Kantaka Śani refers to Saturn behaving like a thorn in one’s life, causing disruptions that make every step feel burdensome. It impacts career, finances, and overall well-being, leading to struggles in decision-making, emotional stability, and physical health. The term is derived from the metaphor of a thorn in the leg, forcing a person to limp through life’s challenges. 

When Does Kantaka Śani Occur?

Kantaka Śani operates when Saturn transits the 1st, 4th, 8th, or 10th houses from:

1. Lagna (Ascendant)
2. Arudha Lagna (AL)
3. Moon Sign (Chandra Rashi)

Effects of Saturn’s Transits

1. From Lagna (Ascendant):
   Lagna represents intelligence (Dhi) and decision-making. During this transit, Saturn causes wrong decisions, leading to suffering and regret.
2. From Arudha Lagna (AL):
   The AL shows how society perceives us and our interaction with the world. Saturn’s influence disrupts career and finances, leading to societal setbacks and instability in professional life.
3. From Chandra (Moon):
   Chandra represents the mind (Manas) and the body (Sharira). Saturn’s transit here results in physical ailments and emotional distress, deeply affecting the person’s mental and physical well-being.

Specific Impacts of Saturn in Certain Houses

1. Saturn in Lagna:
   • In this position, Saturn is in Marana Karaka Sthana (a place of death-like suffering for Saturn).
   • It destroys the person’s intelligence, causing confusion and poor decision-making.
2. Saturn in the 4th House:
   • The 4th house represents healing and comfort.
   • Saturn here denies healing, prolonging suffering and emotional turmoil.
3. Saturn in the 8th House:
   • This transit triggers deep transformations, akin to the Kurma Avatar story when the Devas churned the ocean. Initially, it brings out poisons (difficulties and pain), but in the end, it offers Amrita (healing and transformation).
   • While this transit strengthens the person over time, it is physically taxing. A weak body may not withstand the strain, leading to severe health consequences.
   • Saturn aspects the 2nd house (causing unhealthy eating habits), the 5th house (wrong mantras or misguided spiritual practices), and the 10th house (damage to Karma Yoga).
4. Saturn in the 10th House:
   • The 10th house governs Karma Yoga (career and duty).
   • This transit disrupts work and responsibility, leading to professional failures and setbacks.

Why Is Kantaka Śani Considered the Worst Transit?

Kantaka Śani’s adverse aspects and placements collectively weaken multiple areas of life, damaging health, decision-making, societal standing, and career. The damage to the 10th house, which governs karma, is especially detrimental, as it impacts one’s purpose and actions in life.

The challenges of Kantaka Śani remind us of the need for patience, discipline, and spiritual practices to endure and grow through its transformative influence.

Example 1: Milosevic Slobodan, ex- president of Yugoslavia

Date:          August 20, 1941

Time:          22:00:00

Time Zone:     1:00:00 (East of GMT)

Place:         21 E 12′ 00″, 44 N 38′ 00″

Transit time on day when Mr. Milosevic lost election.

So, we see that Śani is transiting over Lagna, so his intelligence is gone. It is aspecting the tenth house, making it Kantaka Śani. It is also aspecting the seventh house, causing trouble with his spouse, and aspecting Chandra, so his body doesn’t feel very good. Because Śani is transiting the trines from AL, the person comes close to dying.

Ārūḍha Lagna also deals with our placement in this world because Maya stands on the Shava, a dead body. Śakti stands on Śiva, on the Śava, actually. Śiva is called Śava in that form because he has no “i”; there is no Śakti in him. It is Śakti that gives him life. Śakti is the Ārūḍha Lagna, so when Śani comes to Ārūḍha Lagna, Ārūḍha Lagna is going to leave. This means the Devi, Maya, is about to leave the person. That implies the body is about to become a dead body. Prakṛti is about to leave the body. That is why Śani is bad when transiting the Ārūḍha Lagna.

Śani is in Lagna, and because of that tenth Dṛṣṭi, it is causing the Kaṇṭaka. Kaṇṭaka always happens in regard to the tenth house; the rest is additional. When Kaṇṭaka is happening and Śani is related to Lagna, bad decisions occur.

