Since mid last year I have had my heart set on finding an authentic rudraksha mala. And finally, I have found one and it has found me! Thank you to my husband, who gifted it to me from the Isha Shoppe, after sathsang last saturday.
The rudraksha is the seed of the Eliocarpus ganitrus tree that is mainly grown in the himalayan mountains. Unfortunately now, only few of these trees remain in India, with the rest found places like Nepal, Thailand, Burma and Indonesia.
The particular atmosphere for these regions allows the seed to hold a particular vibration.
The word “Rudraksh” means “tears of shiva.” In Indian mythology, there is a legend where Shiva sat in meditation for many millions of years, and when he opened his eyes, tear drops of ecstasy fell from his eyes to the earth, which became the holy Rudraksh tree.
Most commonly, the seeds are strung together and worn as a mala. Traditionally a mala contains 108 beads plus 1 extra seed called the Bindu. The bindu prevents the energy becoming too cyclical.
Benefits
Energetic support -Sometimes when we go to a new place, it can be difficult to fall asleep in a new environment, despite being physically tired. The Rudraksha can help in situations like this by creating a cocoon of your energy and giving you energetic support in an ever changing world.They are supportive for maintaining physical and mental balance.
Protection – It can be possible for us to absorb negative energy, even if it is not specifically targeted towards us, if we are in a certain area and happen to be sensitive to it. Rudraksha can create an energetic shield to protect against these things.
Quality check – The rudraksha mala can be used as a tool to check the pranic value of foods, by holding it over certain foods. If the food is of positive pranic value, the mala will begin to spin clockwise, and if negative pranic food, it will spin anti-clockwise.
The spiritual path – Ultimately, the Rudraksha is a good tool and support for those of us who are devoted to the spiritual path, from enhancing intuition, support in meditation, purification of aura, cleansing of chakras, to peace of mind.
Types of Rudraksha
Each seed can vary in the number of faces it have, from being single faced to having up to 21! Each type of seed is conducive for different purposes which is why it’s important not to just buy any random rudraksha from any shop and start wearing it. Wearing the wrong type can disturb our energies.
Ek Mukhi (single face) – They say that wearing this mala will make you leave your family within 12 days. Your energies will shift in such a way that you will prefer to be alone.
Dwimukhi (two faced) – Intended for married people. Supportive for marital relationships and should be worn by both husband and wife.
Panchmukhi (five faces) – Safe for all – male, female, adult or child. Used for general wellbeing, and brings calmness and alertness. This is the type that I have.
Shanmukhi (six faces) – Intended for children below 14 years. Aids in proper physical and mental development and draws qualities of motherly love towards the child. Helps children calm down and become more focused.
Gowrishankar – Brings prosperity in many ways.
Conditioning
Before you begin wearing the beads, they should first be immersed in Ghee (clarified butter) for 24 hours.
They must then be soaked in full fat milk for another 24 hours. (I forgot to take a photograph of this. Worst blogger ever.)
The beads should then be wiped with a clean cloth (but not washed with soap).
The beads should be conditioned every 6 months.
Caring for your Rudraksha
Rudraksha can be worn at all times, including sleep and while doing spiritual sadhanas.
It can be worn during bathing however it should not come into contact with hot water or chemical soaps. Cool water and herbal soaps are good for the mala. Unfortunately, since my showers are probably too hot, and I still use chemical soaps – I remove my mala before showering.
The beads should not come into contact with metal, and so should not be placed in metal containers.
If you have a defective rudraksha bead – if it is broken, or cracked, it should not be worn.
Sources:
I’m glad to share with you information about the Rudraksha which I have learned from the following sources:
The information sheet that came with my mala.
Discussed during the Inner Engineering course.
It was always important to me to get my mala from a trusted source. There are many fakes being sold, even in India, because the demand for esoteric accessories are so high! I bought mine from the Isha Shoppe.
It is only my third day of wearing my mala, so I will report back on it after some time has passed!
Hello from me and my baby sleeping and growing in my belly!
Sigh. Guys. I really need to get my SLR fixed. It’s been out of action for so long and I rely on my cell phone for the convenience of not having to drag around a giant camera. But I think the difference in quality is stark, and, I miss putting a little bit of effort into photographs. I was looking forward to getting back into photography in 2017!
Thank you for reading. Blessings to you all.
m