for about 2 years in one zodiac sign. It is said that when Shani opened his eyes for the very first time, the sun went into an eclipse, which clearly denotes the impact of Shani on astrological charts.

Shani is a Sanskrit word, which is the name of one of the auspicious Navagrahas in Hindu astrology or Jyotish, the nine primary celestial bodies. Shani is embodied in planet Saturn it also represents the seventh day or Saturday.  The name Shanidev comes from the root Sanaischara, meaning slow mover (the word ‘chara’ means movement in Sanskrit).

In the Skanda Purana, there is a story that Lord Shani prayed to his father, Lord Sun, that he wanted a post that has not been received by anyone until now. He said to him that his board is seven times bigger than Lord Sun’s and no one can match his speed, be it the Devas or Asuras.

The Sun God was pleased to hear this and told Lord Shani that he should go to Kashi and worship Lord Shiva. He followed his father’s wishes and pleased Lord Shiva, who gave Saturn a place in the new planetary systems.

THE BIRTH OF LORD SHANI

When Lord Shani was in his mother Chhaya’s womb, she did severe penance sitting under the scorching sun to impress the Lord Siva. The Deity heard her prayers and the Divine and celestial energies nurtured the child in the womb.

Due to Chhaya’s prayers to Lord Shiva, Lord Shani turned out to be a great devotee of Lord Shiva. As she sat continuously under the Sun, the child in her womb kept turning black.

When Lord Shani was born, Lord Sun despised him since he was black and refused to accept him as his own. This greatly angered Lord Shani when his eyes were east upon his father, he was charred as black too.

 WHAT IS THE SHANI MANTRA?

Shani Mantra is one of the most powerful mantras or prayers to chant to avert the ill effects of Saade Sati, which is a 7.5-year period when a person comes under the influence of Shani or Saturn.

Shani is considered to be a malefic planet. It is the controller of longevity, misery, sorrow, old age, death, discipline, restriction, responsibility, delays, ambition, leadership and authority, humility, integrity, and wisdom born of experience. Shani is a giver as well as destroyer. It gives and takes, both in extremes.

The Saade Sati period in a person’s life corresponds to the time taken by Saturn to move over the three zodiac signs, that is, your sign, the sign before yours and the one after. Since it takes 2.5 years to move from one zodiac sign to another, so if the time period for all the three is combined, it amounts to 7.5 years.

WHO SHOULD RECITE THE SHANI MANTRA?

The Shani is an extremely strong planet and worshipping it during its Dasha kills its malefic effects. The chanting of Shani Mantra done otherwise is also quite beneficial. It is the planet of extremes. Saturn makes its natives work hard and also makes them learn lessons the hard way.

Those people who are suffering from the Saade Sati Shani period, they should make regular recitation of the Shani Mantra. Shani is pleased with the regular chanting of the Shani Mantra and liberates the person’s life from all the troubles and make them happy.

When you feel dejected, sad, demotivated due to the troubles faced during the Saade Sati period, resort to chanting the Shani Mantra. It will do you so much good, including boosting up your morale and confidence.

 HOW SHOULD YOU RECITE THE SHANI MANTRA?

Take a bath and be seated in a silent and serene place to recite the mantra. If you wish, you can contemplate on an image of Shanidev while reciting the mantra.

Focus on the wonderful and majestic form of Lord Shani and chant the mantra with all your devotion and faith. The ideal time for reciting the mantra is in the evening. To have the best results, the Shanidev Mantra should be chanted 23,000 times.

This chanting need not be done altogether. You can do it in a phased manner. In a hectic schedule, you can chant the Shani mantra eight times during a particular cycle. Chanting for 108 times at a time can be done whenever it is possible.

Shanidev is always just and right in his judgment. He always gives us what we deserve based on our good and bad deeds. He never fails to give us what we duly deserve from the merits of our good deeds. He is called the God of justice for a reason. Chanting the Shani Mantra can minimize the ill effects of our planetary transitions with the blessing of Shanidev.