Thank you Jonathan, so right on time for me. I just had my dad ask a Hindu priest to check if I had any aspected grahas and he said I had one with Shani devta. Something my mom also had at the end of her life where she experienced very serious and long-standing illness.
Interestingly, he recommended fasting on Tuesdays and offering prayers to Hanuman baba rather than propitiating Shani devta. My guess is maybe some schools of Hinduism fear Shani devta and so don't recommend worship but I believe it is more traditional to directly make offerings and mantra to Shani devta like you mentioned.
In your studies, did you come across a specific recommendation of how many Saturdays to fast and what types of offerings should be made? I remember my mom offering water to a piece of iron which represented Shani and interestingly she was severely anemic, as I have also been for many years.
Anyway, so interesting and I do believe many "superstitions" have a basis in things we just don't understand because of lost knowledge. So thanks so much for sharing.
Hey Rhesa, I recently learned that Hanuman devotion is considered an upaya for Shani - I guess there's a story in the Ramayana where the planets are kidnapped by Ravana, and Hanuman fearlessly helps them out of the tight spot, including helping Saturn, even though it means he receives Saturn's drishti. Due to this selfless act, Saturn grants Hanuman and his devotees favor. I believe Hanuman is considered a remedy for all nine planets to some degree. Given that the priest recommended fasting on Tuesdays, however, I wonder if he wasn't also diagnosing Mars as part of the problem.
Traditional puja samagri / worship materials for Saturn including a piece of iron, a piece of black cloth, black dal, black sesame, and mustard oil. And I've read that nine consecutive Saturdays is a minimum, with more like 40 or 50 consecutive for more serious afflictions. I also read (this was in the Svoboda book, I believe) that if you miss one, the count starts over--and that one's karmas can make it very hard not to miss one.
Interesting about the anemia / iron connection, I imagine from an Ayurvedic astrology perspective, Saturn could be responsible for anemia as he governs debility, weakness, and chronic illness in general (as opposed to acute or inflammatory illness which is under Mars, as a rule).
Thank you Jonathan, so right on time for me. I just had my dad ask a Hindu priest to check if I had any aspected grahas and he said I had one with Shani devta. Something my mom also had at the end of her life where she experienced very serious and long-standing illness.
Interestingly, he recommended fasting on Tuesdays and offering prayers to Hanuman baba rather than propitiating Shani devta. My guess is maybe some schools of Hinduism fear Shani devta and so don't recommend worship but I believe it is more traditional to directly make offerings and mantra to Shani devta like you mentioned.
In your studies, did you come across a specific recommendation of how many Saturdays to fast and what types of offerings should be made? I remember my mom offering water to a piece of iron which represented Shani and interestingly she was severely anemic, as I have also been for many years.
Anyway, so interesting and I do believe many "superstitions" have a basis in things we just don't understand because of lost knowledge. So thanks so much for sharing.
Hey Rhesa, I recently learned that Hanuman devotion is considered an upaya for Shani - I guess there's a story in the Ramayana where the planets are kidnapped by Ravana, and Hanuman fearlessly helps them out of the tight spot, including helping Saturn, even though it means he receives Saturn's drishti. Due to this selfless act, Saturn grants Hanuman and his devotees favor. I believe Hanuman is considered a remedy for all nine planets to some degree. Given that the priest recommended fasting on Tuesdays, however, I wonder if he wasn't also diagnosing Mars as part of the problem.
Traditional puja samagri / worship materials for Saturn including a piece of iron, a piece of black cloth, black dal, black sesame, and mustard oil. And I've read that nine consecutive Saturdays is a minimum, with more like 40 or 50 consecutive for more serious afflictions. I also read (this was in the Svoboda book, I believe) that if you miss one, the count starts over--and that one's karmas can make it very hard not to miss one.
Interesting about the anemia / iron connection, I imagine from an Ayurvedic astrology perspective, Saturn could be responsible for anemia as he governs debility, weakness, and chronic illness in general (as opposed to acute or inflammatory illness which is under Mars, as a rule).
Glad you found the piece helpful.