Shani Ashtottara Shatanamavali is a devotional hymn consisting of 108 names of Lord Shani, the deity associated with the planet Saturn and the dispenser of karma. Each name highlights his role in influencing destiny, discipline, and justice. Chanting these names is a way to seek Lord Shani's blessings for protection from difficulties, relief from hardships, and the balancing of karma.
Understanding Lord Shani
Śani (Shani) is one of the Navagraha (the nine primary celestial beings in Hindu astrology). Shani is embodied in the planet Saturn and is the Lord of Saturday. Shani is a deva and son of Surya and his wife Chhaya, hence also known as Chayyaputra. It is said that when Shani opened his eyes as a baby for the very first time, the sun went into an eclipse, which clearly denotes the impact of Shani on astrological charts.
He is known as the greatest teacher and well wisher for the righteous as well the greatest punisher for those who follow the path of evil, betrayal, backstabbing and unjust revenge. According to Vedic astrology, Shani is considered to be the strongest malefic and a stern teacher who represents patience, effort, endeavour, and endurance; and who brings restrictions and misfortunes. Shani is much feared by those Hindus who believe in astrology, as the “malefic” effects of his being unfavourably placed can be quite severe.
However, Lord Shaniswara as Needhiman (Judge) is more known for his Blessings than his ill effects. No other graha is comparable with Lord Shani in terms of blessings. He showers with his blessings at the end of his dasha. His Adi-Devata is Prajapati and Pratyadi-Devata is Yama. Lord Shani tests the person patience, He tries to correct our immoral acts by creating frustations, and delays. In the end He makes one conscious enough to understand the mistakes.
He removes ignorance from mind by punishment, the benefits that He matures the soul of being and person turns copper to gold from within i.e. he begins to understand the Truths of life, the futility of his actions done out of ignorance. One comes to understand after Lord Shani periods that not much is in control of human beings. It is all Divine acting on human beings through the agents of Gods. Translated by P. R.
Benefits of Chanting Shani Ashtottara Shatanamavali
Chanting these 108 names of Lord Shani is believed to help mitigate the malefic effects associated with the planet Saturn and to bring balance, discipline, and justice into one's life.
- Protection from difficulties
- Relief from hardships
- Balancing of karma
- Mental peace and stability
- Positive changes in health, career, and relationships
- Cultivating patience and resilience
The act of repeating these mantras with sincerity helps in calming the mind, enhancing focus, and building resilience against life’s challenges. For spiritual seekers, mantras serve as a reminder of the inner strength that resides within.
The Significance of Karma
Friends, man is the only creature in this Karma oriented universe who has the right to Karma. Karma has 03 divisions - Sanchit [1], Prarabdha [2] and Kriyamana [3] Karma. Sanchit Karma (accumulated Karma) and Prarabdha Karma (Inherited as fruits of previous karma) are such arrows which have already been released by man. Good or evil whatever Karma has been done is done. We cannot return to the past to rectify our misdeeds. If we can do something, it is only in relation to the Kriyamana Karma (the present Karma in action).
Accumulated Karma stands accumulated. We have not started reaping the fruits of them as yet. But we start reaping the fruits of the inherited Karma from the beginning of our lives. Hence, we can do something now in the present so that we remove the bitterness or increase the sweetness due to us for our inherited Karma. Is our birth, in this trouble-infested world a result of the influence of supernatural entity or are we ourselves responsible for it? It is said in our Shastras that both birth and death are connected with intense pain. But what should we do so that we can escape from the pain that we have to suffer in life between birth and death? This is an important question.
The great souls who have taken birth on this earth from time to time for the purpose of social welfare, have prescribed some ways to balance the present life and the life beyond keeping in mind the contemporary environment. It is clear from this prescription that man’s present life is very important and the most important part is man’s present Karma in action. Those people who believe in such a faith where there is no belief in reincarnation, the present life becomes even more important for them because this life is the only opportunity to dispense Karma and man will be rewarded or punished after life based on this Karma only.