Now, let’s see Navāṁśa. Śani is in Vṛṣabha Rāśi, so let us see Vṛṣabha Navāṁśa first. In Navāṁśa, it is in the fourth house. So, he is destroying the Bhagya. Additionally, it is in the eighth house from the Moon, which also destroys the Moon. That is, again, very bad.

Let us assume we don’t use the degree of AL here, and we know Navāṁśa transit and how it affects Bhagya. There is a difference between using transits in the Rāśi chart and the Vargas. If it is in Rāśi, then it is Rāśi Gochara, and Rāśi Gochara affects the resources in your world. If we take Śani’s Navāṁśa placement, meaning in this case using Kumbha Navāṁśa, then we’re seeing Bhagya Gochara—how much Bhagya Śani brings. But if we want to see how the world and resources affect his Bhagya, we will take Śani in Vṛṣabha Rāśi and see Vṛṣabha in Navāṁśa.

Vṛṣabha  is the fourth from Lagna. This is bad; this is Kaṇṭaka. It is also the eighth from Chandra, which is again Kaṇṭaka.

Now, let’s take Ārūḍha Lagna calculated from Navāṁśa. In Navāṁśa, AL is either in Mithuna or Karka. In both cases, there is no Kantaka on AL, but we know that Milošević must have had such a serious problem that he experienced full Kaṇṭaka regarding his Bhagya and AL because the entire nation threw him out of his own country. When something like that happens, it must involve Ārūḍha.

We will take the third option now. Lagna’s degree is 4°56′, so that is also the degree of Ārūḍha Lagna. Thus, Ārūḍha Lagna is in the second Navāṁśa. Ārūḍha Lagna is in Makara, so it will also be in Kumbha in Navāṁśa. Śani transit fully harms him. His Bhagya is completely destroyed.

We see it from every point: Lagna, Ārūḍha Lagna, and Chandra. He was destroyed. Chandra is Śarīra (body), and it also represents general fortune. From Lagna, it is intelligence. From AL, it is the world, population, and the country around you.

Once we find out from the Rāśi chart that Śani is so bad during these 2 ½ years, we need to see when Śani will be at its worst. Thus, Śani is in Vṛṣabha: in the first Navāṁśa, it will be Makara; in the second Navāṁśa, it will be Kumbha.

When it is in Kumbha Navāṁśa, it will be on AL and Lagna in Navāṁśa. There is a dictum from the Chandrakala Nadi: “When Chandra is affected by Śani Navāṁśa, the person will suffer great humiliation, and when this happens from Ārūḍha Lagna, it will not only bring humiliation but also cause everyone to try to destroy the person.”

So, when Śani was transiting Navāṁśa and Ārūḍha Lagna, it must have been the worst period of his life—thrown out of the country by his own people.

Further, we can go to Dasāṁśa and say that the person is experiencing Sade Sati. If we take Śani’s Vṛṣabha placement and apply it in Dasāṁśa, then Śani in Vṛṣabha is twelfth from Chandra. So, he is going through Sade Sati in his career.

On top of that, Śani is having Graha Dṛṣṭi on Lagna in Dasāṁśa, so his decision-making in his career and job is very bad as well. Kaṇṭaka is also happening here.

In his natal chart, he already has Śani in Māraṇa Kāraka Sthāna, so Śani in transit is only triggering this.

Mr. Milošević scheduled elections at a time when there was no need for them. He was convinced he would win. The most important thing related to Śani is to stick to the truth. Initially, Mr. Milošević didn’t want to admit that he had lost the election, but due to pressure from the people and international politics, he changed his mind.

Now, we will see something interesting connected to Śani’s Gochara: Whenever Śani makes his Kaṇṭaka Gochara toward Lagna, he never touches the Dharma and Siddhi Bhāvas.

In the first chart, Śani is in the first Bhāva and has Dṛṣṭi on the 3^rd, 7^th and 10^th houses.
In the second chart, Śani is in the 4th Bhāva and has Dṛṣṭi on Lagna, 6^th  and the 10^th houses.
In the third chart, Śani is in the 8th Bhāva and has Dṛṣṭi on the 2^nd, 5^th and 10th houses.
In the fourth chart, Śani is in the 10th Bhāva and has Dṛṣṭi on the 12th and 8th houses.

