Skandapurana 16.49

Īśvara said: / From that Śukreśvara, O goddess, one should go to the liṅga of great splendour / named Śanaiścaraiśvara, destroying great sins,

to the west of Budheśvara, in the southeast direction of the goddess Ajā, / situated not very far from it, at five bow-lengths.

It is an eon-lasting liṅga, O great goddess, worshipped by gods and Dānavas. / By the son of Chāyā, extremely difficult austerity was performed,

by whom the god without beginning and end was brought down into the liṅga, / and who attained the status of lord of planets through devotion, by the grace of Śambhu.

At whose glance the great host of gods and asuras trembled; / there is indeed no living being in the universe of mobile and immobile things,

god or Dānava, who is not afflicted by Sauri. / Having worshipped the auspicious Saurīśvara with devotion on a Saturday,

with leaves of the śamī, O great goddess, and with sesame, māṣa beans, jaggery, and cooked rice, / having gratified [him] according to rule, one should give a black bull to a twice-born.

Having praised with various hymns arising from the Purāṇas and the Śruti, / or with a single hymn, the lord of gods was completely pleased,

[the hymn] made by King Daśaratha, the mighty one. / The divine lord Saurīśvara is to be praised for the appeasement of all afflictions.

The goddess said: / How did King Daśaratha compose the hymn to Śanaiścara? / How did the divine Śanaiścara become pleased with him?

Īśvara said:
In ancient times there was a powerful king renowned in Raghu's lineage, named Daśaratha, / known as a universal monarch and ruler of the seven continents.

When Śani reached the end of Kṛttikā, astrologers informed him: / 'Śani is now about to go on, piercing Rohiṇī.'

The piercing of the cart was described as terrifying to gods and demons alike: / 'A most terrible famine lasting twelve years will take place.'

Hearing these words from the sage, the king, together with his ministers, / seeing the world—the citizens, country-dwellers, and others—in distress,

and the people constantly speaking, assembled according to rule, / while the countries, cities, and villages were everywhere seized with terror, / the king himself questioned the sages headed by Vasiṣṭha.

Daśaratha said:
What remedy is there in this matter? Tell me, best among the twice-born!

Vasiṣṭha said:
When that constellation of Prajāpati is pierced, how can subjects survive? / Indeed, this conjunction cannot be averted even by the gods headed by Brahmā and Indra.

Then, having resolved in his mind upon an exceedingly great, daring deed, / taking up his divine bow equipped with celestial weapons,

he swiftly mounted his chariot and went to the circle of constellations. / It was a celestial golden chariot, adorned with gems and jewels,

and adorned with flags, chowries, umbrellas, and small tinkling bells, / yoked to swan-white horses and furnished with a great banner.

Blazing with great gems, radiant with his diadem and crown, / he shone in the sky at that moment like a second sun.

Drawing his bow to his ear and fitting the weapon of destruction, / knowing Śani was at the end of Kṛttikā and about to enter Rohiṇī,

seeing [him], Daśaratha stood before him with a knit brow on his face. / Seeing the weapon of destruction that crushes gods and demons,

Sauri laughed in his swift speed and spoke these words: / 'O king of kings, your valor is supreme and strikes terror into foes!

Gods, demons, men, siddhas, vidyādharas, and serpents— / all whom I gaze upon immediately fall into terror.

I am pleased with you, O king of kings, because of your austerity and your valor! / Name a boon; I will grant whatever is desired in your heart.'

Daśaratha said:
O Śani, you must not go piercing Rohiṇī / as long as rivers, oceans, the moon, the sun, and the earth endure!

This is what I have requested of you, O Sauri; I desire no other boon from you! / Addressed in this way, Śani granted him an eternal boon.

Having obtained this boon, the king was then fulfilled in his purpose. / Again Sauri said: 'Choose another boon, O you of noble vows!'

His heart delighted, he then requested this boon from Śani: / 'The cart must not be pierced by you, O son of the Sun!

A famine of twelve years must never be caused! / And may this fame of mine wander throughout the three worlds!'