Those who believe in reincarnation, they do not hesitate to accept that the cycle of Karma keeps following man for many births for dispensing rewards and punishments according to the Karma. Every creature has to suffer one part of the accumulated Karma as the inherited Karma. Lord Buddha propagated four cardinal truths. Out of these four - Karma, reaping the fruits of Karma, Karma done to alleviate suffering and aiming for Salvation - all are related to Karma.
One may belong to any caste, creed or religion, may believe in heaven or hell, may accept or not the concept of rebirth - it makes no difference. Every man has to accept Karma. Hence, even if we deny the concept of rebirth for sometime, we cannot deny that every creature has to reap the fruits of Karma in the present birth. Those who believe in rebirths, they know that when one takes birth to reap the fruits of Karma, it is known as inherited Karma.
Here I want to remind that the Planets are no imagination; they are real and an identity of the law of the great God. As science has been progressing many of the principles of spiritualism and astrology are being proved right. Every planet contains certain proportion of a colored ray in its light. These rays affect and influence our bodies. Planets do not disburse any happiness or pain; rather they disburse the fruits of man’s actions. It is true that man suffers because of his own misdeeds.
The artificial / worldly life-style adopted in the present day may not indicate the effects of the rays of the planets on our lives, but this cannot be ignored that Indian philosophy and spiritual studies have revealed that the main reason behind man’s suffering-happiness, progress-regress, life-death is his Karma. This further clarifies that man is not helpless just to suffer because of previous misdeeds. He can influence previous Karma by doing the right Karma in the present life. For example, if a person suffers from constipation due to irregular food habits and goes to a naturopath, he would advice him to go on a fast for ten days. That means he suffers for ten days going without food for his previous Karma of irregular food intake. But if he goes to a doctor and takes some remedial medicine, he will be cured in two days without suffering from any fasting.
If we make efforts to rectify / remove potential adversities as indicated by the positioning of the planets, i.e. It is clearly specified in Indian philosophy that we have to reap the fruits of our Karma. But there is a law when we shall reap that Karma. Every doer receives the fruit according to this law only. It is said that Karma is ripe when the time arrives for the doer to receive the fruit. The principle which specifies this is known as completion of the cycle of Karma.
Hence from the point of view of the cycle of Karma, whatever Karma remains un-dissipated through births to the present life is known as accumulated Karma. It is not possible to reap the fruits of Karma gained through many births at one go, as many of these fruits are contradictory to each other. That is why they have to be reaped one after another. Those fruits which have already got being dispensed are known as the inherited ones. The implication is that whatever fruits we reap in the present is a very small part of the accumulated fruits of Karma which is the inherited one.
Life is such a precious gift which has been given to us as a favor by our maker. That is why it is inherent in every living being since birth to live this life to the fullest. That is why every living being, whether big or small, wants to live on. Nobody wants to die or suffer pain. Everybody wants to live a life of happiness and enjoy it fully. You must have noticed how even a small ant tries to save its life and make its life joyful. It keeps on making continuous efforts to arrange for its food and abode so that it remains alive. Along with it, it also ensures the safety of the next generation without any complaints. This fact is applicable to other birds and animals also.
Man is considered to be the best creation of life. He too keeps on trying to live a life of happiness naturally. But if man too, spends his life only in the pursuit of getting his livelihood like other creatures, then what would be the difference between him and others? Then why should he be called the best creation of all? Most of the people think that man is called the best creation because of his intelligence. But our ancient seers have considered man the best because of him being a part of the Karma dominated birth. Only man has got the special right to do Karma.
Most of the people are influenced and enchanted by the worldly pleasures and they aim at satisfying their senses. As such all of man’s focus is centered on satisfying the five senses like sound, touch, sight, smell and taste through the sense organs like ear, skin, eye, nose and tongue which are again manifestation of the five aspects of nature like sky, wind, fire, water and earth. Man’s efforts to satisfy all these senses further give rise to new desires. This is the reason why our ancient seers have cautioned man time and again to rise above the tendency to be immersed in worldly pleasures. But man being tied in pleasures would take such advice lightly and think - these pieces of advice are for others, not for me.