Thus, the 9th and 11th Bhāvas are never afflicted during Kaṇṭaka Śani.

Śani is the son of the Sun god, Sūrya, and Saṇjñā, born as Kritantak—Yama (the God of Death). He carries the curse of Sūrya delivered to Saṇjñā, which led to his conception. Hence, Saturn represents curses in a chart and is destined to die (Yama was the first to die), thereby ruling longevity. This is the first aspect of Saturn, where he is the upholder and blind follower of Dharma, ensuring that everyone obeys the laws.

The other aspect of Saturn is Mahākāl as the son of Chāya (shadow), born from an illegitimate relationship with the Sun god. The illegitimate relationship was exposed when Kritantak-Yama kicked his foster mother Chāya, and she cursed him to have incurable leprosy in his leg. That is why Saturn is said to be lame and hobbles around the zodiac. Mahākāl, being a shadowy child, was absorbed into the body of Yama, along with his anger, frustration, and terrible sight, resulting in a split personality.

Now, can we apply that split personality of Śani mentioned above? In the ninth Bhāva, Śani will always act like Dharma Rāja Yama, and in the eleventh Bhāva, he is Mahākāla, no matter whether he is creating Kaṇṭaka or not. Dharma Rāja Yama will always act to maintain Dharma, no matter what (even if the parents are involved), and Mahākāla will do everything to deliver all bad karma from the eleventh Bhāva, which is the Bhāva of Śiva’s Danda (sixth from the sixth Bhāva).

Example 2: Controversial politician and war criminal, Seselj Vojislav

Date:          October 11, 1954

Time:          8:30:00

Time Zone:     1:00:00 (East of GMT)

Place:         18 E 25′ 00″, 43 N 51′ 00″

Time of transit 9. July 1984 – Going to prison

This is a chart of one of the most interesting and scandalous politicians in Serbia. During this time, he was famous as the youngest Doctor of Law in Yugoslavia. Due to political discussions with the government, he ended up in prison. Śani is on Lagna and making a Kaṇṭaka, which indicates wrong decisions. Śani is also in the eighth house from Chandra, which tells us that the body will suffer as well. Śani is in Tula Rāśi, and if we look at the Navāṁśa, there is Chandra in Tulasāṁśa, which again forms Kaṇṭaka in regard to Chandra.
To confirm going to jail, we need to find a combination for Bandhana yoga in the Natal chart.
Varāhamihira says:

पश्चाद्रिपु भाग्ययोर्ग्रहसाम्यं बन्धः कोणयो।

रोगजाययोः कीटयुग्मयोः दाररिफयोश्च। १।३।४२

paścādripu bhāgyayorgrahasāmyaṁ bandhaḥ koṇayo |

rogajāyayoḥ kīṭayugmayoḥ dārariphayośca | 1|3|42

Reckoned from Lagna, if equal number of planets are in any of the following pairs of houses, 2^nd and 12^th, 5^th and 9^th, 8^th and 6^th, 3^rd and 11^th, or 4^th and 10^th, then Bandhana yoga is caused.

Jaimini then uses aspects to understand circumstances and nature of the Bandhana. 

एवमृक्षाणां तदीशनं च शुब सम्बन्धो निरोध्न

मात्र पाप सम्बधात् श्रृंकला प्रहरादयः। १।३।४३।

evamṛkṣāṇāṁ tadīśanaṁ ca śuba sambandho nirodhna

mātra pāpa sambadhāt śrṛṅkalā praharādayaḥ| 1|3|43|

If benefics aspect the Bandhana yoga, the troubles are temporary, while malefics aspecting indicate punishment, such as beating with chains, etc. In this case, Śukra and Sūrya are in the second and twelfth Bhāva, respectively. There is a beneficial aspect on Lagna, which indicates that the prison time for this person will be temporary. He spent 2 years in prison.

