Shani Saturday Vrat Katha

In ancient times, once a dispute arose among the nine planets like Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury etc. on "Who is the best?". Everyone was trying to prove themselves better than each other. When the dispute increased more, they all reached before Devraj Indra with this question as to who is the best among them? All of them saluted and said to Devraj Indra - "You are the King of the gods, therefore you only decide as to who is the best among us?

Devraj Indra, hearing their question, fell into a religious dilemma and said - "I am not capable of answering this question, but I tell you a remedy. Currently, a righteous and just king named Vikramaditya is ruling on the earth. He is a ruler who resolves the troubles of the subjects. Therefore, you all should be present before him with this question. He will definitely resolve your dispute." According to the words of Devraj Indra, all the nine planets appeared in the assembly of King Vikramaditya and asked the same question from the king.

The king fell into a dilemma with their question, whom to declare the best or whom not. If any one is told as the best, others will be angry. At the same time, a remedy to resolve that dispute occurred to him. He got nine different seats made of nine different metals like Gold, Silver, Bronze, Brass, Lead, Tin, Zinc, Mica and Iron etc. Out of all the seats, first of all gold and in the end the seat of iron was established. Thereafter the king said to those nine planets - "Please you all occupy your respective seats." Whose seat is first he will be the best and whose is in the end he will be small." The iron throne was last in that row, therefore Shanidev realized that the king has considered him low. Shanidev, being very angry at this act of the king, said - "O King! You are not familiar with my power and bravery. Sun travels in one sign for one month, Moon two and a quarter months, Mars one and a half months, Jupiter thirteen months, Mercury and Venus one month each, but I remain in the same sign for seven and a half years." I have given terrible distress even to big powerful gods. O King! When my sade-sati came on Shri Ram ji, he had to suffer forest exile. At the time when sade-sati started on Dashanan Ravana, Shri Ram ji along with brother Shri Lakshman ji attacked Lanka and his clan was destroyed. O King! You be careful from this very moment."

The king said - "Whatever is to be in fate, only that will happen." Thereafter other planets returned happily but Shani Dev departed from there in extreme anger.

In the course of time, after some time passed, when the condition of sade-sati came on the king, then Shanidev appeared in the king's capital in the guise of a horse-merchant. He had many beautiful horses. When the king received this information that some merchant has come with horses of very excellent capacities, then he ordered his horse-keeper to buy excellent horses from him. The horse-keeper was extremely surprised to get very excellent horses at such a lowest price. He gave this information to the king and out of curiosity the king himself appeared there.

The king selected a horse from those horses and began to try to climb on it to ride it. As soon as the king mounted, the horse began to run with its full power. That horse left the king in a dense forest located very far from his capital and disappeared from there. The king, being destitute, was wandering in the forest from this direction to that direction. After extreme time passed, he saw a cowherd on the way. Seeing the king distressed by thirst, the cowherd made him drink water. The king, being pleased, provided his ring to that cowherd and departed in search of some nearby city.

Reaching a city, he went and sat at a merchant's shop. The king introduced himself to that merchant as a resident of Ujjain and told his name as Veeka. The merchant, considering him some gentleman, made him drink water etc. By chance, that day the merchant's business was excessive because of which considering the king a lucky man, he took him to his house with him to feed him food. There the king saw an astonishing incident. He saw that a necklace is hanging on the peg in front and that peg is swallowing that necklace. After food, on coming to the room, when the merchant did not see the necklace at its place, it seemed to him only that Veeka has stolen the necklace because there was no one else in the room besides him. But on being asked about the necklace by the people present there, Veeka, telling himself innocent, rejected the allegation of theft of the necklace.

Thereafter, some other people also appeared there and catching Veeka reached before the Faujdar. The Faujdar, presenting Veeka in the king's assembly, said that - "Maharaj! To tell the truth, this person doesn't seem a thief but a good man to me. But at the time of disappearance of the necklace, there was no other person in that room besides him. Therefore, it is proved from this only that, definitely he only has committed the theft of the necklace. Hearing this, the king, giving the order of punishment, said that - "The hands and feet of this criminal should be cut and he should be made Chaurangiya." As soon as the king's command was given, immediately Veeka's hands and feet were cut. Subsequently, after some time passed, a Teli (oil-presser) took Veeka to his house. The Teli brought Veeka home and made him sit near his oil-press. Veeka started driving the bullocks of the oil-press by making sounds from his mouth there.