But, remember. To be true I should pay attention to such advice in such a way as if it is meant for me only. Because such advice is for all human and I am also a human so this is for me first of all. If we think like this, this would do us good. Whatever pain or suffering other creatures go through because of their Karma, there is no way out of it. But our Maker has given a man great opportunity so that he gets rid of the fruits of his misdeeds in previous births by undergoing penance. Wherever we live, we keep that place neat and clean. But the soul which resides in the human body, we pollute that body with our evil thoughts and the garbage of despair. As a result we are filled with negative attitude and a large chunk of our hard-earned money is spent on medicines and doctors.
It is said spending give rise to loan-taking; similarly illness give rise to pain and suffering. People try in their own ways to get rid of this pain. But relief from one pain leads to another pain taking hold. In reality it is almost impossible to find one happy man in this world. If we meet a happy one, we realize that he is not really happy when we get close to him. If we peep into the heart of the richest men, we will find they are even worse than the poorest men. Someone is unhappy because of lack of wealth, someone else unhappy because of his inability to enjoy wealth Inspite of having it. Everyone is unhappy. People are unhappy because of some reason or the other.
Every second person is unhappy because of many illness like mental stress, anger, irritation, jealousy, worry, sleeplessness, addiction to drugs, inferiority complex, pride, dissatisfaction, fear anxiety, heart ailment, blood-pressure, diabetes etc. these lead to the growth of negative feeling / thinking in man day by day and the disappearance of positive thinking. We keep on learning something or the other throughout our life. There is always an urge to learn music, arts or enhance knowledge etc in us. But truly speaking are we able to learn the true art of living?, Probably not. Inspite of this, everybody wants a happy life and a disease free body. But how - that is the main question.
Our Shastras in religion and Yoga tell us about the ways of getting rid of sufferings. But most of us keep away these Shastras considering them to be displayed through begging alms. Let me remind you once again that human life is a matter of great fortune and that is why we are privileged to Karma. Destiny is also decided by the Karma of our previous lives. We should make the best use of our Karmic rights. Penance is also a part of Karma in action. Everyone in this world wants happiness. No body wants pain. Still man has to taste both from time to time. But these are received according to one’s Karma. Vice leads to pain and virtue to happiness. Devotion to God gives you conscience to do penance for your misdeeds.
This widens the path towards the purification of past Karmas. If you have wealth, start distributing it among the needy. If you are suffering from an incurable disease, start taking care of the ill in hospitals. If you want recognition and fame, give respect to the subordinates. This will yield respect and a disease-free life. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If you devote yourself selflessly to the needs of the needy, you will surely be blessed. If you need love, love others. Embrace the ignored and the homeless. As a result you will receive fame and recognition. Everyone receives the fruits of one’s good or bad actions. This is an eternal law. Devotion to God yields results which are sweet and eternal.
If you adopt yogic practices, you will develop such natural strength that you will be able to find a way to physical, spiritual happiness and well-being. People worry a lot not only about their present happiness but also future happiness. They invest in various insurance policies to ensure theirs as well as their close relative’s future secure. But remember these insurance policies are limited only to safety of the present worldly life. But all religions holy books more or less agree that man has to reap the fruits of his Karma even after death. Hence, insurance policies are a guarantee to this life only, not after life. According to the ancient thoughts man has to go on suffering the fruits of his Karma for many-many births.
If we want our present and future lives to be happy ones, we must pay attention to our present Karma in action because based on this only we will be either rewarded or punished. Remember, we are all tied down by own Karma. Some people think that they can hide their misdeeds and nobody would know anything about them. But such a thought is absolute foolishness because nothing can be hidden from the Omnipresent God. Secondly, no one else might know about the misdeed, but what about the doer himself? How will he hide it from himself? Some people indulge in thefts, violence, misbehaviors, corruption etc for immediate benefits. They usurp others’ properties and rights also. But this way no one can be happy neither in this world nor in the other world.
