Informative

Lord Shani

He is feared by a lot of people and due to this gets a negative image. In reality however, Lord Shani is one of the most neutral Gods there can be. He is the God of Justice, of helping people get what they rightfully deserve for all their deeds with no place for bias. It is rightly said that in His court, there is only fairness. In this blog, we discuss the story of the Lord of Justice and the power of His grace.

The Mysterious Birth

Physically, the planet Saturn represents Lord Shani. While there are many stories that are associate with His birth, here’s our favorite- 

Sun god or Surya Dev, married Sandhya who was a very beautiful, faithful and devoted wife. Sandhya in Sanskrit or Hindi means evening. One can also relate this to the sunsets in the evenings. 

Being married to Lord Sun, Sandhya had to always bear the unbearable scorching heat and when she couldn’t take it anymore, she created her replica, Chhaya and left for penance in the woods. Chhaya means shadow. Chhaya was to serve and care for Lord Sun and Sandhya and His children. 

During the time Chhaya was serving, and this is to be noted here that she was doing it with the Sun Lord’s knowledge, they had three more kids. 

Chhaya, was not only an ardent devotee of Lord Sun, but she was also a huge devotee of Lord Shiva. As a result, when she was carrying Lord Shani in her womb, He became a devotee of Lord Shiva as well. 

Due to Chhaya’s devotion towards Lord Sun, some of His heat was passed on and when Lord Shani was born, He looked pitch black. Looking at this, Lord Sun was shocked and what’s more, one look at His own child and Sun went into eclipse. Considering it a bad omen, Lord Surya even doubted if Lord Shani was His own son. 

Naturally, since the Lord of light couldn’t have birthed such a dark child. 

This is when Lord Shiva appeared and explained to Lord Surya what had exactly happened, leading to an understanding between Lord Surya and Lord Shani.