Shani Jayanti 2027
4 June 2027

Shani Jayanti, kept on Jyeshtha Krishna Amavasya at sunrise, marks the birth of Shani Dev, son of Surya, the Sun, and his wife Chhaya. Shani is worshipped as the planet of justice, who gives each person the fruit of their own karma, without favour, and this day is kept for his grace, especially by those passing through his dasha or through a hard transit such as Sade Sati.

Since every Krishna Amavasya that falls on a Saturday is already kept as Shani Amavasya, a monthly day for him, and this Amavasya is also held to be his birthday, many families take this day’s grace to be twofold. Devotees offer mustard oil, black sesame and black cloth, often as charity to the poor, and many visit a Shani temple or recite the Shani Chalisa.

• Mustard oil
• Black sesame (til)
• Black cloth
• Urad dal (black gram)
• Iron items for charity
• Blue or dark flowers
• Shani Chalisa text
• Food for a crow

Source: Popular tradition, as widely told in the Shani vrat katha

Shani was born to Surya and his wife Chhaya, and his skin was dark, unlike his bright father. When Surya saw the infant, tradition says, he looked upon him with displeasure, not recognising a reason for such a child, and that look is said to have given Shani a weakness in one leg from birth.

Hurt by his father’s rejection, Shani is said to have resolved that he would judge every being, including his own father, strictly by their deeds, favouring no one for their birth or beauty. This, tradition holds, is why his gaze is felt as heavy: it asks only what is fairly owed, to the good as reward and to wrongdoing as its consequence.

In time Surya came to see his son’s fairness as a strength rather than a flaw, and Shani is worshipped since as the lord of karma, who gives nothing undeserved and withholds nothing earned.

What to do

• Offer the mustard oil with humility and patience, since tradition holds that Shani’s grace rewards exactly these qualities.
• Feed crows and give to the needy today, since charity is held to ease the hardest of Shani’s trials.
• Keep patience through the day, even with small frustrations, as the quality this day is held to test.

What to avoid

• Avoid anger and harsh words at home today, since patience is what the day asks of those who seek Shani’s grace.
• Avoid approaching Shani’s image with fear; tradition holds that devotion, not dread, is what pleases him.
• Many avoid buying iron, oil or black items for themselves on this day, giving them away instead.

Shani Shingnapur in Maharashtra is among the most visited Shani shrines in India, with its own custom of homes left without doors, trusting in Shani’s own protection. Since this day often falls on the same Amavasya as Vat Savitri in North India, many families keep both pujas on the one day.

In the Amanta calendar of Maharashtra, Gujarat and the south, this same Amavasya is named Vaishakh Krishna Amavasya, a month earlier than the north’s Jyeshtha; the day itself does not move, only the month’s name differs.