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Gradually the time came when Shani Dev entered Kanyaa Raashi (Virgo) which was the 12th House of King Vikramaaditya's Raashi horoscope (as counted from his Chandramaa - Moon). A good astrologer came to his court and said to him - "O King, Shani has entered your 12th House, so your Saadhe Saatee (7 and 1/2 year period) has started. You did not understand him fully well, he is a very cruel planet. So now you start worshipping him, give alms in his name and recite his Mantras, so that you can appease him and escape from his tortures.

Choose a good Braahman and ask him to recite Shani Mantra for you 23,000 times. After the Mantra recitation, he should make 5,750 offerings to sacred Fire. Give black gram (Kaalaa Urad), black cloth, iron, and oil in alms to Braahman and feed Braahman. You should worship that Braahman who recites Mantra for you in the way as you are worshipping Shani himself. Wear a blue sapphire on your body.  When he is satisfied he will protect you during this 7 and 1/2 year period as he had protected his own son." Vikaramaaditya said - "I will certainly do so as you have advised me, but I am doubtful that he will be pleased with me, because who can harass his own father from the time of his birth, what good he can do to others? Whatever has to happen, has to happen, there is no escape from it, so go home and leave me with my fate."

Shani Appears in Disguise of a Merchant

One day, Shani Dev came to Vikramaaditya in disguise of a wealthy merchant to sell his horses. Many rich men came to see his horses. Vikramaaditya also heard about him and he sent his people to buy some good horses from. So his men went there to buy a horse for the King, but got stunned to hear its price. Vikramaaditya also got stunned so he himself came to see the horse. When he asked their price, the merchant told him that when he had ridden a horse and had liked it, then only he would tell its price.

The King liked a horse named Saarang, he mounted a rider and took him to a nearby place for a trial. The King was very pleased with this horse. The merchant showed him another horse and said - "This horse's price is 100,000 silver coins. This is a very good horse. I know that you might have not seen such an expensive horse but you will be very pleased with him after riding it. His name is Akhlaak." So the King mounted the horse and took him to the parkland. He liked that horse very much and he spoke to himself - "This horse is really swift."

As soon as these words came out of his mouth, the horse took a great leap and sailed into the sky with a wind-like speed. The King wanted to stop it but it was running fast. The King started fearing for his life. Finally he landed on the bank of a river. The King managed to able to jump from the horse's back and both the river and the horse disappeared immediately. Vikram thought where should he go now from here? He started passing through the forest with great difficulty. He was very hungry and thirsty, that a cowherd came by, gave him some water to drink and guided him to the nearest town - city of Tamalind which was about 20 miles away from there.

Back in the capital of Ujjayinee, the King's people were waiting for him to come back after his ride of the horse, but both of them were not in sight at all. They waited and waited and when they did not appear the whole city plunged into sorrowful mood. Next morning, the merchant asked the Prime Minister the cost of the horse. He said - "When the King will come back, he will pay you." But when the King did not return for long, he paid the merchant his money and the merchant went away.

Vikramaaditya Meets a Trader

King Vikramaaditya came to the city of Tamalind, where he came in one of its bazaars and sat down in front of a trader's shop. It so happened that on that day he earned double the money from his usual income. He felt that there should be a lucky man around that is why he earned a lot of money on that day, so he saw around and found Vikramaaditya in front of his shop. He brought him to his shop, bathe him and then brought him to his house. He asked him his caste, his dwelling place and his name. The King replied - "I am a Kshatriya, I live far from here. Wandering around I happened to be here and seeing your shop, I just stopped in front of it for rest." The trader offered him a variety of delicious food. After the food he offered him betel leaf and betel nuts also.

This trader had a beautiful daughter Alolikaa (Unagitated) who was in search of a boy whom she could marry, but till date she was unsuccessful. When the trader saw this man (Vikramaaditya), he thought that "this man is very appropriate for his daughter". So he said to his daughter - "Alolikaa, I have found a boy for you, garland him and marry him." The girl said - "That is all right Father, but I will test him myself then only I can marry him. After the evening send him to my art room to sleep. I will test him there and if the person will pass my examination, I will marry him."

The trader sent Vikramaaditya to his daughter's art room. When the King entered the room he was struck first by the walls on which various kinds of pictures were hung - elephants, birds, horses etc. In the middle of the room was a bed with a velvet mattress covered with a white coverlet. In the center of the ceiling was hanging a pearl chandelier. The light which was coming from the lamps through this chandelier was like a moonlight. There were many garlands of rose hanging around the room, they were filling the room with fragrance.

Seeing this room, Vikram thought "Which country is this? and what a beauty? It all seems to me Shani's illusion. Even this trader's daughter seems to me Shani's illusion. Let me see what happens next." Thinking thus he lay down in the bed and pretended to sleep. He just pretended to sleep because he could not sleep. He had to pass 7 and 1/2 years under Shani's gaze. At the same time the trader's daughter entered the room. She was a Divine beauty. She found the king asleep in the bed his head covered. She tried to wake up the King by sprinkling rose water but the King did not wake up. How could he wake up, he was not asleep at all. The trader's daughter tried to wake him up for full three hours but to no avail. Finally she hung her diamond necklace over a handy peg and lay down beside the King. In a little while she slept.

After this the King pulled the sheet from his face and thought "how can I say to this maiden that I would not be able to marry her, this is sin even to speak with a maiden in private". He was thinking like thus that he saw a wonder - a painted swan from one of the pictures on the wall came to life and started eating Alolikaa's necklace of pearl and diamond. The King got very surprised to see such a scene and thought "surely this thing is gong to bring some misery for me - if I take the necklace from the swan, I lose my reputation for never refusing someone what they ask for, and if I let the swan eat it, I will have to face the charge of stealing." Thinking this he King finally fell asleep.

In the morning, the girl said to herself - "This man is an impotent fool."