Brihaspati or Guru (Jupiter)

Brahmaa's one of the 10 Maanas Putra was Angiraa [6] . Angiraa was
married to Shraddhaa - one of the 9 daughters of Kardam Rishi and had
three sons - Utathya, Brihaspati (read his Vrat Kathaa here, and his
story here) and Samvart. Where Shukra (Venus) is a Braahman and
follows Bhrigu's (another Maanas Putra of Brahmaa) lineage, Brihaspati
(Jupiter) is also a Braahman and follows Angiraa's lineage.
He has a strange story of his birth. Angira's wife Shraddhaa, who was
another creation of Brahma, was unfaithful to her husband during her
pregnancy and as a result she gave birth to a stillborn child. However she
repented for her mistake and was able to regain the favor of Angiraa.
Angiraa then gave life to the child, who was then named Brihaspati.
Brihaspati had two wives - Shubh and Taaraa. Hs first wife Shubh gave
birth to 7 daughters - Bhaanumatee, Raakaa, Archishmatee,
Mahaamatee, Mahishmatee, Sineevaalee, and Havishmatee; his second
wife Taaraa gave birth to 7 sons and one daughter. He had two sons from
his brother Utathya's wife Mamataa also - Kach and Bharadwaaj. When
he had Mamataa, Mamataa was already pregnant. As he tried to
impregnate her, her child in her womb protested, but Brihaspati cursed
him for his objection that he should be born with utter darkness. That
child was Deerghtamaa who was born blind just because of Brihaspati's
Shaap. Brihaspati's own child was Bharadwaaj who was immediately
born. Both Brihaspati and Mamataa did not take care of the child so
they abandoned him there only. Maruts found him, named him as
Bharadwaaj, and brought him up. He was later adopted by King
Dushyant.
Brihaspati attained his position as the preceptor of the Devtaa by
performing penances on the banks of Prabhaas Teerth. Lord Shiv granted
him this position, as well as his position as one of the Nava Grahas (nine
planets).
In the Bhagavad Geetea, Shree Krishn teaches that among the priests,
He is Brihaspati, that shows that He addresses Brihaspati as the
highest, and proves that Brihaspati is like Bhagavaan Himself.

Brihaspati in Jyotish

In Jyotish (Hindu astrology), Brihaspati is the name for the planet

Jupiter, which is one of the Nava Graha (cosmic influencers) or planets. It
is also known as Guru, Cura and Devaguru. Brihaspati is considered to
be the greatest benefic of any of the planets. He rules over the signs
Dhanus (Sagittarius) and Meen (Pisces), he is exalted in Kark (Cancer)
and is fallen in Makar (Capricorn) signs. The Sun, Moon and Mars are
considered friendly to Brihaspati, Mercury is hostile and Saturn is
neutral.
Brihaspati is the Lord of three Nakshatras or lunar mansions:
Punarvasu, Vishaakhaa and Poorv-Bhaadrapad. Yellow colored items,
like yellow cloth, Moong Daal, Chanaa Daal, jaggry etc, are considered
associated with Brihaspati: his color is yellow, metal is gold and
gemstone is yellow topaz. The season associated with him is winter
(snow), direction is north-east and element is ether or space.
Guru in Vedic astrology is considered to be of the element ether (space)
or Aakaash Tattwa (Aakaash = Space/Sky/Aether; Tattwa =
Essence/Category/Truth). This indicates vastness, growth and
expansion in a person's horoscope and life. Brihaspati also represents
the balance of past Karm, religion, philosophy, knowledge and issues
relating to offspring. He is concerned with education, teaching and the
dispensation of knowledge. Humans with Jupiter dominating in their
horoscope could grow fat as life progresses and their empire and
prosperity increases; and diabetes is an ailment directly related to
Jupiter. According to traditional Hindu astrology, worship or propitiation
of Brihaspati or Guru (Jupiter) results in cure from ailments affecting
the stomach and helps ward off sins.
Brihaspati is a Kaarak or indicator of fortune, wealth, fame, luck,
devotion and faith, spirituality, charity, morality, meditation, Mantra,
children, Magistrates, ministers, lawyers, leaders in government and
religion. He represents wisdom, benevolence and philosophy. His most
favored position in a chart is 1st House, but he does well both in the
Kendra and Angles and the auspicious Trikon Houses. As a benefic
planet, he reaches full maturity at the earliest of the Nine Grahas - at the
age of 16.
Worship of Brihaspati results in a cure for ailments affecting the stomach
and helps one to ward off his sins, helps him in gaining strength, valor

and longevity etc. He grants the boon of fatherhood to the childless, and
good education. He should be worshipped on Thursdays. The following
story goes whenever he is worshipped --

Story to be Told on Thursday

There lived a King who had 7 sons and their wives. Two Braahmans used
to come to them to beg the alms from them, but the wives used to return
them empty handed. Therefore Brihaspati Dev got angry with them, so
he took all wealth from the King. When poverty reigned all over the
kingdom, the youngest wife sought forgiveness of those Braahman and
started giving them alms. But the elder 6 wives still denied alms to them.
The youngest wife asked the Braahman the remedy to getting over their
bad days. The Braahman advised her to keep fast on Thursdays and feed
Braahman. If anyone's husband has gone to foreign country, then she
should make two human figures behind the door that would make sure
his early safe return. If the family is stricken with poverty then these
figures should be made on a box.
The King's 7 sons had already gone to far countries, so the youngest wife
observed all the rituals as advised by those Braahman. Her husband had
gone to a country whose king had died. The King had no son. So after his
death his people were looking for a successor. To find a suitable
successor, they hung a garland on the horn of a female elephant. Now
that she-elephant will put that garland in whoever's neck he will be the
next King of that country according to their tradition.
The she-elephant was going all around, and she put that garland in the
youngest son's neck. Now he became the king of that country. He
searched for his brothers but in vain. He had to build a tank for his
people, so he engaged thousands of laborers. Among them were his
brothers also. He called all of them, took them to his palace and all
started living peacefully. Seeing this effect of Brihaspati's Vrat, all other
wives also started keeping it and all of them became prosperous.

