Shani Maha Mala Mantra: Full Ritual Procedure

The speaker says everyone is very afraid of Bhagwan Shanaishchar Mahagraha, especially in his mahadasha, antardasha and so on. The reason, he says, is that Shani is the judge. Whenever his mahadasha, sukshma dasha or antardasha runs, he gives the strongest punishment according to our karma and destroys all our misdeeds. The whole vidhan of clearing the PrarabdhaThe portion of destiny already set in motion by past actions — spiritual practice and good deeds can lessen its severity, but not eliminate it. that was built from those deeds happens through him; so whenever his time begins, he delivers justice. He is called the god of justice, and in his eyes no person is dear and none is undear. Whatever karma one has done, one gets its fruit accordingly. Those who do good deeds, the speaker says, never face any special obstacle in his mahadasha or antardasha. But if in the good time of our life we do something wrong — cause someone suffering, grab someone's wealth, harm someone physically, torment someone mentally — then whenever his mahadasha or antardasha comes, the fruit has to be suffered in that same proportion.

Apart from his dasha, the speaker says, there is a rule for ordinary daily life that follows from the lagna kundali. Whoever has a kundali of Makar lagna, and along with it Kumbh lagna, Vrishabh lagna or Mithun lagna — every person of these four lagnas, woman or man — must without fail do the sadhana and upasana of Bhagwan Shanaishchar Mahagraha in their life. Gaining his grace becomes extremely necessary for them. The reason he gives: for some of them Shani is the lagnesh, for others the bhagyesh, so his sadhana is necessary. His puja is essential whether his time is running or not, because he is the karaka of your body and in places becomes the karaka of your fortune. The simplest vidhan of all, he says, is daily Japa of his Puranic mantra.

The speaker says that if people of the four lagnas, or anyone at all, are suffering very much from Shanaishchar Mahagraha — you are caught in a false court case, someone has been sentenced to prison, there is great suffering, diseases of the bones, severe pain in the lower back, severe trouble in the joints of the bones, some obstruction connected with an injury to the head — and when you get your birth chart analysed you are told that Shani's antardasha or sukshma dasha is running, or Shani Sade Sati or Shani Dhaiya is on, then at that time you should take refuge in him and do the anushthan of the Shanaishchar Maha Mala Mantra. By the effect of this mala mantra, he says, whatever troubles and calamities are produced by that graha — even if they come from your own PrarabdhaThe portion of destiny already set in motion by past actions — spiritual practice and good deeds can lessen its severity, but not eliminate it. — you get immediate relief and a way out. Whether an Abhichara obstruction has been put on you, a Preta or pishach obstruction, you are badly harassed by an enemy side, a false case has been filed against you, or you are being tormented for any other reason, whatever the cause, you must do this anushthan then. His reasoning: the grahas have been given authority by God himself to give fruit according to our karma, they react the fastest, and they give the greatest effect. One must of course serve and worship one's own ishta, he says, but according to the birth chart one must also do the sadhana and puja of the grahas, and the upasana of Shanaishchar Mahagraha becomes absolutely essential when his special influence is falling on our life. He gives an example: if by Shani's aspect — say his third aspect — falls on the fifth house, the house of children, or he sits here or there for any other reason and you are facing obstruction in having a child, those people too should do this mala mantra anushthan.

On when to start, the speaker says Makar SankrantiThe sun's passage into Capricorn, from which the uttarayana begins and many anushthans are timed. is the very best, a supreme and divine time, and the anushthan can begin from that day. Later he adds the other start days: a Saturday of the Krishna Paksha, the day of Shanishchari Amavasya, or Shani Jayanti. From any of these days the anushthan may be begun. The anushthan must be done for at least seven days and at most 21 days. Each day the path is done at least 27 times and at most 108 times. For the path one sits on a Kusha Asana. On direction he says that in tantra vidhan it is usually kept to the south, but in Shani's vidhan grihasthas should face west. If there is no arrangement to face west, the japa may be done facing east.

For clothing during the path, the speaker says to wear ordinary white clothes — white of one single colour. Its border you may colour with haldi to make it lightly yellow. Do it in white clothes only, he says, and wear bright white for the sake of Shani's sattvik form. He explains why not blue or black: blue cloth, black cloth, will not be right for every person; wearing it becomes a separate subject. If Shani is your Marakesh and you do the japa wearing black, krishna-varna cloth, the effect will be neither positive nor negative — and that will depend on his strength and on which house he sits in. Since this video gives common information that everyone can act on, he says, simply wear white; there will be no problem in that.

