You might have heard many times that rudraksha has its own spiritual meaning and it is very auspicious to wear rudraksha on your body but do you know that in Indian religious scripts; Rudraksha is considered to be ‘tears of Lord Shiva’ and not only just an ornament to be used as a piece of jewelry.

Check out this guide and know more about Rudraksha –

How does it develop?

Rudraksha is nothing but the dried seed of a blue colored fruit bore by utrasum bean tree. There are different names of the tree; it is called blue marble tree and Indian bead tree etc. the scientific name of the tree is Elaeocarpus angustifolius . the outer blue husky part of the fruit is edible while the stone like seed inside is Rudraksha. The tree begins to bear fruits within 3-4 years after planting. The pits of the fruit are cleaned and called Rudraksha or “tear of Lord Shiva”. The seed is considered holy and used as prayer beads in hindus and Sikhs.

It basically grows in the gangetic plain in the foothill of Himalayas while it can be found in Srilanka also but not common.

Types of Rudraksha

Generally Rudraksha is classified on the basis of number of faces or ‘mukh’. It can be clearly seen by the separating clefts over the stone. A stone can have any number of faces from 1 to 14. Rudraksha with single face is very rare and called ekmukhi.

Apart from this, Rudraksha is also defined on the basis of structure.  When two seeds are found conjoined inside a fruit, it is called Gaurishankar while a gaurishankar rudraksha in which one of the conjoined seed has only one face is called ‘sawar’. In some seeds, a trunk like protrusion is found due to which these seeds are called ganesha. When three seeds are joined naturally; it is called trijuti rudraksha. Trijuti Rudraksha is known to denote Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha.

When four conjoined sawars are found; it is called Vedas while two conjoined sawars are known as dwaita.

Mythological tales

According to Brihajjbala Upnishad, Sage Sanatkumar once approach Lord Kalagni Rudra and asked the method of wearing Rudraksha. The lord replied that the seed got its name due to being developed from the eye of the lord Rudra. When the act and time of destruction was going on, Rudra closed his eyes and tears came down. For being produced from the Rudra’s Aksha (eye) the seed is called as Rudraksha. This is the basic property of Rudraksha. Thus, just by touching and wearing the Rudraksha, one can attain the charity of donating a thousand cows.

According to Rudrakshajabala Upnishad, once sage Bhusunda asked Lord Kalagni Rudra that what is the beginning of Rudraksha seeds and how it benefits a person when wore in the body? So, the Lord replied that when eye closed my eyes for destroying Tripurasura, a drop of water fell from my eyes on the Earth. The drop turned into Rudraksha. Just by uttering the word Rudraksha, one can attain the fruit of donating ten cows while by just seeing and touching the Rudraksha the benefit will be double. I am not able to praise it anymore.

Benefits of Rudraksha

Rudraksha has great religious importance in Hinduism especially Shaivism for their association with Lord Shiva. They wear garland of 108 Rudraksh seeds for auspicious purpose. These garlands are used as rosary beads and prayer beads which sanctify the body, soul and mind.  Most of these prayer beads come with one more bead after a number of 108 which is called as meru or bindu. This extra bead is used to symbolize the beginning and end of the cycle of 108. Most often the mantra ‘Om Namah Shivay’ is used for repetitions using these beads.

Here are the benefits you can have by wearing Rudraksha or using the Rudraksha prayer beads –

• It shields you from negative energy and keeps your mind and body calm.
• Rudraksha is the fastest way to receive Lord Shiva’s grace.
• It surrounds a person with positive vibrations.
• The devotee of lord Shiva is blessed with power, progeny, knowledge, marital happiness when wear Rudraksha garland.
• It removes anxiety, fear and mental stress.
• Rudraksha is known to be powerful enough to change the karma of the wearer. The person itself chooses the righteous path and move ahead on it.
• It increases the power of intuition, clarifies the mind and makes it a better home for positive ideas.
• It improves energy layer and sleep
• One can use Rudraksha for enhancing focus and physical stamina.

How to wear Rudraksha Mala

Rudraksha garland is considered very fruitful and lucky when gifted by the ‘guru’; one should never deny to receive a rudraksha mala from the ‘guru’ and begin to wear it after receiving. However, you can purchase it yourself too and begin to wear on Shiva day i.e. Monday.

Remember to cover the Rudraksha garland with a red colored cloth after bringing it and keep it in the religious place of the house. Burn some incense and apply vermilion on the garland. Lit a ghee lamp and bring the garland out from the cloth and chant om namah shivay while wearing it.

Things to remember while wearing Rudraksha Mala

There are a few important things to be remembered by Rudraksha wearers –

• Don’t sleep with the Rudraksha on your body. Take out the rosary beads and keep them in a clean place before sleeping.
• Neither wear it while bathing nor with dirty hands. After taking bath in the morning, you can wear the rudraksha garland chanting om namah shivay.
• Don’t wear the Rudraksha mala when going to cremation or funeral. Also, avoid wearing it while visiting to see a newborn.
• Rudraksha wearers should avoid eating non-veg food and drinking alcohol.
• Damaged rudraksha should not be worn. You can replace the damage rudraksha bead with a new bead by opening the string and tie it again.