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Out of his deep-seated anger against his father Saturn started doing penance (see Birth of Planets). His objective was to become more powerful than Sun, his father.

In Indian Puranas it was believed that by doing penance one could gain such powers that one could even topple the seat of Indra (Indian equivalent of Zeus).

During penance, one had to remain celibate, control all his emotions and subject the body to extreme suffering. In summer, one had to stand on one leg within a Ring of Fire or in winter stand neckdeep in cold water through the night. All the while chanting specific mantras, which could energize one’s latent powers. Saturn went through this for years and finally success was his. While Sun gave life to all beings, Saturn became the dealer of Death. He had the additional power of bestowing instant wealth and prosperity and also the power of healing (by denying death).

Even after achieving his goal he continued to be a celibate and led the life of a hermit. Chhaya, his mother was alarmed. She literally forced him to marry a girl of her choice believing that the beauty of the bride would ensnare Saturn into domesticity.

No such thing happened. Saturn continued with his daily meditation after going through the marriage rituals with extreme reluctance only to please his mother. He remained a celibate, although technically married. It is not clear why he agreed to marry. While agreeing to his mother’s entreaties he remained totally oblivious to the fact that in the process he was ruining the life of normal and healthy girl. Possibly he did not quite understand the responsibilities of marriage! His wife tried her best to win him over. She would bedeck herself with all kinds of finery and try to attract his attention. But Saturn did not even look at her.

One day she had enough of it and cursed Saturn saying “Since you did not even bother to look at me, I curse you that from today whomsoever you look at will perish.”

All this while, elsewhere other important things were happening. Mother Uma the consort of Shiva created a child from her mind. The baby was most gorgeous looking and Shiva made him the leader of his guards known as the ‘Ganas’. Hence his name became Ganapati or Ganesh.

There is an Indian ceremony when a child receives his first meal of solid food. Family and friends are invited and there are festivities. It is known as Annaprashan.

The time came for Ganesh’s Annaprashan. Uma in a joyful mood invited all the gods and demigods. Everybody was too happy to oblige. Everybody except Saturn. Remembering his wife’s curse he did not turn up. Uma noticed his absence and sent her emissaries to fetch him. It was difficult to avoid her summons and reluctantly Saturn went. He decided that he would not look at the child and only join the festivities and bless him with his eyes closed.

Alas, that was not to be. Uma brought the child to him and wanted to know what he thought of him. Saturn told her that he did not want to see the child because if he did something terrible might happen.

Uma would hear none of it. She asked Saturn to look at the child and assured him that she herself would remain responsible for the consequences. What could Saturn do? He looked at Ganesh and as he did Ganesh’s head dropped off his shoulder.

Uma was hysterical. There was general confusion. Everybody started crying. Only Vishnu kept him cool. He took one of Shiva’s attendants aside and asked him go out and find the first living being lying with its head towards the north. He was to cut the head off and bring it as fast as possible to Vishnu.

The attendant found an elephant lying down with its head northwards. He chopped the head off and brought it to Vishnu and he set it on a Ganesh’s headless body and Ganesh became whole again. Since then he became known as the elephant god.

Such were the powers of Saturn - made even more potent by his wife’s curse.

In Indian astrology it is said that the house which receives Saturn’s aspect (i.e., the house to which Saturn looks) is ruined and nothing good can be expected from it.

Madhushri completed her early schooling at the Shri Aurobindo Ashram at Pondicherry. Having grown up in an environment of literature, music and spirituality she proceeded to complete her Masters in Comparative Literature from the Jadavpur University after completing graduation studies in the same course of the University. In addition, Madhushri also hold a Masters degree in Music from the Rabindra Bharati University.

Given her deep interests in mythology, literature and spirituality, the move to Vedic Astrology was a natural extension. Being an intuitive reader of Natal Chart, she brings a successful blend of astrology and spiritual skill-sets into all her readings and counseling’s. A natural flair for expressing complex and difficult matters makes her a prolific creator of most of the content on CyberAstro website since 2001. Madhushri has a large following for the accuracy of her daily, weekly and monthly zodiac predictions.

Reading a book from which a movie is made is almost always a richer experience than simply watching the movie. The experience of savoring the words on the page and allowing yourself to be taken on a journey inspired by the author is sublime. As the author paints a picture with words, your imagination fills in the blanks until the voices of the characters and the images of the settings resonate in your mind.

After reading and thoroughly enjoying a well-written book, watching the movie adaptation can be a interesting experience. The voices and images from your imagination are juxtaposed by those created by the actors, the director, and the cinematographer. It’s not that the experience of watching a movie adaptation is necessarily bad - it’s simply different. It presents a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate to your children the difference between words on a page and images on a screen - and to have a great family experience in the process.

Almost without fail, your children will agree that while they enjoyed the movie, the experience created by their own imagination is better. Demonstrating to your child that their imagination is more powerful than a hollywood blockbuster is a very liberating and supportive exercise. Believe it or not, going through this process of reading a great book and seeing the movie actually reinforces your child’s love of reading and the use of their imagination!

Between now and the end of the year, there are two opportunities to read a great book and then to see the movie adaptation. The movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (PG-13), was released in theaters on November 18, while the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (PG) as released on December 9.

As a family, take the opportunity to read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire before watching the movie. Discuss which scenes you think will make it into the movie and which they may have to cut. Have family members choose favorite characters, and act out some scenes from the book. These types of activities build excitement and set the stage for seeing the movie together as a family. If you want to go all out, dress in costume to see the
movie. Afterwards, discuss how the movie differed from the book, and, more importantly, how it differed from the scenes created in family members’ imaginations.

You can follow the same process by reading The Chronicles of Narnia prior to seeing the movie. Younger children may enjoy hearing the classic tale of Chicken Little prior to seeing the Disney movie of the same name. Discuss the moral of the story, and, after watching the movie, talk about how the storyline in the movie demonstrated the principles of the classic.

Brent Sitton is the founder of Discovery Journey, featuring Children’s Book and Movie Reviews based on character traits. Reviews include character trait examples and fun and educational Family Activities.