Shani Mantra
शनि मंत्र
These are the two best-known Sanskrit mantras for Shani Dev. The beej mantra "Om Pram Preem Proum Sah Shanaishcharaya Namah" is chanted on a mala, usually 108 times, and the verse "Nilanjana Samabhasam" from the Navagraha Stotra is said as a pranam to the son of the Sun. Devotees chant them on Saturdays, often at sunset by a sesame oil lamp.
- 2 verses
- 1 min
- Traditional; the second verse is from the Navagraha Stotra attributed to Vyasa
- Best on Saturday
Om Pram Preem Proum Sah Shanaishcharaya Namahॐ प्रां प्रीं प्रौं सः शनैश्चराय नमः॥
Om. Pram, Preem, Proum, Sah: salutations to Shanaishchara, the slow-moving one.
- OmOm, the sacred syllable
- Pramseed syllable
- Preemseed syllable
- Proumseed syllable
- Sahseed syllable
- Shanaishcharayato Shanaishchara, the slow-moving one (Shani)
- Namahsalutations
Pram, Preem, Proum and Sah are bija (seed) syllables. They are not words with a dictionary meaning; tradition treats their sound as the heart of the mantra. This is the form given for Shani in navagraha mantra lists, usually chanted 108 times on a mala.
Nilanjana Samabhasam Raviputram Yamagrajamनीलाञ्जनसमाभासं रविपुत्रं यमाग्रजम्।
Chhaya Martanda Sambhutam Tam Namami Shanaishcharamछायामार्तण्डसम्भूतं तं नमामि शनैश्चरम्॥
I bow to Shanaishchara, who shines like blue-black collyrium, the son of the Sun and elder brother of Yama, born of Chhaya and Martanda (the Sun).
- Nilanjana Samabhasamshining like blue-black collyrium
- Raviputramson of Ravi, the Sun
- Yamagrajamelder brother of Yama
- Chhaya Martanda Sambhutamborn of Chhaya and Martanda (the Sun)
- Tamhim
- NamamiI bow to
- ShanaishcharamShanaishchara (Shani)
This is the seventh verse of the Navagraha Stotra attributed to Vyasa ("Japakusuma sankasham…"), the verse for Shani. Many people say it once, on its own, as a pranam to Shani Dev.
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Questions
What does the Shani beej mantra mean?
"Om Pram Preem Proum Sah Shanaishcharaya Namah" means "Om, salutations to Shanaishchara", with four bija (seed) syllables in between. The bija syllables have no word meaning; tradition holds that their sound carries the mantra. Shanaishchara, "the slow-moving one", is Shani's Sanskrit name.
How many times should I chant it?
The most common count is 108, on a mala, on Saturdays. If that is too much, 11 or 21 with attention is a good start, and the counter on this page lets you choose. The Nilanjana verse is usually said once, as a pranam.
Is it OK to recite on Saturday evening?
Yes. Saturday evening around sunset, with a sesame oil lamp, is a very common time for Shani mantras. Morning after bathing is also fine.
What is sade sati?
In jyotish, sade sati is the roughly seven-and-a-half-year stretch when Saturn moves through the sign before your Moon sign, your Moon sign and the one after. Most people meet it two or three times in a lifetime. Tradition treats it as a time for patience, discipline and prayer, and many people chant this mantra then. You don't need to buy a gemstone or pay for a ritual to chant it.
Source and review
Source: Mantra 1 (beej mantra): drikpanchang.com "Shani Mantras" (vedic-mantra/gods/navagraha/lord-shani), cross-checked with shubhpanchang.com (Shani beeja mantra). Mantra 2: Navagraha Stotra, verse 7, as on Sanskrit Wikisource (नवग्रहस्तोत्रम्, attributed to Vedavyasa), cross-checked with drikpanchang.com (Navagraha Stotram and the Shani pranam mantra on the Shani Mantras page)
The beej mantra is identical in both sources. For the Navagraha verse, Wikisource prints "नीलाञ्जनसमाभासं … छायामार्तण्डसम्भूतं"; drikpanchang prints the same words with anusvara spellings ("नीलांजन", "संभूतं") and, on its Shani Mantras page, with "ॐ" in front, which we leave out as it is not part of the stotra verse. Shorter forms such as "ॐ शं शनैश्चराय नमः" (drikpanchang, shubhpanchang) are not included here.
We checked the text line by line against the sources named here. The meanings are an AI-assisted draft. A scholar has not reviewed them yet.
The meanings are our own first draft. A scholar has not reviewed them yet. If you spot a mistake, please tell us.
Key facts
- Author
- Traditional; the second verse is from the Navagraha Stotra attributed to Vyasa
- Verses
- 2
- Original language
- Sanskrit
- Source edition
- Mantra 1 (beej mantra): drikpanchang.com "Shani Mantras" (vedic-mantra/gods/navagraha/lord-shani), cross-checked with shubhpanchang.com (Shani beeja mantra). Mantra 2: Navagraha Stotra, verse 7, as on Sanskrit Wikisource (नवग्रहस्तोत्रम्, attributed to Vedavyasa), cross-checked with drikpanchang.com (Navagraha Stotram and the Shani pranam mantra on the Shani Mantras page)
- Last checked
- Review status
- Script verified
Cite this page
“Shani Mantra”. Nitya, updated 2026-10-04. https://getnitya.com/en/shani/shani-mantra/