Shani is one of the nine primary celestial beings in Vedic astrology. Shani is embodied in the planet Saturn. Shani is the Lord of Saturday.The origin of word Shani comes from the following:Shanaye Kramati Sa i.e.the one who moves slowly.Saturn takes about 30 years to revolve around the Sun,thus it moves slowly compared to other planets,thus the Sanskrit name.Shani is actually a demi-god and is a son of Surya (the Hindu Sun God) and Surya's wife Chhaya.It is said that when he opened his eyes as a baby for the very first time,the Sun went into an eclipse,which clearly denotes the impact of Shani on astrological charts (horoscope).He is depicted dark in colour,clothed in black;holding two daggers.
His Tattva or element is air,and his direction is west.He is Tamas in nature and represents learning the hard way,Career and Longevity.
Design: Made in heavy shining brass.
Brass is well known for its grasping capacity.It grasps the divine spirit upto 30%, when compared to other metals.The spiritual vibrations are attracted towards these shining idols easily.
Dimensions: 2.8 inches (H) x 1.2 inches (W) x 2.2 inches (L) (7 x 3 x 5.5 cms approx)
Weight: 240 grams
Placement: It should be placed facing West direction.
Importance of Idol worship: Idols are not the idle fancies of sculptors,but shining channels through which the heart of the devotee is attracted to and flows towards God.Though the image is worshipped, the devotee feels the presence of the Lord in it and pours out his devotion unto it.Regular worship, Puja and other modes of demonstrating our inner feeling of recognition of Divinity in the idol unveils the Divinity latent in it.This is truly a wonder and a miracle.The picture comes to life.The idol speaks. It will answer your questions and solve your problems.The God in you has the power to awaken the latent Divinity in the idol.The lives of Mirabai, Sant Tukaram,Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Shri Yogananda are a few instances to prove the point.They proved beyond doubt that idol worship has its own brighter side and through simple faith and intense devotion one can realize God through it.
Idols are the "finite representation of the Infinite".As per Vishnu Samhita (ch 29, v 55-7), persuasively endorses the use of imagery (idols) and puts it:"Without a form how can God be mediated upon? If (He is) without any form, where will the mind fix itself? When there is nothing for the mind to attach itself to,it will slip away from meditation or will glide into a state of slumber.Therefore the wise will meditate on some form, remembering, however, that the form is a superimposition and not a reality."