Astha SangrahASTHA SANGRAHhttps://asthasangrah.comRaja Vikramaditya's Shani Dasha
This is the story of how King Vikramaditya of Ujjayini unknowingly insulted Shani Dev while settling a dispute among the nine planets, and how Shani Dev then reduced him from king to beggar to teach him the true weight of his Sadhesati, and how the king, once restored, himself established the tradition of the Saturday fast and this very story throughout his kingdom.
Chapter 1 · The Dispute Among the Nine Planets, and Shani Dev's Insult
Once, a dispute arose among the nine planetary deities in the heavens over which of them was the greatest and most powerful. The quarrel grew so heated that they approached Indra for judgment, but even Indra could not settle it. He finally advised them that King Vikramaditya of Ujjayini on earth was known for his wisdom and impartial justice, and that they should place the matter before him instead.
Hearing the planets' dispute, King Vikramaditya devised a solution. He had nine different thrones made from nine metals, gold, silver, bronze, copper, lead, tin, zinc, mica, and iron, and arranged them in order of their worth and qualities, seating each planet on the throne that matched its rank. Surya thus received the golden throne, Chandra the silver one, and so on for the other planets in descending order of the metals' value, but Shani Dev was seated last of all, on the throne of iron.
Feeling deeply insulted at being given the lowest-ranked throne, Shani Dev angrily told the king, 'O king, you have insulted me. Remember, I remain upon any single zodiac sign for seven and a half years, longer than any other planet's influence, and I have spared neither great gods nor kings from my dasha.' So saying, he vowed to make the king understand his true power.
Read the Shani Chalisa →Chapter 2 · From the Throne to a Beggar
To fulfill his vow, Shani Dev disguised himself as a horse trader and arrived in Ujjayini, presenting King Vikramaditya with an exceptionally beautiful and powerful horse. Enchanted by the horse's beauty, the king mounted it at once. The horse galloped at tremendous speed, carrying the king deep into a dense, distant forest, and there suddenly vanished, leaving the king alone, hungry, thirsty, and lost.
Wandering thus, the king somehow reached another city, where no one recognized him. Famished, he went to a merchant's house to beg for food. That very night, a precious necklace known as the Naulakha Haar, hanging on a hook in the merchant's home, mysteriously disappeared. Suspicion immediately fell on the unfamiliar guest, Vikramaditya, and the ruler of that city, without any real investigation, declared him a thief and sentenced him to have both his hands and feet cut off.
After this terrible punishment, an oil-presser took pity on the crippled and helpless man and gave him work at his oil mill. The king, now concealing his true identity, would sing mournful songs each day while turning the mill, his sorrow evident in his voice.
Chapter 3 · Shani's Appearance in a Dream, and Restoration
One day, the princess of that city heard the mournful song coming from the mill, and was deeply moved by the sorrow and sweetness hidden in it. She told her parents she wished to marry the very crippled oil-mill worker. Her parents tried repeatedly to dissuade her, but before her firm resolve, they finally relented, and the marriage took place.
That very wedding night, Shani Dev appeared in King Vikramaditya's dream. The king folded his hands and begged forgiveness for his mistake. Pleased, Shani Dev said, 'O king, you have now understood my power, your Sadhesati has come to an end.' So saying, he blessed the king, and when he awoke the next morning, both his hands and feet had been fully restored.
When the king's true identity came to light, the lost Naulakha necklace also mysteriously reappeared on the very same hook from which it had vanished, at the merchant's house. The merchant and the city's ruler begged the king's forgiveness for their injustice and sent him off with honor and gifts. Returning to Ujjayini, King Vikramaditya proclaimed Shani Dev's glory throughout his kingdom, and himself established the tradition of fasting every Saturday and reciting this very story, a tradition still followed today as the Saturday Shani Vrat.
Read the Shani Dev Aarti →How to Read Raja Vikramaditya's Shani Dasha
On Saturday, bathe in the morning and wear black or dark blue clothes, light a mustard-oil lamp before an image of Shani Dev, and hear or read this story of King Vikramaditya. Close the worship in the evening with the Shani Chalisa and Aarti.
About Raja Vikramaditya's Shani Dasha
This story is told across three chapters. The first tells of the dispute among the nine planets and Shani Dev's insult. The second tells of the king's fall from throne to beggar, the Naulakha necklace episode, and the amputation of his hands and feet. The third describes the princess's marriage proposal, Shani Dev's appearance in a dream, the king's restoration, and the founding of the Saturday vrat tradition.
This story is connected to the Saturday Shani Vrat and Shani Jayanti. This page presents all three chapters' full text in plain Hindi, with adjustable text size and print support.
About A folk tale tied to the Shani Mahatmya
The story of Raja Vikramaditya's Shani Dasha has no single authoritative printed 'katha text', it is a well-known and widely recited traditional folk tale tied to the Shani Mahatmya, and the wording here has been composed independently, so it is not a word-for-word copy of any single website's or publication's text, though the sequence of events follows the tradition as it is commonly told.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Shani Dev become angry with King Vikramaditya?
To settle the planets' dispute, the king made nine thrones of different metals, and Shani Dev was seated on the lowest, the iron throne, which he felt as a deep insult.
What is the episode of the Naulakha necklace?
When the wandering king reached the home of a merchant in an unfamiliar city, the merchant's precious Naulakha necklace mysteriously vanished that very night, and the king was blamed and sentenced to have his hands and feet cut off.
How was the king freed from his Shani Dasha?
On the night of his marriage to the princess, Shani Dev appeared in a dream and declared his Sadhesati complete, after which the king's hands and feet were restored and the necklace was also recovered.
How did the tradition of the Saturday Shani Vrat begin?
On returning to Ujjayini, freed from his dasha, King Vikramaditya himself established the tradition of fasting every Saturday and reciting this story throughout his kingdom.