The speaker gives the order. First of all, worship the Guru and Ganapati. After that, do a path of Bhagwan Surya Narayan, or at least remember him without fail, and along with him remember Chhaya, who is Shani's mother. After remembering these two, recite the mala mantra. The mala mantra, he says, comes with a vidhan of Viniyoga and Nyasa. Those who wear the YajnopavitaThe sacred thread ceremony marking initiation into Vedic rites (Janeu) — if lapsed across generations, expiation (Prayashchitta) for each known generation is required before it can be resumed. will do the viniyoga and nyasa process and then do the japa of the mala mantra. Women will not do viniyoga and nyasa. Boys whose yajnopavit has not yet taken place, and men who do not wear the yajnopavit at all, will also not do viniyoga and nyasa; they recite the mala mantra directly.

The speaker lists what is needed. Four raw lemons, slightly green — not yellow. If you are doing a seven-day anushthan you need lemons every day. Cut the four lemons, which gives eight halves. From seven of them take out the inner pulp and empty them a little, then fill them with pure til oil; if good til oil is not to be had, fill mustard oil. Bring black cotton cloth and tear it into thin strips to make black wicks; put two wicks, a pair, in each lemon. That makes seven lemons, fourteen black wicks, and til oil. If you are using mustard oil, drop a little black til into each. In this way seven lamps are made. Mind the time too, he says. You can do it early in the morning, but evening is very good — evening is the best. First do the path and the rest, then this Deepdaan vidhi for Shanaishchar Mahagraha. If you cannot manage it daily — say a 21-day anushthan and lemons are out of season — do it at least on Saturdays; but if you are doing the seven-day anushthan, do the deepdaan every evening. The method of offering is just to set them out nicely in one place. If there is a ShamiA leaf used in remedy rituals — conventionally not to be picked on a Saturday; if needed for a Saturday rite, it's picked the Friday before. tree at home, set them there; if not, no problem: at home near your puja place, or, if you are placing them outside, near Hanuman ji's flag — there make a chauka, that is, smear the spot lightly with cow dung to clean it, and set out the seven lemon lamps there. Take a little AkshatUnbroken raw rice grains, held in hand along with water and flowers while taking a Sankalpa. in the hand, black til, and a one-rupee coin as DakshinaThe offering made to a guru or officiant that completes a rite; a ritual is held incomplete without it., and take the SankalpaA formal ritual resolution spoken aloud before an offering or observance, declaring its intent and dedicating its merit.: "For the full grace of Shanaishchar Mahagraha present in my birth chart, for good fruit, to free myself from his cruel gaze and to obtain his gracious gaze, today for the pleasure of Shanaishchar Mahagraha I resolve to offer seven lamps." Saying this, put the akshat and the rest on a plate there and light all seven lamps. Do this deepdaan alongside the path and see, he says: it gives benefit at great speed, because Shani gives his effect very slowly but his effect lasts a very long time, and when you do this vidhan he is pleased at once.

When you do this vidhan, the speaker says, Shani will be pleased at once — but along with it there is something you must do. Whatever offence you have committed, whatever you remember as "this mistake was made by me", of whatever kind — no one in the world may know of it, but you certainly know your own mistake. For that you will also do PrayashchittaRitual atonement performed to offset the karmic burden of a weighty act, such as a Shatkarma that results in an enemy's death.. At the time of the deepdaan, with folded hands, ask his forgiveness: "Prabhu, forgive the offence I have committed." And for the resolve that in future I never make any mistake, ask him also to give me the inner strength that I never make such a mistake and my mind does not wander. Pray to him for this, he says, and ask for that strength.

Once you have done the sadhana of seven days or 21 days, the speaker says, after that recite this mantra at least once every day, for life; there will be no problem in that.\n\nIf this mala mantra of Bhagwan Shanaishchar becomes siddha by his grace, he says, it becomes a giver of many effects to you.

The speaker says that whenever you go to a teerth kshetra, if there is a Navagraha temple there or a place of Bhagwati Kali — Jagdamba in any of her forms, Mahakali, Kali, Bhadrakali — take one red-coloured flower, recite this mala mantra over it, and be sure to offer it at her feet before you come away. The mala mantra will then begin to give even more effect. Especially if there is a Navagraha temple and the like, do it there too. And if somewhere you find a temple of Shani together with his mother Chhaya, and you make this offering there, it becomes a giver of special effect. Krishna ji is Shani's guru, he says, so whenever you go to Bhagwan Krishna's city and do the anushthan or japa of this mala mantra there — as when you are doing the Govardhan parikrama — you will get immediate benefit. There, of course, one should do the seva and puja of Bhagwan Krishna; but if, as a special tantrokta anushthan, you wish to do this as well, you will surely obtain special grace. At a place of Bhagwan Shanaishchar — such as Shani Shingnapur, or Kokilavan near Vrindavan, where Shani Dev is held to be present in person — there is a parikrama; you can do that parikrama of 5–6 kilometres while doing japa of this mala mantra, and from that too Shani Dev's special grace is obtained. Whenever you go to any of these teerth kshetras, he says, be sure to do such things and gain Shani's special grace in your life.