Brihaspati Jee
Where Shukra (Venus) is a Braahman and follows Bhrigu's (another Maanas
Putra of Brahmaa) lineage, Brihaspati (Jupiter) is also a Braahman and

follows Angiraa's lineage. Brihaspati Jee is the son of Maharshi Angiraa and
Kardam's one of the nine daughters Shraddhaa. Maharshi Angiraa had three
sons - Brihaspati, Utathya, and Samvart. He has a strange story about his
birth. Shraddhaa was unfaithful to her husband during her pregnancy and as
a result gave birth to a stillborn child. However she repented and was able to
regain the favor of Angiraa. Angiras then gave life to the child, who was
named Brihaspati.
According to Shiv Puraan, Brihaspati Jee is the son of Angiraa and Suroopaa.

Marriage and Children

Brihaspati Jee had three wives - Shubh, Taaraa and Mamataa. His first wife
Shubh gave birth to 7 daughters - Bhaanumatee, Raakaa, Archishmatee,
Mahaamatee, Mahishmatee, Sineevaalee, and Havishmatee; his second wife
Taaraa gave birth to 7 sons and one daughter; and his third wife Mamataa
gave birth to two sons - Kach and Bharadwaaj. Bharadwaaj was from his
brother Utathya's wife Mamataa. wife He had one daughter named
Varastree who was married Prabhaas Vasu and had the son named
Vishwakarmaa. [Since the names of the children of Taaraa is not known,
maybe this Varastree is the same daughter of Brihaspati Jee.]
According to Vaalmeeki Raamaayan, 1/5/17, Brihaspati Jee had a son named
Taarak whom he produced when Raam took Avataar on Prithvi. He fought
with Raavan from Raam's side in Raam-Raavan war.

Brihaspati and Indra

Once he went to the court of Indra. There all Devtaa stood up and welcomed
him but Indra did not get up from his throne to greet him. So he got angry
and went to his home. When he had left the court then only Indra realized
that he had committed a mistake, so he thought that he should ask for his
pardon. Brihaspati Jee knew that this would happen, so he disappeared from
his house. Indra could not find him. Without Guru he did not feel secured so
he had to request Vishwaroop to become their Guru. Although later he killed
him too.

Brihaspati and Chandramaa

Brihaspati Jee's one wife's name was Taaraa. Once Chandramaa got
attracted to her and kidnapped her and he wouldn't return her to Brihaspati
even after several requests. Chandramaa was mad about her. Chandramaa

requested her to be his partner, but Taaraa said she already had Brihaspati
Jee's child in her womb, but Chandramaa didn't listen to her and
impregnated her with his own child. Brihaspati Jee asked him to return his
wife several times, but he wouldn't listen to. Taaraa was after Brihaspati
Jee that he should bring up the child but Brihaspati Jee said, "He is not my
child."
Now when the child was born, it was very beautiful. Both Brihaspati Jee and
Chandramaa started fighting over it that "This is mine, this is mine", Then
Brahmaa Jee came for rescue. He asked Taaraa "Whose child it is" Taaraa
got embarrassed with this question, then the child in the womb spoke "Why
don't you tell the truth?" Then somehow she told "It is Chandramaa's child".
So Chandramaa took that shiny beautiful child. Brahmaa Jee named him
"Budh" because his Buddhi (intelligence) was very sharp.

Brihaspati and Shukraachaarya

As Devtaa's Guru is Brihaspati, Daitya's Guru is Shukraachaarya.
Shukraachaarya Jee did severe Tap and obtained the Sanjeevanee Vidyaa.
He used this Vidyaa to bring dead Daitya to life. Since Devtaa and Daitya
often fought, when Devtaa killed Daitya, Shukra brought them tolofe again,
but when Devtaa were killed, Brihaspati could not do so. Seeing this Detaa
were very sad.
Once Devtaa went to him and requested him to learn Sanjeevanee Vidyaa
from Shukraachaarya Jee. So on the request of Devtaa he sent his son Kach
to learn Sanjeevanee Vidyaa (Mantra to bring the dead alive) from
Shukraachaarya Jee. Shukraachaarya Jee had a daughter named
Devayaanee. Kach used to serve her too very well. As a result she fell in love
with him. She used to care for him a lot. She saved his life three times from
Daitya.
In fact Daitya did not like that Shukra should teach enemy's son, but since
Kach was his friend's son, he could not have refused him. When Kach
approached him to be his disciple, he accepted him on the condition that he
would test him for 1,000 years. Kach agreed and started living with him.
Once Daitya killed him and Shukra had to bring him alive. Next time they
killed him but Shukra again brought him to life at the request of
Devayaanee. The third time, they burned him and offered his ash in liquor to

