The planet Saturn is a slow planet and takes 30 years to revolve once around the Sun. It means it passes through all the 12 rashis or moonsigns in 30 years. Thus Shani spends on an average of two and half years in each rashi or moonsign. Shani is the Rasi lord for Makara (Capricorn) and Kumbha (Aquarius), is exalted in Tula (Libra) and in his fall in Mesha (Aries).Mercury and Venus are considered friendly towards Saturn, while the Sun, Moon and Mars are considered enemies. Shani is the lord of three nakshatras Pushyami, Anuradha and Uttara Bhadrapada.The movement of Shani through the moonsigns has a lot of importance in the hindu astrology and horoscope predictions. The effect of Shani starts when it enters the previous rashi/moonsign to one's own birth rashi and stops when it leaves the rashi/moonsign after one's birth rashi. The total period of 7.5 years (2.5 x 3) is called Saadesaati or Shani Maha Dasa, and during this period the person faces lot of difficulties and troubles in life. This period teaches that person many things important in his life and makes him wiser.
According to Vedic astrology, the planetary position at the time of birth determines the future of a person. Hindus worship Shanidev (Planet Saturn) as a god and one of the navagraha’s. Buddists and Jains too consider him as one of the navagraha’s. Buddists believe that Lord Shani rides on a tortoise. Shanidev is black in appearance and ferocious in nature. Saturday is considered to be the day of Shanidev and is considered inauspicious for starting new ventures. Shani or Shanichar is believed to be the son of Suryadev and Chhaya, the servant whom his wife Swarna surrogated. He is also the brother of Yama, the lord of death. Lord Shani is the 7th of the Navagraha’s which govern our lives. It is said that when Lord Shani when he first opened his eyes, his father Surya went into an eclipse. Since then Lord Shani is believed to be the god causing miseries in the life of a human beings.
Shani literally means the “slow-moving-one”. Shanidev is lame and has a limp because his knee was injured when he fought as a child with Yama. Shanidev has several names. They are Saura, Krura-dris, Krura-lochana, Mandu, Pangu, Saptarchi and Asita. Shani-dev is depicted wearing blue or black robes, having dark complexion and riding a vulture or on an iron chariot drawn by eight horses. He holds in his hands a bow, an arrow, an axe and a trident. Shanidev is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu who is designated the task of granting the fruits of one's action and is the most feared amongst Hindu gods. Shanidev is considered to be the reason of accident, fear, loss, adversities etc., in our lives. It is beleaved that Shanidev has to be pleased for warding off evil and for getting rid of obstacles in life.
It is said that a favorable Shani bestows wealth and fame but at the same time, an unfavorable Shani gives endless miseries. Shanidev only punishes those who are involved in ill deeds. Like a judge he also rewards those who perform good deeds and gives them progress in their lives. He forces people to be disciplined, to understand that one needs to be humble, focused, patient, and hardworking to achieve success. Shanidev gives slow and long afflictions to individuals and teaches one by experience.Shanidev thus has the role of judge in our lives and is capable of making a king into a pauper and viceversa.
Mantras were originally conceived in the Vedas, India’s oldest and most revered spiritual text. The word "mantra" is derived from two Sanskrit words, "manas" which means “mind” and "trai" which means “to free from”. So the word “mantra” literally implies “to free from the mind". Mantras bring in therapeutic benefits and curative effect and can lower blood pressure, cholesterol level, adrenalin level and even normalize heart beat rate. Mantras can remove negativity like fear, anger, jealousy etc and bring in positives like improved concentration and memory power, control over emotions, improved blood circulation and also activate our body’s natural healing processes. Mantra Chanting therefore brings in a calming effect on our Nervous System helping us to relax and be stress free. Mantras can be used to awaken the Kundalini and stimulate the Chakras. My Blog 'Mantras for Life' gives details of all major mantras like mahamrityunjaya, gayathri,durga, hanuman, kali, saraswati, ganesh, lakshmi, kubera, shani, rahu, surya, ketu and navagraha mantras and many more along with videos. Visit Mantras for Life.
The Power of Gemstones
According to Hindu Astrology, the life of all human beings is influenced by the 9 Planets or Navagrahas. The 9 planets considered by Vedic astrologers are the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. The outer planets of Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto are not used in ancient classical Vedic astrology and thus have no gemstones assigned to them. The main gems for these 9 planets referred to as "navaratna" meaning 9 gems and the substitute gems are called "uparatna".This influence the planets may be positive or negative. Based on an individual's horoscope or position of Planets, either a single gem or a combination of compatible gems is advised to be worn to increase the effects of beneficial planets or counteract harmful planets. Read More
Significance of Yantras
An Yantra is a symbolic representation of a Mantra. They are emblems of psychic power. It is said that if you are chanting mantras of a diety keeping his yantra while chanting can speed up the beneficial effects of the mantras. Yantras are widely used in meditation, Pujas and tantric rituals. The act of wearing, drawing, or concentrating on a yantra is said to have spiritual or astrological or magical benefits. Astrologically, Yantras have great significance and is considered auspicious in Hindu mythology. Since yantras are made up of metals, alloys, Precious stones, alloys etc and made on a particular date and time according to procedures defined in the Vedas and charged with siddhi mantras they can be used to remove a planet's malice effects and increase its beneficial aspects. Read more on the different types of Yantras and their significance.
The Power of Rudraksha Beads
The word ‘Rudraksha’ has originated from the two Sanskrit words ‘Rudra’ and ‘Aksha’ which means ‘tears of lord Shiva’. Regarding the Origin of Rudraksha Beads it is said in Shiva Purana that Lord Shiva was meditating for thousands of years and when he finally opened his eyes he saw that the human beings were in a deplorable state and hot tears rolled down his eyes and fell on the ground and mother earth gave birth to Rudraksha trees. There is no ornament worn on a human body which is as auspicious and powerful as these beads. Rudraksha is said to be Rudra's (Lord Shiva) gift to the mankind.Rudraksha Beads are known to work by sight, touch, possession and worship. This beads are used to remove astrological imbalances. Researches done on this beads have proved that they have the ability in healing and curing many diseases. Read more on the different types of Rudraksha, their benefits and mantras.