It may be possible that sometimes it appears that an evil-doer is enjoying life surrounded by happiness and prosperity but if we look deeper into the person’s life, we will find that he is sitting on a volcano of pain and sufferings keeping him disturbed and restless all the time. One cannot guess easily the anxiety of the one who acquires wealth through thefts, black-marketing, deception etc. But if one peeps into the mind of such a person, one would know that inspite of acquiring so much of wealth, he is unhappy. A hard working labor feeding on just dry bread is much happier than him. I am not talking about rewards and punishment through births purposely here because in this present day changing world, there is a tendency to reject such principles as orthodox out dated thinking.
But remember, the thoughts and principles advocated by our ancient great thinkers in their ancient books were true and eternal then also and they are true and eternal today also. Hence, if man adopts to cleanse past misdeeds through penance, after having understood the concept of Karma and its effects, then his present life will surely be a happy one and the future a bright one. He will be able to provide a happy environment to his relatives and countrymen and gain for himself a happy environment through births and rebirths. All reap the fruits of their own Karma. It is foolish to blame others for our own misfortunes. The wise thing is to be alert about our Karma. We should not do anything which pains others. As much as we can, we should give happiness and extend co-operation to others. We can do welfare to ourselves and the society by helping the needy and bringing happiness to others. We should always do good to others as per our capacity and desire. Whether one’s capacity is to feed an ant or an elephant doesn’t matter. Extend a helping hand to people facing adversities freely. This way you help not others but yourselves, this should be your attitude. Hence we must do good to others devoid of all self pride. We should think that by doing so we are not doing a favor to others, but to ourselves and we must feel obliged to them who have given us the great opportunity to do good.
Whatever we are getting today are the fruits of our Karma. If we have done something good, we receive good results and if we have done something bad, we shall surely receive bad results. When we make chapatties, if we are not careful about the right method, then the chapatti will remain uncooked or will get burnt. Such a chapatti is a result of our carelessness and we will have to suffer from stomach ailment if we eat them. Not only is this, to make a chapatti the right proportio...
Shani Gayatri Mantra
Listening to the Shani Gayatri Mantra offers profound benefits, invoking Lord Shani's blessings for protection and prosperity. This powerful mantra helps alleviate the adverse effects of Saturn in your astrological chart, promoting mental peace and stability. Regular listening can bring about positive changes in health, career, and relationships by mitigating obstacles and enhancing discipline and focus. Embracing the Shani Gayatri Mantra cultivates patience and resilience, fostering a balanced and harmonious life.
'ॐ काकध्वजाय विद्महे' - We meditate upon Him who has the crow as His banner (a reference to Lord Shani). 'खड्गहस्ताय धीमहि' - We meditate upon Him who holds the sword. 'तन्नो मन्दः प्रचोदयात्' - May He, Lord Shani (who is also called 'Mandah'), inspire and guide our intellect.