Shukra to drink. Shukra drank it. When Kach did not come back from grazing
the cattle, Devayaanee again asked her father to look for him.
Shukraachaarya called him in a loud voice - "O Son Kach, Where are you?"
Kach called back from his stomach - "Guru Jee, I am in your stomach." and
told the whole story of is killing and Shukra Jee drinking his ash in liquor.
Now Shukraachaarya Jee was in a flux, but Devayaanee suggested that as
she also knew Sanjeevanee Vidyaa, let him come out of her father's stomach
and when her father would die, she would bring him to life. Shukraachaarya
Jee did the same. When Devayaanee was reviving her father, Kach learned
it.
After Kach was brought to life, Devayaanee asked him to marry her. But
Kach's objective was not to marry her. So when she proposed him for
marriage, he refused her saying that he had never looked at her with this
desire; and since he came out from Shukra's stomach, she was his sister and
he could not have married her at any cost. This made Devayaanee angry and
she cursed him that he would not be able to use his Vidyaa what he came to
learn for. Kach was not worried at this, he also cursed her that since she
had cursed him without any good reason, she would not be able to marry any
Braahman. He further said - "Even if I will not be able to use it myself but
at least he I will be able to teach it to others so that they can use it.' and
he went away. After returning from here, he taught that Vidyaa to his
people so that they could bring Devtaa alive died in Dev-Asur war.

Brihaspati and Utathya

He had illicit relations with his brother Utathya's wife Mamataa at the time
she was pregnant with Deerghtamaa. The child in her womb asked him not to
make effort to put another child with him, but Brihaspati didn't listen to
him and cursed the child in womb to be born in perpetual darkness. That is
why Deerghtamaa was born blind.
Note
[Aangiras, p 248-249] Name of a Vaidik deity, who is also called
Braahmanaspati. Brihaspati, in the Ved, is Brahm, and Purohit as well as
Angiras. He is the Lord of prayers as his name indicates. He is called Poorvbhaj, means entitled to the first prayer. He is called wisest of the wise. He is
also called Ganapati. Brihaspati Ganapati gradually lost the name Brihaspati
and began to be called as Ganapati. The elephant-headed appearance of
Ganapati and stories related to Ganapati do not have their origin in the Ved.
There are two Mantra, one in Rig Ved and the other in Yajur Ved where

Brihaspati is invoked with only by his name as Ganapati. These two Mantra
are still very commonly chanted as prayers. In the Yajur Ved Sanhitaa
verse, the term "Gan" is used for the worshipper and "Pati" means "the
Lord"; hence "Ganapati" means "our Lord".

As Shukra is the Guru of Daitya, Brihaspati Jee is the Guru of Devtaa. He

attained his position as the preceptor of the Devtaa by performing penances
on the banks of Prabhaas Teerth. Lord Shiv granted him this position, as well
as his position as one of the Nava Graha (nine planets).
In the Bhagvad Geetea, 10:24, Shree Krishn says to Arjun that among the
priests, He is Brihaspati, that shows that He addresses Brihaspati as the
highest, and proves that Brihaspati is like Bhagavaan Himself. There are
several stories famous about him.

Brihaspati or Jupiter is the preceptor of gods. Learned and virtuous, he guides and
protects the gods and lends dignity to the court of Indra, the king of gods. The gods
obtain nourishment through the yagnas that the earthlings perform. In return, the gods
foster the earthlings. This symbiosis is interfered with by the asuras or demons who
obstruct the yagnas and snatch the share due to the gods. Sage Brihaspati helps the gods
acquire their share of nourishment by the use of 'mantras' or powerful incantations that
drive away the asuras.
The worship-worthy Brihaspati is the son of the sage Angira
who in turn is the son of the Creator Brahma. Versed in the
essence of the Vedas and other scriptures, Brihaspati is calm
and self-controlled. He has conquered anger, has a sweet voice
and is absolutely pure of heart. He always has the good of the
world in mind. Once upon a time, he undertook rigorous
penances in Kashi and pleased lord Shiva immensely.
"O' Brihaspati," said lord Shiva, after appearing before the
meditating sage, "ask for a boon."
Brihaspati was filled with bliss after seeing the Omnipotent
Lord in front of him. He immediately offered a hymn in the praise of the Lord and then
became silent. Pleased with him, lord Shiva conferred upon Brihaspati the status of a
graha, or planet, and the preceptorship of the gods. Worship of lord Shiva on a Thursday,
the day of Brihaspati, coinciding with Pushya nakshatra, ensures success in any venture
undertaken at such an auspicious occasion.
Once upon a time, the Moon-god developed an infatuation for the young and lovely
Taara, the devoted wife of Brihaspati. Abandoning all shame and propriety, he abducted