In the course of time, the condition of Shanidev ended. Once in the night time, Veeka was singing the Megh Malhar raga. Hearing his singing, the princess of that state became infatuated with that raga. The princess immediately sent her maid to find out who is singing so sweetly in the city. The maid, searching for that singer in the whole city, reaches the Teli's house and sees Chaurangiya is singing the raga. The maid narrated this entire account before the princess after going. Instantly the princess took this vow that - "Whatever it may be, I will marry this Chaurangiya only."

In the morning when the maid came to her room to wake up the princess, she found out that the princess has decided on fasting (Anshan). The maid provided the information of the princess's not getting up to the queen. The queen immediately came there and woke up the princess and asked her daughter the reason for her being sad in this way. On this, the princess said - "Mother! I have taken this vow that I will marry only the Chaurangiya who is in the Teli's house." Her mother said - "Have you gone mad? Your marriage will be done with the king of some country." The girl said - "Mother! This is my final decision, I will not break this vow of mine."

The mother, being worried, told this account to the king. The Maharaj also, explaining to the princess, said - "We ourselves, by sending our messengers in countries-abroad, will find a suitable, virtuous and handsome prince and will marry you to him. You should not think all this." The princess said - "O Father! I will give up my life but will not marry anyone else." Hearing this, the king became angry and he said in anger - "If this is only in your fate, then this is appropriate, do as your wish is."

The king called the Teli to the royal palace and said to him that - "The Chaurangiya who is in your house, I want to marry my daughter to him." The Teli said that - "Maharaj! How is this possible? Where you a Maharaj and where I a low Teli? How is this relationship possible at all?" The king said - "Who can avoid what is written in fate? You reach your house and arrange for the marriage."

The king immediately, by putting up torans and bandanwars etc., married his daughter to that Chaurangiya who was in reality King Vikramaditya. In the night, the princess and Vikramaditya were sleeping. In the middle of the night, Shanidev said in Vikramaditya's dream - "O King! How much trouble you had to suffer for proving me small? King Vikramaditya repeatedly asked for forgiveness from Shanidev, by which being pleased, Shanidev provided him hands and feet again.

Thereafter the king said - "O Shanidev! My one prayer is, O Lord! As you have provided sorrow to me, don't do so with anyone else." Shani Dev said - "I accept this prayer of yours. Whosoever human will read or listen to my story with faith, he will never have any kind of sorrow in my condition. Who will meditate on me day by day and will put flour for the ants, all his wishes will be fulfilled." Saying this much, Shanidev disappeared.

When the princess, after waking up from sleep, saw King Vikramaditya's hands and feet again, she was extremely surprised. The king, while describing the entire account to the wife, said that - I am King Vikramaditya of Ujjain. Hearing this, the princess felt extreme happiness. In the morning, on being asked by the princess's friends, she narrated the entire account of her husband before the friends. The friends said that - "God has fulfilled your wish."

When that merchant found out about this matter, he, falling at King Vikramaditya's feet, said to them asking for forgiveness - "I by mistake put the false allegation of theft on you. Whatever punishment you will give me, that is acceptable." The king said - "Shanidev was angry with me, that's why I had to suffer this sorrow and trouble. There is no fault of yours in this. You go to your house and do your work."

The merchant said - "I will obtain peace only when you will grace my house and consume food with love." The king said - "Do as it seems appropriate to you. The merchant went to his house and got various types of beautiful dishes made and provided food to Vikramaditya. At the time when King Vikramaditya was consuming food, at that time an astonishing incident occurred. The peg which earlier had swallowed the necklace, the same now was spitting out the necklace again. On completion of food, the merchant, while presenting many gold coins to the king, said that - "I have a daughter, whose name is Shrikamvari. You please do the grace of her hand-taking (marriage)." Thereafter the merchant married his daughter to the king and provided various types of charity-dowry.

In this way, after residing there for some days, Vikramaditya said to the king of that city that - "Now my wish is to return to Ujjain." After some days, Vikramaditya, taking princess Manbhavni and the merchant's daughter Shrikamvari along with maid-servants obtained in dowry, chariots, palanquins, departed towards Ujjain.

On reaching near the city, the subjects there received the information of the king's arrival and the entire subjects of Ujjain appeared for their Maharaj's welcome. The king arrived in his palace with joy and enthusiasm. A grand festival was celebrated in the entire city and deepmala was lit in the night. Next day the king got this announcement made in the entire city that - "Shanidev is supreme among all planets. I told him small because of which I received sorrow." Because of this, worship-worship and story of Shanidev started taking place in the entire state. The king and subjects became happy and joyful.

Whosoever reads or listens to this holy story of Shanidev, by the grace of Shanidev, all his sorrows, pains and troubles are resolved. On the day of Saturday fast, one must definitely read the Saturday fast story.

॥ Thus ends the Shri Saturday Vrat Katha ॥