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Everybody is frightened with Shani and everybody knows that he is so hard to please. Vikram's Saadhe Saatee's Kathaa is very common in India, still being told in many parts, but there are other stories also related to him. In Gujaraat, people hear Sudaamaa's story. Sudaamaa had lost his luck when he cheated his friend Krishn for some food, later he got it back after receiving the blessings from Krishn. Here is one North Indian story which comes in Skand Puraan.

Shani Kathaa in Northern India

Once a King organized a big craft fair so he invited many craftsmen from all over the country. He assured that whatever they would not be able to sell, he would buy them at an appropriate price. Many craftsmen came with their various kinds of crafts, but one foolish craftsman brought an iron statue of Shani Dev. Naturally nobody purchased it, so the King had to buy it. That night the King saw a Devee in his dream, she was Lakshmee - Devee of wealth, leaving his body. The King asked her  "Who are you?" She replied - "I am Lakshmee, Devee of wealth and prosperity. I cannot remain in the same house where Shani lives." The King saluted her respectfully and she went away.

Next came a Devtaa of Vaibhav (glory) who also left him as he also could not stay there where there was no Lakshmee. The King saluted him also and he also went away. In the same way others : Dharm (righteousness), Dayaa (compassion), Kshamaa (forbearance) also left him, but when Satya (truthfulness) started leaving, the King held his feet and said - "I never left you all these days so you cannot leave me now."

All other qualities were waiting out side for Satya to join them, so that they could go somewhere else. When Satya did not come out for quite some time, Dharm said - "I have to go back, I can't exist without him." and he returned to the king's palace. Then others also followed him, one by one, in reverse order. At last Lakshmee also had to return, because she also could not exist without them. She said to the King - "Thanks to your love for Satya which brought all of us back to you. Who holds the Satya so firmly has never have to suffer with any misery."

One Kathaa About Shani's Lameness - Shani and Pippalaad
Read another story of Shani and Pippalaad in Bhavishya Puraan, 4/36

Yet in another Kathaa, a prince and his friend together perform Shani's Vrat. The friend gets gold and offers the Prince a share, but the Prince insists that he will have only his own Destiny's share. The Prince continues with his Vrat until he is finally rewarded with Divine assistance. He regains his kingdom and marries a Gandharv princess.

Another version of the same Kathaa states that "Shani comes riding his buffalo (the vehicle of Yam Raaj - the god of Death) to test the two boys. So he sits on a Peepal tree hiding there and gives one boy the gold. The other boy tells Shani the story of Pippalaad and tells Shani that he is "the Slow Deity". At this Shani tells him "You are fellow disciple of my Guru.", which means that he had passed the test.

The story of Pippalaad explains how Shani became lame and slow. When Shani afflicted the father of Pippalaad with disease and penury, the angry Pippalaad attacked the Peepal tree stood on the banks of Yamunaa River where Shani Dev sat. Shani Dev fled from there, but Pippalaad followed him and broke both of his legs. So Shiv had to intervene to stop Pippalaad to kill his son, Pipplaad said - "Everything is fine but from today his name will be Mandaa (slow)."

Another Kathaa About Shani's Lameness - Shani and Raavan

This legend explains that his lameness appears to be from the times of Raamayan. As everybody knows that Raavan had won Tri-Lok and had obtained power over all the nine planets. When his son Meghnaad was about to be born, Raavan forced all Graha into the 11th House of Meghnaad's horoscope, thinking that his son's life would then be one success after another. The 11th House in a horoscope rules gains of all kinds. But at the moment of the baby's birth Shani cunningly extended his leg into the child's 12th House, which since the 12th House rules all kinds of losses, ruined the entire effect that Raavan was attempting to create. Enraged Raavan at this chopped off Shani's foot that extended in Meghnaad's 12th House.

Remedies - Worship Shiv and Hanumaan

Astrologically Shani is lame because he is the slowest planet among all the nine planets. One should not be surprised if in somebody's horoscope Shani is afflicted, he represents actual lameness of that person. In North India they say that Time has very short hair on his neck and it runs very fast; people try to catch him but cant get hold onto his hair. Shani's another name is Time, but Shani's slowness seems easy to catch. Sincere penance and  devotion are good ways to catch him, although no method can totally eliminate Shani's ill effects, because all living beings are subjected to his influence; but worship can lessen reduce their intensity.

Worship of Shiv and Hanumaan is an effective and tested way. Shiv is the god of Death and Time and can influence Shani because Shani is effectively one portion of his power. Pippalaad could punish Shani as he and his wife Padmaa were incarnation of Shiv and Paarvatee; Hanumaan can also control Shani because he himself is the incarnation of Shiv. Hanumaan's supernatural powers can be found in Sundar Kaand of Raamaayan and Maanas which is read or recited as a general Upaaya for all sorts of troubles and specifically for Shani's troubles.

Although Hanumaan also had to go through Shani's Saadhe Saatee like all other beings, but Shani could do very little to afflict him. One story goes like this, that once Shani asked Hanumaan - "You are so powerful, what part of your body can I afflict?" Hanumaan said - "Sit on my tail." Hearing this Shani sat on his tail. When he did so, Hanumaan flipped his tail over him and pinned him to the ground so that he could neither move nor look at Hanumaan. Thus Hanumaan was saved from Shani's affliction but later he did have to suffer a bit when the portion of his tail that pinned Shani was set on fire by Raavan's people.

In another story, when Shani told Hanumaan that his Saadhe Saatee was going to begin, Hanumaan asked - "Which part of my body do you intend to live in?" Shani said - "I want to sit on your head." Hanumaan said, "Very well." When the first day of Hanumaan's Saadhe Saatee came, Shani Dev seated himself on the head of Hanumaan comfortably. Now Hanumaan began to play a little game. He would take a heavy mountain and throw it high in the air and let it fall on his head. After a few minutes, when Hanumaan was just started to enjoy this game, Shani cried - "Stop, O Hanumaan, Let me go, I leave you alone." Hanumaan asked smilingly - "You mean that you have had enough?" Shani replied - "Yes, I have had enough, but at least I made you hit your head."