the beautiful lady, the wife of his own preceptor, and enjoyed her physically. Brihaspati
was naturally distressed at this happening, more so because the Moon-good had taken
shelter with his invincible rival Shukra, the preceptor of the demons. It was through the
intervention of lord Shiva and lord Brahma, as well as other gods and sages, that Taara
was rescued. She was, however, pregnant at the time of her release from the hold of the
Moon-god, and gave birth to a beautiful and highly intelligent child who came to be
known as Mercury or Budha.
Praising Brihaspati during the episode of abduction of his wife, lord Shiva said, "Blessed
be the devotees of lord Vishnu, the Preserver. Brihaspati is devoted to lord Vishnu, hence
his heart is pure and he is without malice and anger. For, could he not reduce a hundred
Moon-gods to ashes by a mere curse if he had but willed? Verily, they alone attain eternal
bliss who devote themselves to lord Vishnu wholeheartedly."
Lord Brahma explained the course of events thus: All beings, be they gods or men, follow
the dictates of lord Vishnu. One who hurts others must of necessity be punished by lord
Vishnu himself. Of the three sons of the sage Angira, the youngest one, Samvarta,
resorted to rigorous penances and did not pursue the life-style of a householder.
Brihaspati, during a particular moment of weakness of the mind, once took hold of the
pregnant wife of his other brother, Utathya, and violated her person. Blinded by lust, he
forgot that a brother's wife must be rendered the same respect as due to one's mother. All
deeds done, whether virtuous or sinful, must yield their corresponding fruits."
It is said that the child in the womb of Mamata, the wife of Utathya, resented Brihaspati's
action but Brihaspati ignored his objection. A son was soon born out of this union. He
was sage Bharadwaja who transmitted the knowledge of Ayurveda to Dhanvantri, the god
of the ancient system of medicine who had emerged with a pot of Amrita in his hands
from the Ocean as a result of its churning by the gods and the demons.
Rivalry between the gods and the demons is a regular affair. Their preceptors, Brihaspati
and Shukra respectively, bent upon protecting their respective clans, thus become natural
rivals. They both resort to varied means to acquire knowledge and strength, in order each
to outdo the other.
Shukra once noticed with concern that the demons were fighting a losing battle. The gods
were regularly having an upper hand. They had eliminated several mighty demons by
their strength and strategies. Shukra called the demons and addressed them thus: "Dear
asuras! You have lost mighty warriors in battle. My counsel to you all is to give up your
weapons till I return from austerities to acquire knowledge of invincibility. Then, alone
must you fight the gods with my help and attain victory. In the meantime, give up your
malefic nature, attain strength through the pursuit of austerities, and wait until an
opportune moment arrives."
Shukra went away to pursue his penances while the gods and the demons ceased
hostilities. The truce, however, did not last long as the gods discovered the trick of the
demons and attacked them in strength. The beleaguered demons took shelter with the

virtuous Khyati, the mother of Shukracharya, who offered the demons protection. The
gods, however, pursued the demons relentlessly, causing them great pain. Greatly angered
at the gods, the blameless Khyati immobilized Indra, the king of the gods, by the use of
her immense yogic powers. Seeing this, the gods ran away and their king Indra was
captured by the demons.
While Indra was overwhelmed by demons, lord Vishnu offered him protection by
incorporating him in His own body. This only infuriated the mother of Shukra and the
wife of sage Bhrigu further. Loudly she proclaimed:
"O' Indra! I am going to burn you to ashes along with this lord Vishnu. See now the
strength of my penances."
Both Indra and lord Vishnu were aware of the spiritual strength of the virtuous lady.
Before she could pronounce her curse, lord Vishnu beheaded the lady with His neverfailing Chakra, the discus. A sin of killing a woman was thus committed by lord Vishnu
Himself. In return, sage Bhrigu cursed lord Vishnu to take birth as a human being on the
earth on seven different occasions. Subsequently, Bhrigu used his yogic powers to bring
his wife Khyati back to life.
Indra was mortally afraid of Shukra for having wronged his mother and his subjects. He
spent many sleepless nights. Eventually he thought of a clever plan. He called his
daughter Jayanti and bade her to look after Shukracharya, engaged in rigorous practices,
with care and devotion. "Go and accomplish my purpose," said Indra to his daughter.
"From now on, I offer you to Shukra."
Jayanti accepted her father's bidding. She went to where Shukracharya was immersed in
deep meditation. Subjecting herself to numerous hardships, she carefully looked after the
preceptor of the demons for several years. At the end of a thousand years of rigorous
meditation, lord Shiva manifested Himself to Shukra and conferred upon the latter
invincibility as well as the knowledge of reviving the dead.

Shani Dev is one of the most popular deities that the Hindus pray to ward off evil and
remove obstacles.
Shani literally means the slow-moving-one. According to myths, Shani oversees the
"dungeons of the human heart and the dangers that lurks there."
Shani is represented as having a dark complexion and is said to be the son of Surya, the
sun god, and Chaya, the servant whom his wife Swarna surrogated. He is the brother of
Yama, the god of death and is believed by many to be an avatar of Shiva.
The Lord of Bad Luck?:

Stories about his evil influence abound. Shani is said to have chopped off Ganeshas
head. He is lame and has a limp because his knee was injured when he fought as a child
with Yama. In the mythology, he is represented as riding a chariot, carrying a bow and
arrow and pulled by a vulture or crow. Shani is found wearing a blue cloth, blue flowers
and sapphire.
He is also known as Saura (son of sun-god), Kruradris or Kruralochana (the cruel-eyed),
Mandu (dull and slow), Pangu (disabled), Saptarchi (seven-eyed) and Asita (dark).
The Ill-effect of His Planet - Saturn:
Hindus are under fear of evil from his planet - Saturn. In Vedic astrology, the planetary
position at the time of birth determines the future of a person. So, Hindus accord
immense importance to the planets, and Saturn or Shani is one such planet which they
fear the most for ill-luck. Anyone born under his influence is believed to at risk.
How to Appease Shani:
To appease him, many pay obeisance every Saturday by lighting a lamp before the image
of Shani and reading the Shani Mahatmyaham. He is pleased to accept lamps lit with
sesame or mustard oil. Even the day named after him, Shanivara or Saturday, is
considered inauspicious to begin any new venture.
The Giver of Kindness:
Yet o son of Chhaya (shadow) you are the fire who can destroy Time itself and like
Kamadhenu, the wish giving cow, you grant us all good things with kindness and
compassion, wrote Muthuswami Dikshitar (1775-1835) in his musical Navagraha
(Nine Planets) composition in Sanskrit.
Shani Temples:
Most Hindu temples have a little shrine set apart for the Navagraha or the nine planets
where Shani is placed. Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, the oldest Navagraha temple has the
most benign Shani. Another important Shani temple is at Shingnapur in Maharashtra
where the deity is represented as a block of stone. Navi Mumbai has a Sri Shaniswar
temple at Nerul while Delhi has a popular Shanidham at Fatehpur Beri in the historic
Mehrauli area.

