The Hindu pantheon reveres many Gods and Goddesses, with devotees seeking their blessings to live peaceful and happy lives. One of them is Lord Shanidev, the son of Surya Dev, and Goddess Chhaya, the Goddess of shadows. He represents Saturn and is considered the physical manifestation of the planet; hence, he is the Lord of Saturdays or Shanivaar, as termed in Hindi.
Shani Dev is one of the 9 celestial beings or the Navagrahas as per Hindu astrology, and he is also the Hindu God of justice and karma. He is brother to Lord Yama, the God of death, and both bring a person to justice. While Yama Dev settles karmic debts in the afterlife, Shani Dev settles them while a person is still alive. He has two sisters, Yamuna, and Putri Bhadra, along with two brothers, Vaivastahva Manu and Manu.
Shani Dev is depicted with dark skin dressed in blue or black attire, bearing a sword, a trident, two arrows, and a bow, seated on a raven or a vulture. His name comes from the word Shanaishcharaye, the one who moves slowly. Interestingly, Saturn takes about 19 years to complete one revolution around the Sun. He is known by various other names as well, two of them being Chhayaputra, the son of Goddess Chhaya, and Saura, the son of Surya Dev.
He is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who assigned him the responsibility of giving people results of their karma. In fact, in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, while displaying his virat rupa to Arjuna, Lord Krishna is quoted as saying that among the planets, he is Shani Dev.
श्रीब्रह्मवैवर्तपुराणम्- Brahma-Vaivarta Puranam: Text with English Translation, Notes & Index (Set of 3 Volumes)
The story of the birth of Shani Dev is mentioned in the Skanda Purana and is the most widely accepted one. When Surya Dev’s wife, Swarna or Devi Saranyu, who was the daughter of Vishwakarma, the divine architect, could not bear his glare anymore, she went away to meditate and left her shadow Chhaya behind in her place.
When Goddess Chhaya was carrying Shani Dev in her womb, she performed penance for Lord Shiva with such dedication that she even fasted for days and sat without shade. While this impressed Lord Shiva a lot, it also impacted the color of the baby, and he was born with dark skin, much to the dislike of his father, Lord Surya.
Shani Dev was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and considered him his guru. He had the blessings of Lord Shiva and the penance that his mother did bless him with divine powers. When Shani Dev was born, the sun went into an eclipse because of unkind remarks by the Sun God about Lord Shani’s appearance.
Such is the impact of Shani Dev’s rage that even the mighty Surya Dev was not spared from it when he insulted the former for his dark complexion at the time of his birth. As a result of this, Surya Dev’s chariot stopped, and his body turned dark. It was only when Lord Shiva intervened and urged Surya Dev to make amends for his error that Lord Surya paid heed to his advice and regained his glory.
Lord Shani Dev- WATER COLOR PAINTING ON PAPER ARTIST: KAILASH RAJ
Shani Dev was born on Vaishakha Vidya Chaturdashi Amavasya, and this is celebrated every year in May as Shani Jayanti or Shani Amavasya. People perform the Shani Shanti Puja, read the Shani Chalisa, and perform Tailabhishekam on the idol of Lord Shanidev. Donating black clothes, sesame or mustard seeds, sesame oil, or mustard oil is also considered auspicious today.
While many people fear him, believing that his gaze on people brings a time of difficulty for them, the truth is that Shani Dev is the deity of Karma and punishes only those who do not walk on the path of good karma. According to Vedic astrology, worshiping Shani Dev can help remove obstacles in one’s life, keep evil at bay, and grant a person the mercy of Lord Shanidev.
According to Vedic astrology, every planet is associated with a deity, and planet Saturn is associated with Lord Shanidev. Shani Dev is a symbol of justice and righteousness. Many stories have given rise to the belief that Lord Shani’s gaze and presence in one’s moon sign bring bad luck. However, the truth is that he punishes only those who do not practice good deeds and commit the sin of betrayal. He favors those who do good karma and live a life based on principles of hard work and discipline. Therefore, instead of fearing him, one must view Shani Dev as a teacher whose sole duty is to bring us back on the path of righteousness.
Shani Dev is the son of Surya Dev and the brother of Lord Yama. He is a devotee of Lord Shiva and is associated with the planet Saturn. He is the God of Karma.
Shani Dev’s father, Surya Dev, is considered his enemy because of the latter’s disrespect towards Lord Shani and his mother.
When Lord Shani was adamant about testing Lord Hanuman’s strength, the latter tied him to his tail and refused to let go. When the pain was unbearable for Shani Dev, he requested to be released and asked for some oil to relieve his pain. Ever since then, it has been customary to offer oil to him.
We should not keep Shani Dev’s photo in a puja room because, as per a curse from his wife, anyone who met his gaze would be doomed.
Lord Shani is feared by everyone, including the Gods because he punishes those who stray from the path of good karma.
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