Sri Sani Ashtottarshat Namavali
Shani Ashtottara Shatnam Namavali - 108 Names
॥ Shani Ashtottarashatanamavali ॥
Shani Beej Mantr: Om Praan Preen Praun Sah Shanaishcharay Namah ॥
- Om Shanaishcharay Namah ॥
- Om Shaantaay Namah ॥
- Om Sarvaabheeshtapradaayine Namah ॥
- Om Sharanyaay Namah ॥
- Om Varenyaay Namah ॥
- Om Sarveshaay Namah ॥
- Om Saumyaay Namah ॥
- Om Suravandyaay Namah ॥
- Om Suralokavihaarine Namah ॥
- Om Sukhaasanopavishtaay Namah ॥
- Om Sundaraay Namah ॥
- Om Ghanaay Namah ॥
- Om Ghanaroopaay Namah ॥
- Om Ghanaabharanadharine Namah ॥
- Om Ghanasaravilepaay Namah ॥
- Om Khadyotay Namah ॥
- Om Manday Namah ॥
- Om Mandacheshtay Namah ॥
- Om Mahaneeyagunatmane Namah ॥
- Om Martyapavanapaday Namah ॥
- Om Maheshaay Namah ॥
- Om Chhayaputraay Namah ॥
- Om Sharvaay Namah ॥
- Om Shatatooneeradharine Namah ॥
- Om Charasthirasvabhavaay Namah ॥
- Om Achanchalaay Namah ॥
- Om Neelavarnaay Namah ॥
- Om Nityaay Namah ॥
- Om Neelaanjananibhaay Namah ॥
- Om Neelaambaravibhooshanaay Namah ॥
- Om Nischalay Namah ॥
- Om Vedayya Namah ॥
- Om Vidhiroopaya Namah ॥
- Om Namdarsha Bhumaye Namah ॥
- Om Bhadvedavasabhavaya Namah ॥
- Om Vajradehaay Namah ॥
- Om Vairaagyadaay Namah ॥
- Om Veeraay Namah ॥
- Om Veetarogabhayaay Namah ॥
- Om Vipatparampareshaay Namah ॥
- Om Vishvavandyaay Namah ॥
- Om Grdhnavaahaay Namah ॥
- Om Goodhaay Namah ॥
- Om Koormaangaay Namah ॥
- Om Kuroopine Namah ॥
- Om Kutsitaay Namah ॥
- Om Gunaadhyaay Namah ॥
- Om Gocharaay Namah ॥
- Om Avidyaamoolanaashaay Namah ॥
- Om Vidyaavidyaasvaroopine Namah ॥
- Om Aayushyakaaranaay Namah ॥
- Om Aapaduddhartre Namah ॥
- Om Vishnubhaktaay Namah ॥
- Om Vashine Namah ॥
- Om Vividhagamavedine Namah ॥
- Om Vidhistutyaay Namah ॥
- Om Vandyaay Namah ॥
- Om Viroopaakshaay Namah ॥
- Om Varishthaay Namah ॥
- Om Garishthaay Namah ॥
- Om Vajraankushadharaay Namah ॥
- Om Varadaabhayahastaay Namah ॥
- Om Vaamanaay Namah ॥
- Om Jyeshthaapatneesametaay Namah ॥
- Om Shreshthaay Namah ॥
- Om Mitabhashine Namah ॥
- Om Kashtaughanaashakartre Namah ॥
- Om Pushtidaay Namah ॥
- Om Stutyaay Namah ॥
- Om Stotragamyaay Namah ॥
- Om Bhaktivashyaay Namah ॥
- Om Bhaanave Namah ॥
- Om Bhaanuputraay Namah ॥
- Om Bhavyaay Namah ॥
- Om Paavanaay Namah ॥
- Om Dhanurmandalasansthaay Namah ॥
- Om Dhanadaay Namah ॥
- Om Dhanushmate Namah ॥
- Om Tanuprakaashadehaay Namah ॥
- Om Taamasaay Namah ॥
- Om Asheshajanavandyaay Namah ॥
- Om Visheshaphaladaayine Namah ॥
- Om Vasheekrtajaneshaay Namah ॥
- Om Pashoonaan Pataye Namah ॥
- Om Khecharaay Namah ॥
- Om Khageshaay Namah ॥
- Om Ghananeelaambaraay Namah ॥
- Om Kaathinyamaanasaay Namah ॥
- Om Aaryaganastutyaay Namah ॥
- Om Neelachchhatraay Namah ॥
- Om Nitya Namah ॥
- Om Nirgunaye Namah ॥
- Om Gunatamne Namah ॥
- Om Niramaya Namah ॥
- Om Ninday Namah ॥
- Om Vandaniya Namah ॥
- Om Dheeraay Namah ॥
- Om Divyadehaay Namah ॥
- Om Deenaartiharanaay Namah ॥
- Om Dainyanaashakaraay Namah ॥
- Om Aaryajanaganyaay Namah ॥
- Om Krooraay Namah ॥
- Om Krooracheshtaay Namah ॥
- Om Kamrakodhak Rai Namah ॥
- Om Kalatraputrashatrutvakaaranaay Namah ॥
- Om Pariposhitabhaktaay Namah ॥
- Om Parabheetiharaay Namah ॥
- Om Bhaktasanghamanobheeshtaphaladay Namah ॥
॥ Iti Shani Ashtottarashatanamavalih Sampoornam ॥
tags: #shani #ashtottara #shatanamavali