Shani and Vikramaaditya

[p 258-267]

Although almost all Deities suffered from Shani's wrath, but Shani's
most important Kathaa (story) is about the King Vikramaaditya, because
he is a human being like us and cannot perform supernatural actions.
His story shows that he stuck to his principles and finally he came out of
those miseries. The King is like god.
This King Vikramaaditya is a mythical figure whose story may have been
influenced by one or more Vikramaaditya appeared on India's historical
scene. The one who is identified as the starter of Vikram Samvat that

began in 56 BC, has sometimes been identified as an incarnation of Shiv.

Another historical Vikramaaditya was Chandragupta II (c 400 AD) who
once defeated Hoon tribe. This Vikramaaditya also regarded as the ideal
king. It might be possible that the renowned astrologer Varaahmihir
belonged to this Chandragupta II's court. If this is so, then it is also
possible that Vikramaaditya got interested in astrology. Vikramaaditya
Harsh may also have been the King Vikramaaditya whose court the
famous poet Kaali Daas graced.
Many of the stories of this mythical Vikramaaditya are found in Kathaa
Sarit Saagar (the Ocean of the Streams of the Story) in which several
names like Vikramsen and Vikramsinh appear. It may be possible that all
of these figures represented our heroic figure Vikramaaditya. Shani,
however, appears only once in the entire text where he is named as Kaal
Kop (Black Anger, or The Anger of Time). In that story he was defeated in
battle along with Mangal, Budh and Brihaspati.
There is one another collection of stories related to Vikramaaditya, that is
"Sinhaasan Batteesee" (Thirty-two Tales of the Throne). They are written
in Sanskrit, perhaps between 11th and 13th centuries. They are not
seemed to be mutated and are available in several languages of India.
The 7th story of this collection is another rendering of the story of
Vikramaaditya's Shani's Saadhe Saatee. In this story, Vikram's favorite
Deity Kaalee Maa appears in his dream and instructs him to pacify Shani
Dev by prostrating before him so that all the difficulties might spread
over the 7 and 1/2 year period instead of concentrating in a short period.
So shortly after this dream he saw Shani limping, he recollected the
dream and immediately prostrated before him. Pleased with him, Shani
sent him to Mathuraa to be the servant of the King of Mathuraa for those
years. So Vikramaaditya handed over his country to Shani Dev and went
away to Mathuraa. While he was going to Mathuraa, an Apsaraa, joined
him. A snake and a frog who had been kings in their previous births also
joined him. He reached Mathuraa in disguise and got a job of the King's
personal guard in the daytime for a salary of 1,000 gold coins per day. In
the daytime he guarded the King and in the night he sported with the
Apsaraa, while the snake and frog who could change their forms guarded
the King in the night.

Two courtiers were jealous of Vikramaaditya because they had discovered

the secret of Vikramaaditya. The Apsaraa became ugly in the daytime,
and beautiful in the nighttime. Once those courtiers took away the King
into the courtyard so that he could see the game of Vikramaaditya. As
the King saw the Apsaraa he decided to take her for himself into his
Harem, because she was to beautiful. Now he started giving difficult
tasks to perform to Vikramaaditya. Unfortunately Vikramaaditya
performed every task successfully and won a maiden each time he
completed the task successfully. Thus 7 and 1/2 yeas of Shani's Saadhe
Saatee had passed and Vikramaaditya returned to his kingdom. Shani
gave him back his signet ring. During the course of 32 tales, King
Vikramaaditya marries every legible woman that he encounters.
[Note: I have the collection of Sinhaasan Batteessee tales, but I have not heard this
tale, nor that Vikramaaditya marries every legible woman that he encounters.]

North Indian Style Shani's Vrat Kathaa

Read the similar story here

This Kathaa of "Shani Dev Kee Mahimaa" is similar to a North Indian

version which is still reprinted in Hindi in New Delhi, but more detailed.
In this North Indian Kathaa, once the Nine Planets got an argument over
"Who was the greatest Graha of all?" When they could not decide, they
went to Indra. Hearing their problem Indra got terrified, because as he
pointed towards one, he would have to suffer the rage of the other eight
Graha, so he said to them that he was not competent enough to decide
their matter and they should go to the King Vikramaaditya and he would
be better person to settle their matter.
So the Nine Planets came to Vikramaditya's court and told him their
problem. Vikamaaditya thought and thought as how to solve their
problem, and he came up with a method. He made 9 thrones of nine
metals - gold, silver, bronze, bras, lead, tin, zinc, mica and iron, and
arranged them in the order (may be by their commercial value at that
time). Then he said to them - "Whose throne is first in the line, he is first
in greatness, and whose is last, he is last." So the Sun whose metal is
gold was gratified at this and then the rest of Planets also took their
throne according to their metals, except Shani whose metal is iron. Shani
became very angry at the King's judgment. He warned him "what would
befall him", and rest of story is as much as the Gujaraatee version.

