INTRODUCTION
Sri Sanaischarashtakam was written in praise of Lord Shani by the great King Dasaratha, father of Lord Rama.
Shani is a slow moving planet, and he is called as Saturn, and he is the chief planet among all the nine planets. He is the son of Surya and Chaya and he contains the features of Lord Shiva, and similar to the guardian god, “MUNEESWARAN, he has also got the title “EASWARAN” through the grace of Lord Shiva. He relieves us from various diseases, and would add sweetness in our lives through our sincere bhakti on him, and also based on the horoscope of his devotees.
He appears black in colour but contains good knowledge and wisdom. By reciting the contents of the Shani Ashtakam, people’s suffering would be reduced to a certain extent, especially, if this devotional song was sung by them on Saturdays.
The contents present in the Shani Ashtakam are as follows:
My humble Salutations to the son of Sun god,
Who easily gets very angry, at the same time would console his devotees similar to their affectionate mother, and would reduce the severity of their sufferings based on their good nature.
He is the one who keeps sincere bhakti on both Lord Vishnu and Shiva, and used to frequently meditate on them.
My humble Salutations to the son of Sun god,
Who gives problems to us, if we commit sinful acts, and he is having the powers to punish even the demi gods, demons, serpent deities,
based on their acts.
My humble Salutations to the son of Sun god,
Who gives comforts and luxuries to his staunch devotees, and would act like a guardian for them.
My humble Salutations to the son of Sun god,
Who would prevent us from accidents, suicides and from murders.
My humble Salutations to the son of Sun god,
Who gets pleased if we bath his idol using sesame oil, and if we give food to the poor during Saturdays.
Salutations to the son of Sun god,
Who lives in the Shani Mandala, and who is worshipped by the great sages and by the demi gods.
Salutations to the son of Sun god,
who makes us to become victorious in our tasks, and who gives eagerness and enlightenment to us.
Salutations to the son of Sun god,
Who is also considered equivalent to the Trimuties with regard to his supreme powers.
Salutations to the son of Sun god, who always blesses his devotees, and would give them good family, sufficient wealth and good health, and make them to enjoy all the pleasures in their life, and also would give them salvation at the end.
“OM SRI SANEESWARAYA NAMAHA”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR
