Rudraksha: The Interesting Questions on the Holy Beads

Rudraksha is made up of two Sanskrit words, Rudra and Aksha meaning ‘the eye of Shiva’, the ‘Ajna’. It is one of the holy beads worshipped in the Hindu culture, which is assumed to be made out of Shiva’s tears.

Why is Rudraksha considered auspicious?

It is auspicious to wear the garland of Rudraksha as it is also worn by Lord Shiva as confirmed by Shiva Mahapurana. Shiva’s third eye is also linked to the concept of Rudraksha.

Rudraksha is also believed to safeguard the one who wears it from negative energies. Even, the Grace of Adiyogi soaks in the tears of Lord Shiva.

What is the composition of Rudraksha?

Coming to the compositions, Rudraksha beads are made up of 50.031% carbon, 0.95% nitrogen, 17.897% hydrogen, and 30.53% oxygen. According to sources, the holy beads of Rudraksha take 15 to 16 years to mature.

Different types of rudraksha are composed, from one Mukhi to 21 Mukhi rudraksha are available.

How is Rudraksha formed? Mystical Story of the Himalayan Beads

According to Shiva Purana, Rudraksha, the Holy Himalayan Beads are said to have originated from the eyes of Lord Shiva in the form of tears.

Shiva had sat in meditating state for a long time which was a cause of the worry. He showed no sign of life except the tears of ecstasy. It’s not tears of misery that ripple down the eyes of Lord Shiva.

Shiva’s tears landed on earth near Kailash Mountain and this first formed the Rudraksha tree. Thus, Rudraksha trees and beads are worshipped in the Hindu culture and hold both spiritual and religious values.

Why is Rudraksha found mostly in the Himalayan and Hilly regions?

As Rudraksha was first grown in Kailash this is why the Rudraksha tree grows mostly in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and India. So how is the Rudraksha fruit?

Rudraksha tree is found in other geographical regions as well. It also grows in Myanmar, Indonesia (Sumatra and Java), Srilanka, the Philippines, Madagascar, etc.

What is the specialty of Rudraksha fruit?

Benefits of Rudraksha fruit–  Rudraksha in Hindu culture and beliefs holds medicinal, religious, and spiritual values. Its fruit or bark is beneficial for controlling epilepsy through the use of its pulp.

Rudraksha has many uses like treating stomach pain, liver problems, high blood pressure, heart diseases, etc.

Not only in the Medical sector Rudraksha is vaguely used in cosmetics to bring glow and make one’s face charming.

Rudraksha Tree, Fruit, and seed, the holy story behind it (source: Shivaloka)

Is Rudraksha fruit edible?

Rudraksha berries are usually edible with a strange sour and transient sweet taste. The only non-edile part is its seed which is considered Shiva’s eye. Rudraksha fruits are available in a different colors, and blue is often confused with blueberries.

Can we drink water soaked in Rudraksha?

Rudraksha water has Anti-Inflammatory and Antibacterial Benefits. Drinking the water of soaked Rudraksha will provide you with the necessary Vitamin C in your body and thus, help you build your resistance to various diseases.

Also, Read 3 Interesting Stories on Draupadi! The tale of Panchali

Can Non-Vegetarian wear Rudraksha?

Yes, one can eat non-vegetarian food while wearing Rudraksha. None of the authentic Vedic Scriptures like Upanishads and Puranas can argue that only eating Saatvik food, and avoiding a non-vegetarian diet is the eligibility criteria for wearing Rudraksha.

Even the Shiva Mahapurana or the Devi Bhagavatam mention any food restrictions for wearing Rudraksha. Thus, an individual can wear Rudraksha while consuming meat or non-vegetarian food.

But people out of due respect tend to avoid wearing the holy beads while taking a non-veg diet.

Also, Read Know the Proven Facts Why Hindu Women Fast In Ekadashi!

Can You Wear Rudraksh on Your periods?

Yes! women can wear Rudraksha mala during periods or their menstrual cycle but you can also not wear them if your religious values come in between.

As there exists a belief system of how holy the Rudraksha beads are women may drop the idea of wearing rudraksha on their periods.

It’s just a tradition and people’s belief system that consider the bleeding of impure blood for women is not holy. Can women on periods even touch Rudraksha?

Even if you wear Rudraksha during your periods, you can keep it clean and respect the religious norms. However, One must be in a particular state of mind to carry the energy channelized through it.

But if you are not sure what you want, either to wear or not, You can simply drop the plan. You can wear Rudraksha bracelets on the other 25 days of the month.

Also, Read 5 Amazing facts about the Pre-Aryan symbol Swastika!

How many faceted Rudraksh I should wear?

Rudraksha comes in different shapes and sizes and you might be familiar with that. As discovered to date, Rudraksha comes in between 1 to 21 Faces.

Among these, 1 Mukhi Rudraksha is considered a little rarer while others to 14 are even found easily at the stores selling it.

In case you are confused about which type of Rudraksha, (eg. 1 Mukhi or 5 Mukhi Rudraksha )you must carry. Just tune in for the next post.

How to know if Rudraksha’s beads are real or fake?

There are many tests one can perform to know if the Rudraksha is real or fake like X-ray Test, Copper coin test, Milk test, water test, and others but that’s not possible for a normal customer.

They must keep in mind to check the surfaces of the Rudraksha beads, and check if it has broken surfaces. One with a heavy weight is always an original Rudraksha. Also, have a glance to if the faces have the same color or if it is just glued together to confuse you. Many queries so, there is another post.