Other Stories
AK Ramanujan retold a story entitled "Raja Vikram and the Princess of
China", a folk tale which is almost similar to this Shani's tale but without
Shani - King Vikramaaditya sets out to marry the Princess of China who
is the only person in the world who can save his kingdom from an evil
sorcerer. Once in China, King Vikramaaditya is falsely accused of stealing
a necklace from the royal treasury of the Emperor of China. In fact some
other thieves stole it and put it around his horse's neck. It is that
Emperor who orders his hands and feet to be cut off. An oilman brings
him home at his own initiative and risk. His wife makes objections but he
does not listen to her. When the oilman wants to bathe the King,
Vikramaaditya demands to be bathed in the Princess' pool, and it is
there where he sings Raag Deepak and makes all the lamps lit. That is
how the Princess who knows about the prowess of the King
Vikramaaditya, comes to know that he is there.
She then insists that each oilman of her kingdom should bring her three
tons oil the next day, knowing that only Vikramaaditya will be able to do
so with the help of his "four Vaitaals" who work for him and whom he
summons by singing Raag Bhairavee. After the oil is delivered, the
Princess orders the oilman to bring the cripple Vikramaaditya to her
Swayamvar [7]. When he comes there she turns into an Apsaraa who
asks him to ask for a boon. He asks for his limbs which she gives him.
He then displays himself with all his glory with the help of his Vaitaal.
The King of China and other kings acknowledge him and when the evil
sorcerer comes to kill him, the Princess easily thwarts him. The King and
the bride return to Ujjayinee and live happily for a very long time.

North Indian Version of Shani's Affliction to His Guru

Kathaa
The incident of Saturn's affliction to his Guru is described in a North
Indian tale. In this tale, the King's Minister saw Shani in his dream. He
told him that his King's Shani's Saadhe Saatee is going to start soon. The
minister brings him down to 7 and 1/2 months, and then 7 and 1/2
days, and finally to one hour and that one hour also he asks him to give
to himself. Shani Dev agrees, and when that one hour begins, someone
leaves the Prince's severed head dangling at the Minister's door while the
Minister was sitting inside worshipping the Lord.

The King was shocked to hear this and he ordered his people to kill his
Minister; and as the condemned man was taken to the execution ground,
the Prince's funeral pyre was prepared. During all this period Minister
kept quiet, knowing that the time would simply pass. Fire was set to the
Prince's pyre to burn him and the noose was put in the Minister's neck
to strangle him, that at the same moment the hour of Shani was up. The
Prince got up from the pyre and the noose automatically fell from the
Minister's neck.
The King was amazed to see this, he asked "What is this?" The Minister
told him the whole story. The King praised his Minister and rewarded
him heavily for his willingness to take that Saadhe Saatee on himself and
suffer in silence so that the King and his country might be spared.

Vikramaaditya's Fate
The willingness to suffer for others, be it a King (like the Minister in the
above story) or his subjects (like Vikramaaditya asked the boon for
others) is one of the notable quality of a noble person. In this story
Vikramaaditya pressed into service as Saturn's foil, as in the Biblical
story of Job, God felt confident that he would succeed when tested. In
this story Vikramaaditya learns to to accept his fate without struggle and
like Job forgives everyone whoever does anything wrong with him. This is
called surrender to life.
As part of his penance, Vikram had to withdraw from his normal life,
such is the nature of Shani Dev. "Saturn weakens energy and
enthusiasm for the common life in order to highlight the extraordinary,
the very depths of the soil." Sometimes it may be a disease, or maybe
another crisis, or depression. King Vikramaaditya blamed no one else but
his own Karm. Shani is often the most blamed, "Poor Shani, He is crying
because everyone blames him, but what can he do? It is part of his duty
to make people experience Reality."
History
In our routine lives, there is a great importance of the kindness and the power of God
Shani. Shani occupies the seventh place among the nine planets which govern the world.
This is viewed as unlucky in conventional astrology. As per Kaagol Shastra, the
distance of Shani from the earth is 9 crore miles. Its radius is about one billion and 82
crore and 60 lakh kilometers. And its gravitational force is 95 times higher than that of
the earth. Planet Shani takes 19 years to complete one revolution around the Sun. The

