Brihaspati or Guru (Jupiter)

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 JyotishIn 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 ThursdayThere 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 ChildrenBrihaspati 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 IndraOnce 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 ChandramaaBrihaspati 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 ShukraachaaryaAs 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 UtathyaHe 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 Poorv-bhaj, 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. Thissymbiosis 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 never-failing 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 KathaaRead the similar story hereThis 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 StoriesAK 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 KathaaThe 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 FateThe 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 eye-catching. 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]