Shani & Misery: Some Thoughts

In any book you study, you will read that Shani is the planet of grief, suffering, misery and sorry.

In this article, I want to look at that perspective about Shani from from Mythological, Physiological and Psychological lens.

Read on.

Mythological Perspective

• In the Puranas, Shani is the son of Surya (Sun) and Chhaya (Shadow). Already, he is born of shadow — the side of life that is cold, harsh, and unavoidable.

• Shani’s gaze is feared. Wherever he looks, challenges arise. Not because he is cruel, but because his dharma is to expose weakness and past karmas. His drishti (aspect) slows things down, blocks instant gratification, forces long suffering until the lesson is learned.

• Unlike Rahu who tempts you, or Jupiter who uplifts you, Shani sits you down and says: “Do your karmic homework. No shortcuts.” That feels like misery, because humans want ease.

So mythologically, Shani is sorrow because he embodies the inescapable shadow of karma. He is not there to “reward” — he is there to settle the score.

Physiological Perspective

Saturn in medical astrology is linked with:

• Bones, teeth, joints → the slowest-growing, heaviest structures. Stiffness, pain, arthritis are all Saturnine.

• Nervous inhibition → Shani slows impulses; psychologically this feels like depression, physically like lethargy.

• Vata aggravation (dryness, cold, constriction). Saturn dries the tissues, weakens vitality, reduces lubrication — so people feel “withered,” like life has no juice left. All parts of body where Vata's seat is, are ruled by Shani.

It’s why long grief makes people age — Saturn literally calcifies the body.

Psychological Perspective

Saturn rules grief and sorrow. Psychologically, sorrow often comes from:

• Delay of gratification: When you can’t get what you want immediately, the child in you suffers. Saturn represents that strict parent who doesn't nourish and provide immediately, but says "wait its not time yet". And you bawl like a baby.

• Restriction & isolation: Shani rules detachment, hence rules loneliness. Isolation is painful, but psychologically it is trying to force self-sufficiency.

• The Reality Principle: If Freud were to be an Astrologer, he would call Saturn the superego — the voice of law, order, duty. It clips your wings. That feels like sorrow compared to the free, playful “id.”

Why grief specifically? Because Saturn forces confrontation with loss, endings, mortality, imperfection. Every Saturn transit reminds you: nothing is permanent, everything ages, everyone must let go.

I will end with this thought

“Shani hurts, but to make you pay for your past karmic mistakes. This is the coldest side of Shani. But also, it hurts to make you learn, so you can grow.

If you bear the weight of Shani, you build resilience.

If you carry the sorrow consciously, you gain wisdom.