astronauts have viewed the Shanis colours as beautiful, strong, influencing and eyecatching. It has twenty two satellites in its ring.
Shanis gravitational power is more than that of the Earths. Therefore, when we think
good or bad thoughts and make plans, they reach Shani by the strength of his power. In
astrological terms, the bad influence is considered as unlucky. But the result of good
deeds will be good. Therefore, we must understand God Shani as a friend and not as foe.
And for bad deeds, he is Sade Saathi, disaster and an enemy.
As regards the birth of Shani, there are different stories. Foremost and accepted is the one
in the ancient Scanda Poorana of Kasi Khanda which is as follows.
God Soorya was married to Daksha Kanya Sadnya. Sadnya could not tolerate the
radiance of God Surya. She used to feel that by doing penance she could increase her
brilliance. Or, by the power of her penance, she could diminish the glare of God Surya.
But for God Surya, she was a spouse worshipping wife. From God Surya, she had three
children. One was Vaivastahva Manu. The second was Yama Raj. And the third was
Yamuna. Sadnya loved her children very much. But, she was very upset with the radiance
of God Surya. One day, she thought that she would separate from God Surya, go to her
parents home and undertake great penance. And if there was opposition, she would go
far away to a lonely and undertake great penance.
By strength of her penance, Sadnya created a Chaya (shadow) of herself and named her
Suvarna. And, and then the shadow of herself became Suvarna. After handing over the
children to Chaya, Sadnya told her that Chaya would thereafter play the role of
womanhood and nurse her three children. She told her if any problem arose, she should
call her and she would come rushing to her. But she cautioned her that she must
remember that she was Chaya, not Sadnya, and nobody should know this difference.
Sadnya hander over her responsibilities to Chaya and went away to her parents place.
She went home and told her father that she could not stand the radiance of God Surya.
And therefore, without telling her husband she had come away. Listening to this, her
father scolded her very much and told her that without being called, if the daughter
returns home, both her and her father would be cursed. He told her to go back to her
home immediately. Then, Saudnya began to worry that if she went back, what would
happen to the responsibilities which she had given to Chaya. Where would Chaya go?
And their secret would be exposed. So, Sadnya went to the dense jungles in Uttar
Kurukshetra and took repose there.
She was fearful of her safety in the jungle because of her youthfulness and beauty. And
she changed her form into that of a mare so that none could recognize her and started her
penance. Elsewhere, the union of God Surya and Chaya begot three children. God Surya
and Chaya were happy with each other. Surya never doubted anything. The children of
Chaya were Manu, God Shani and Putri Bhadra (Tapti).

As per the second story, the creation of God Shani was the result of Maharishi Kashyaps
great yagna. When God Shani was in the womb of Chaya, Shiv Bhaktini Chaya was so
engrossed in penance of God Shiva that she did not care for her food even.
She prayed so intensely during her penance that the prayers had a profound influence on
the child in her womb. As a result of such a great penance of Chaya, without food and
shade in the blazing sun, the complexion of God Shani became black. When God Shani
was born, Surya was surprised to see his dark complexion. He began to doubt Chaya. He
insulted Chaya by saying that this was not his son.
From birth itself, God Shani had inherited the great powers of his mothers penance.
He saw that his father was insulting his mother. He saw his father with a cruel gaze. As a
result his fathers body was charred black. The horses of God Suryas chariot stopped.
The chariot would not move. Worried, God Surya called out to God Shiva. God Shiva
advised God Surya and explained to him about what had happened. That is, because of
him the respect of mother and child had been tarnished and insulted. God Surya accepted
his fault and apologized. And regained his earlier glorious looks and the power of his
chariots horses. Since then, God Shani became a good son to his father and mother and
an ardent disciple of God Shiva.
Who is Shani Devta?
Under the laws of karma, our actions create consequences. If we perform good
actions, we reap good benefits. If we perform bad actions we reap our just rewards.
But who keeps the record of our actions? According to our sacred Hindu scriptures,
Shani Devta which is represented by the ringed planet Saturn, keeps the account
balances in his ledger. He records our every action and like the bank manager who
keeps monitoring our debt and repayment schedule, Shani Dev will eventually call us
in to discuss our account balance. And like the bank manager, Shani Dev will give the
order to repossess our status and material wealth when we have abused it and fail to
make our scheduled repayments to the universe.
The Shani Graha
A full Shani Graha (known as the Saturn Cycle) will last for seven and a half (7.5)
years in a person's life. But this period is broken down into three (3) periods of two
and a half (2.5) years each. In the first period Saturn seize your assets and your
material possession. In the second period it affects your health and personal
relationship. In the third period, depending on the level of realization and
understanding (humility), Saturn will return to you what you have lost and double
your prosperity, if you become more enlightened during the Saturn Cycle. We must
remember that everything is lent to us for our use and enjoyment and as soon as we
become possessive, we fall under the watchful eyes of Shani Dev and lose it all under
his shadow. If the abuse of our wealth or power was very severe, Shani Dev will hit
us for the full repayment term. If our abuse is not so severe, Shani will bring us back
in line with a lesser sentence. When we hoard our wealth and use it to improve our
own power base, this may allow us to take advantage of others in personal or
business transactions. When we fail to give to charity; when we fail to contribute to
community development; when we fail to share our knowledge and experiences, we
have to stop and ask, "What am I really contributing to the up-liftment and
betterment of the universe?" And if the answer is, "Nothing, really," then we know