Example 3: Napoleon Bonaparte,

Date:          August 15, 1769

Time:          11:30:00

Time Zone:     0:34:40 (East of GMT)

Place:         8 E 40′ 00″, 41 N 55′ 00″

 Transit is for a date 18. June 1815. – Battle of Waterloo

Śani is transiting Makara, causing Kaṇṭaka from Lagna and Chandra. Ārūḍha Lagna is in Kumbha, and Śani is in the twelfth from Ārūḍha Lagna. From Chandra, it will cause problems with the body and intelligence. Due to the specific placement in the fourth house, it indicates difficulties in recovery. Now, let’s see what Lagna, Chandra Lagna, and Ārūḍha Lagna are in Navāṁśa. He is in the fifth Navāṁśa, so Ārūḍha Lagna will also be in the same Aṁśa. Thus, Ārūḍha Lagna and Navāṁśa Lagna are going to be the same. Makara is in the twelfth from Ārūḍha Lagna, which doesn’t tell us much. But when we apply the Rāśi Tulya Navāṁśa  technique, Śani makes his return to the Karma Bhāva and automatically stops all action because of enemies. Śani-Maṅgala forms Unmada yoga, indicating insanity. In the natal chart, the fifth lord and Ātmakāraka Rāhu is debilitated with Sūrya -Maṅgala in his Māraṇa Kāraka Sthāna. Chandra is under a curse, and when Śani transits over Chandra, it triggers it. Rāhu in Duṣthāna in Navāṁśa, aspected by Śani, indicates mental problems for the person

Exemple 4: Nikolae Ceausescu, late president of Rumania

Date:          January 26, 1918

Time:          23:22:00

Time Zone:     3:00:00 (East of GMT)

Place:         25 E 18′ 00″, 47 N 10′ 00″

 Transit time – December 20. 1989. – Trial and execute

This is a time of his trial and execution. Śani needs to transit Ārūḍha Lagna, and it is. Ārūḍha Lagna is in Dhanuṣ, and Śani is in it. It is in the fourth from Lagna, which again indicates a big problem. Healing won’t happen, and he won’t find a solution for his problems. Śani also aspects Lagna, and more importantly, it aspects the third bhava from Ārūḍha Lagna (place of death). There is Śukra, which indicates that everyone will know the time of his death.

Śani was in the third from Chandra. Ārūḍha Lagna is Karka. Śani is in the sixth from Karka. Nothing shows a huge tragedy here. However, we can apply a very rare technique:

If we take the transit Graha and observe its Rasi and Navāṁśa positions, Saturn is on Ārūḍha Lagna in Rāśi and in Libra in Navāṁśa. Now, we look at what is in Libra in Navāṁśa and what is in Dhanuṣ in Rāśi. In Navāṁśa, Chandra is in Libra, and in Rāśi, Rāhu is in Dhanus. This combination makes Chandra and Rāhu feel as if they are joined. They are creating Śakti Yoga, a very destructive yoga, especially for health.

This specific yoga, called Rāhu Bhāva Chandrāṁśa, is very deadly. Here, the lord of the Lagna is also involved, so the person meets death.

Example 5: Male

Date:          May 11, 1980 

Time:          23:16:51

Time Zone:     1:00:00 (East of GMT)

Place:         19 E 45′ 00″, 43 N 02′ 00″

 Transit time – February 2. 1999. – Car Crash

In this case, we see that Śani is transiting Ārūḍha Lagna, so bad health will come. When we look at Śani’s position in Navāṁśa, it is in Meṣa, which is fourth from Chandra. So, it is bad for the body – Śarīra. There are no further details as far as Kaṇṭaka is concerned.

Example 6:  Female

Date:          September 8, 1980

Time:          15:08:10

Time Zone:     1:00:00 (East of GMT)

Place:         15 E 51′ 00″, 44 N 18′ 00″

Transit date is October 23, 1993. – Mother’s death

Śani is in Makara. He is causing Kaṇṭaka from Ārūḍha Lagna only. Just as Śani transiting Ārūḍha Lagna is bad for health, Śani’s transit over Matṛ Pāda   is very bad for the mother’s health. In Navāṁśa, we should see Makarāṁśa . In Makarāṁśa, Śani is actually transiting Maṅgala. Maṅgala is Matṛkāraka.

Now let us see Makara in her Dvādaśāṁśa. Makara has Chandra. The fourth lord, Budha, is in Tula, and this is also Kaṇṭaka on Budha in Dvādaśāṁśa. Śani is in Kanyāṁśa, which is the fourth house in Dvādaśāṁśa. All this shows the afflicted health of the mother.