Rudraksha

Rudraksha is believed to be the jewels of gods. The beads are basically dried seeds of the sacred Rudraksha tree (botanically known as Elaeocarpus Ganitrus) that are found in a variety of locations in South East Asia, including the foothills of the mighty Himalayas. It is believed that the sacred tree emerged from the tears of Lord Shiva who was engrossed in deep meditation, so much so that the great Lord almost appeared to be dead only except there were tears of ecstasy flowing from his eyes. These teardrops fell on earth and transformed into sacred seeds from which emanated the rudraksha tree. There is another legend according to which, the Supreme Lord couldn’t bear the sufferings of his devotees, and tears dribbled from his eyes contemplating their pain and hardships. These tears fell on the earth in form of the divine seeds out of which the holy rudraksha tree emerged.

The folklores are imbued with many such legends however, there is no denying that the rudraksha beads are considered the most powerful and sacred in one’s journey towards the attainment of self-realization. It has also been scientifically proven that the rudraksha beads possess healing powers and their health benefits include remedies against stress, anxiety, depression, lack of focus/concentration, heart ailments, anger issues, and so on (Roy, 2000).

Rudraksha beads have different faces and varieties. The size of beads also varies, depending majorly upon factors of origin; if the bead is Indonesian, it is smaller in size (ranging from 5mm to 15-16mm) and if the same bead is of Nepalese origin, it is slightly bigger in size (ranging from 16mm to 25mm and could go up to 30mm, in certain rare cases).

More about the Rudraksha Mukhi, its powers, benefits, and relevance could be found here.

  • Roy, Suhas. 2000. Rudraksha: Properties and biomedical implications. Ganga Kaveri Publications.