Rudraksh

Rudraskh comes from two Sanskrit words,

• Rudr = Shiva
• Aksh = Eyes

(but in this case the word describes the tears from the eyes of Lord Shiva.)

Rudr Aksh are the tears of Lord Shiva, The Destroyer.

The word may not be something you are familiar with but if you have seen images of Yogi's, Saint's or spiritual people you will know what a Rudraksh is. For those of you who are not familiar with this, an image below, the beads on Shiva himself. Although not very clear you can see the beads on Shiva's wrists.

Order your Rudraksh here

Botanically, the rudraksha tree is known as Elaeocarpus Ganitrus Roxb. These trees grow in very few places in the world including the Himalayas of India and Nepal, and in parts of Indonesia. They are large trees with a wide silhouette whose flowers bloom annually. The rudraksha berry varies in size (3-40 mm; 1/8 to 1˝ inches). It has smooth light green skin and pulp much like a green grape. Lodged within the pulp is a single round seed which has a rough surface and a hole running through it from top to bottom. It is these seeds which are the rudraksha beads. Each seed also possesses fron 1 to 21 vertical lines running down its surface, like the longitude lines on a globe. These lines are known as mukhas, or facets, and are natural formations of the seed. Seeds with one vertical line are known as ek-mukhi (one facet); those with two lines are dwi-mukhi (two facets), and so on.

Generally speaking, one who wears the rudraksh in the prescribed manner will invoke the energies of Lord Shiva and negative thoughts and emotions will be destroyed. Rudraksh has a calming effect on the central nervous system. It is said that the rudraksh helps maintain a normal blood pressure and helps maintains health. It has no adverse effects and promotes peace of mind and prosperity for the wearer. In various ancient scriptures (i.e. Padma Purana, Shiva Purana, Mantramaharnava, Rudrajabalopanishad) it is proclaimed that if a person meets his death while wearing a a bead or mala he is released from the cycle of life and death and achieves moksha (liberation).

Rudraksh can be worn by anyone, however there are some special rites to follow in order to achieve maximum benefit of the rudraksh. There are no side effects, very much like energy empowerment and no negative things can happen to a person who wears or keeps these Divine and Mystical beads in the house.