we are likely to be called in by Shani Dev to discuss our account balance. Thus when
blow after blow begin to strike us financially and we see that our business and
investments begin to fail, our job promotions cease or diminish; when our income is
less than the debts we begin to incur, we know that Shani Dev is ringing the bell in
our ears to get our attention. It is the feeling of possession that attracts Shani in
one's life. This situation is like the parent who calls in the errant child for a
disciplinary chat that may perhaps end up with a 'grounding' for a short period of
time.
Can we get Relief from a Shani Graha?
In the history of mankind there has always been evidence of leniency when we
humble ourselves. When the young couple who are struggling to make ends meet
welcomes the visiting mother-in-law with open arms and treat her with great respect
and humility, she is likely to grant them their request for help. They may cook her
favourite dish, listen to her stories and perhaps massage her feet as they put her to
sleep in the best bed in the house. In the morning, they prepare a lavish breakfast of
all the foods and sweetmeats that she likes. As she is getting ready to leave, they
ask for her help to buy a better house for her growing grandchildren. When the
accused accepts responsibility for his actions and throws himself at the mercy of the
court, the magistrate often times will have no hesitation in reconsidering the severity
of the penalty. What are the chances that the mother-in-law will refuse? In a like
manner, when Shani Dev slaps us with a severe penalty for our own misdeeds, we
must accept responsibility for our actions and go to him with great humility. When
we do that, what are the chances that he will refuse our request?
The Puja to obtain Relief from a Shani Graha
Step 1. The Shiva Puja
Our sacred Hindu scriptures teach that a Puja is not blessed unless Lord Shiva (the
Cosmic Lord of Time) is invited. Thus our first stage in the Shani Gra Puja is to go to
Lord Shiva and ask for his blessings. This means that we propitiate: Ganesh - the
remover of Obstacles. Gowrie Mata - to receive the blessings of the universal Mother.
Dharti Mata (Earth) - for accepting us when we took birth. Saraswaty Mata - to
ordain us with true knowledge. Kalash Devta - Ganga, Varuna and Laxmi
representing water, vegetation and light in unity of the Earth. Laxmi Mata - to
provide light in our lives. Nav Graha - the nine planets in the order of Sun (Surya),
Moon (Chandra), Mercury (Budh), Venus (Shukra), Mars (Mangal), Jupiter
(Brihaspati), Saturn (Shani), North Node (Rahu), South Node (Ketu). We beg that
they remove all negative influences from our journey. Lord Shiva - the Cosmic Lord
of time. We beg Lord Shiva for his blessings and then we ask him to come in the
form of his 11th incarnation as Hanuman Devta.
Step 2. The Hanuman Puja
In the Hindu epic the Ramayana, we are told that Hanuman Devta went to the
fortress of the Rakshas King Ravana in Lanka to rescue Sita Mata, the wife or Lord
Rama. But who was Lord Rama and who was Hanuman Devta? They are none other
than the incarnations of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Therefore in the Puja ritual, we
must first go to Lord Shiva and ask him to come in the form of Lord Hanuman before
we begin to do the Hanuman Puja. Hanuman Devta is the rescuer of Shani Dev and
thus we must first go to him before we begin to propitiate Shani Devta.

Step 3. The Shani Puja

As the stories in the Hindu epics continue, we learn that when Lord Hanuman was
crossing the ocean on his way to Lanka to the kingdom of the Demon King Ravana,
he saw the nine planets who were captured. Ravana had the ability to overcome the
planets and they were bound and made to lay face down. Shani Dev recognized
Hanuman-ji and begged Hanuman to release him. But Hanuman-ji said, "Shani Dev,
if I release you, you will get to look at me and cause me to come under the effects of
Sade Sati." The effects of Sade Sati will cause one to lose their prosperity and suffer
for a period of seven-and-a-half years. Shani Dev then promised Hanuman-ji that if
he is released, that he will not affect any devotee who does Puja to Hanuman on
Saturday - a day dedicated to Shani (Satur(n)-day). So once the Hanuman Puja is
complete, only then must we begin to perform the Shani Puja because it is through
the help of Hanuman Devta that Shani Devta became free from his bondage. When
Shani Dev recognizes that we have accepted our mistakes and have learned from it;
when he sees the great humility with which we approach him; when he sees the
great love and devotion with which we worship him and beg for forgiveness, he will
show us mercy and lighten our load.
Karran at first tried to understand his problems by taking a logical and rational
approach, but nothing seems to make sense. On paper, his earnings added up. He
can see clearly where the money was being spent. But he could not understand why
every thing seemed to go wrong one after another. He was on the verge of losing his
job due to down sizing. This seemed very understandable. He had an accident with
his Mercedes Benz. Again very possible. His sewer drain became clogged and flooded
his basement. Drains do get blocked. He fell in the bathtub and broke an arm.
Accidents do happen. Spousal arguments develop out of the blues. These things
happen. And on and on the list continues. Soon, logic and rationality did not cut it
anymore. Karran began to seek mystical help. He went from one mystic to another to
get quick fixes but soon found that these visits cost him a lot of money too. He was
on the verge of losing hope when he hit upon our website and got attracted to the
teachings of Swami Ram. A few months later, after Swami-ji performed a proper
Shani Puja, Karran's life has become settled once again. He has learnt the lessons
presented by the Shani Graha and thus his wealth and prosperity was returned to
him.

In Hinduism, Hanuman is the only God not afflicted by Shani.[36] Hanuman is the one of
the deities in Hindu religion, over whom Shani could not cast his spell. Shani who spared
Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma could not overcome Hanuman and as such people worship
Hanuman to get rid of malefic effects of Shani.
In the Ramayana, Hanuman is said to have rescued Shani, from the clutches of Ravana.[37]
In gratitude, Shani promised Hanuman that those who prayed him (Hanuman) would be
rescued from the painful effects of Saturn, which in Hindu astrology, is said to produce
malefic effects on one's life when one is afflicted "negatively" with Saturn.[37]
Another version of the encounter between Lord Hanuman and Shani Bhagavan is that the
latter once climbed on to Lord Hanuman's shoulder, implying that he (Hanuman) was
coming under the effects of the influence of Shani. 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 Hanuman to release him,

promising that he (Shani) would moderate the malefic effects of his influence on a person
praying to Hanuman. Hanuman released Shani thereafter.[38]
In the verse with a thousand Names of Hanuman the Hanumansahasranam stotra, Shani
is one of the Names of Hanuman.[24] In some regions of India, Hanuman is also seen
sporting an iron whip akin to Shani.[24]