Īśvara said:
Having obtained the two boons, his body bristling with joy, that lord of the earth / set down his bow upon the chariot and, with joined palms,

meditated upon goddess Sarasvatī and Vināyaka, the lord of gaṇas; / then King Daśaratha composed this hymn of praise to Sauri.

The king said:
Praise to the one of dark blue rays, resembling a blue lotus! / Praise to the one of fleshless body, with a long beard and matted hair!

Praise to the broad-eyed one, terrible with an emaciated belly! / Praise to the one of rough limbs, praise to the coarse-haired one!

Praise to the one who is constantly afflicted by hunger, praise to the perpetually burning one! / Praise to the one whose form is the fire of time! Praise be to you, O bringer of the end!

Praise to the tall and dried-up one! Praise be to you whose glance is death! / Praise to you with hollow, sunken eyes! Praise indeed to the one difficult to look upon!

Praise to the terrible, fierce, frightening one with gaping fangs! / Praise to you, the all-devouring one! Praise be to you with wrinkled face!

O son of Sūrya, praise be to you, who brings fear to the Sun! / Praise to you of downward gaze! Praise be to you of dark body!

Praise to you of slow movement! Praise, praise to the merciless one! / Praise to you of ferocious form! Praise to you of fierce splendor!

To the one whose body is burned by austerity, who is constantly devoted to yoga, / praise be to you who has eyes of knowledge, O grandson of Kaśyapa!

When pleased, you grant sovereignty; when angry, you snatch it away that very instant! / Gods, demons, men, beasts, birds, and reptiles,

when gazed upon by you, O Sauri, swiftly fall into misery. / Brahmā, Śakra, Yama, and the seven seers—

all of them were cast down from their realms when gazed upon by your glance! / Countries, cities, villages, continents, and mountains,

whatever are looked upon with a terrible glance immediately go to destruction.

Be gracious to me, O Sauri! For the sake of a boon I have sought refuge with you. / O Sauri, forgive my transgression for the welfare of all beings!

Īśvara said:
Praised thus at that time by King Daśaratha, / the great king Śani, with hairs standing on end with joy, spoke these words.

Śani said:
I am pleased with you, O king of kings, by this hymn of praise, O you of noble vows! / Name a boon according to your own desire; I shall grant it, O delight of the Raghus!

Daśaratha said:
From this day forward, O tawny-eyed one, no affliction should be caused to anyone— / to gods, demons, men, beasts, birds, or reptiles!

Śani said:
Know that of all planets I am hard to propitiate; I do cause planetary affliction. / What you have asked cannot be granted, O king; yet I shall grant something suitable.

Those mortals who will recite this hymn of praise to me spoken by you, / whether men or women afflicted with fear of me,

gods, demons, or humans, siddhas, vidyādharas, or serpents, / even if I am situated in their house of death or positioned at the end of their birth constellation—

Once or twice a day, I bestow welfare upon them. / Having worshipped and folded their hands, one should recite this hymn. 53

I will never cause affliction to him here [in this world], / whether I am situated in the house of birth or in the house of death, 54

or in the birth-constellation, the ascendant, or during planetary periods and sub-periods; / I constantly protect him from affliction by other planets as well. 55

In this very way he shall become free from affliction. / This boon has been spoken and granted by me, O joy of the Raghu clan! 56

Īśvara said: / Having obtained the two boons in the past, King Daśaratha / bowed to Śanaiścara and considered himself to have achieved his purpose. 57

Having praised Śani and received his permission, the heroic king / mounted his chariot and went to his own abode, being worshipped by the heaven-dwellers. 58

The man who rises early in the morning on Saturday and recites this / shall experience no affliction arising from any planet on earth. 59

One should constantly remember the deity Śanaiścara endowed with devotion. / Having worshipped him, one should recite the hymn; the son of Bhāskara is pleased with him. 60

Thus the māhātmya dedicated to Śani has been related to you, O goddess, / which subdues all sins and bestows the fruit of all desires. 61

Thus ends the forty-ninth chapter, entitled “Description of the Māhātmya of Śanaiścareśvara,” in the first Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya of the seventh Prabhāsakhaṇḍa in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses]. 49