Image source: Wikimedia Commons

What the heck is a rudraksha? Maybe you’ve seen a friend wearing one, or have just heard the term thrown around.

Rudraksha are a seed that comes from the fruit of a tree called Elaeocarpus. These seeds are traditionally used to create prayer beads in Hinduism, especially in the subsect of Shaivism.

In fact, rudraksha is a compound Sanskrit word containing the word Rudra (another name for Shiva), and the word aksa which means teardrops. So literally the name means “Lord Shiva’s teardrops.”

Rudraksha are worn for protection and other spiritual purposes by people from all different faiths. The mantra “Om Namah Shivaya” is most commonly used with rudraksha.

In fact, Lord Shiva said that anyone of any faith can wear rudraksha and it’s a gift to mankind. So don’t listen to people who might say it’s cultural appropriation to wear rudraksha if you aren’t Hindu.

The fruit that rudraksha seeds come in are blue when they’re fully ripe. That’s why rudraksha are sometimes also called blueberry beads.

Rudraksha seeds can vary in size anywhere from 3mm (1/12^th of an inch) to 40mm (1.6 inches.)

There are several species of large evergreen trees that produce rudraksha beads, and they’re located across Asia and even as far as Hawaii and Australia. About 70% of farmed rudraksha trees are located in Indonesia, 25% in Nepal, and 5% in India.

Seeds from trees in Nepal tend to have larger seeds, while the more common seeds from Indonesia are typically smaller.

What Are Rudraksha Mukhi?

Since rudraksha are natural seeds, there are many different variations in how they can grow. Just like no two walnuts or any other seeds would look identical if you look closely.

The main distinguishing feature of rudraksha are mukhi, or faces. Rudraksha have hard shells with deep grooves in them, which separate the shell into different segments.

Beads with different numbers of segments may have different meanings or be believed to have different powers. Some are much rarer or unique than others, which can make them very valuable and highly sought after.

How Rudraksha Are Prepared?

Farmers pick ripe fruit from the Elaeocarpus tree and place them in water to soak for a long time. The skin and pulp of the fruit is then removed and the rudraksha seed is allowed to dry out.

The rudraksha are then typically placed in some type of oil like sesame oil for up to a month or more to give them a protective coating that will keep them from taking on too much moisture or rotting.

The rudraksha are then strung into japa malas (strings of prayer beads) which typically contain 108 seeds, sometimes with one additional “guru bead.”

How To Wear Rudraksha

Rudraksha can be worn by both men and women. There are many different ways to wear them, and all are acceptable.

Rarer rudraksha may be adorned with gold or other precious metal and strung up into pendants or even made into a ring. But most commonly are japa mala or prayer beads.

A rudraksha mala can be worn either around the neck or wrapped several times around the wrist as a bracelet.

Spiritual Uses and Benefits of Wearing Rudraksha

You may have seen many spiritual people wearing rudraksha. Everyone from Hindus, yogis, and saints all the way to New Age hippies enjoy wearing rudraksha and gain advantages from wearing them.

Many benefits are assigned to wearing rudraksha. Here is a list of some of them:

(I should make clear that I’m not claiming these to be true and there may not be science to back it up. Simply, it’s what many people believe. The only way to know for sure is to try for yourself and see if it works.)

Mitigates the effects of karma

 If you’re a sinner, wearing rudraksha will make you sinless. If you’re already a virtuous person, rudraksha will still help and remove obstacles from your life.

Protects against accidents, negative energy, and unfortunate events

 Basically there is a luck component to wearing rudraksha.

Regulates blood pressure

It’s claimed that wearing rudraksha can help normalize your blood pressure, especially if you have high blood pressure.

Helps with decision making and memory retention

 You’ll remember names better and stop forgetting where you left your keys!

Attracts abundance

 Sort of a general “law of attraction” type effect.

Causes a general peace of mind and harmony

 Wearing rudraksha can minimize stress and help to relax the mind.

Balances the chakras

 This can help with spiritual awakening and kundalini, as well as healing diseases in the body, relieving pain and skin issues, and other concerns.

Good for traveling

 Rudraksha are believed to act like a capacitor and store energy. So they are good for people who have trouble sleeping in a hotel room away from home, because they can provide a sense of comfort and create your own personal “energy bubble.”

Significance of Different Mukhis

The number of mukhis or faces a rudraksha has will affect the benefits associated with it.

• 1 Mukhi – Provides improved concentration and may cause the wearer to renounce all worldly affairs. It’s said someone who wears a 1 mukhi rudraksha will leave their family in 7 days.
• 2 Mukhi – Helps create oneness and unity among spouses, parents and children, other family members, or friends.
• 3 Mukhi – Helps people overcome sins or addictions and get their life on track. Can also help with depression.
• 4 Mukhi – Increased memory, intelligence, and creativity.
• 5 Mukhi – This is the most common mukhi and includes most basic mukhis you can buy unless they are listed otherwise. Gives peace and health, and lowers blood pressure.
• 6 Mukhi – Helps with personal trauma and PTSD, as well as giving a better understanding and appreciation of love.
• 7 Mukhi – Helps if you’re suffering from physical pain or discomfort. Can also help with business.
• 8 Mukhi – Removes obstacles from your life and brings success.
• 9 Mukhi – Gives lots of energy and power.
• 10 Mukhi – This rudraksha acts like a shield and drives away evil from the wearer.
• 11 Mukhi – Gain good judgment, strong speaking skills, and fearlessness. Most importantly, it protects against accidental death.
• 12 Mukhi – Gain the qualities of the sun. Brilliant radiance and strength, as well as charisma. Great for spiritual leaders, politicians, and business people.
• 13 Mukhi – Provides physical comforts, riches, and other earthly desires.
• 14 Mukhi – One of the more rare mukhis and called Deva Mani. Usually it’s made into a pendant and worn by itself. It’s believed to awaken the third eye and give you the power to see into the future. It protects against ghosts, evil spirits, and black magic. It also gives the person who wears it security, riches, and safety.
• 15 Mukhi – Good for economic improvement.
• 16 Mukhi – The wearer isn’t affected by heat or cold.
• 17 Mukhi – Good for gaining unexpected money, property, or vehicles.
• 18 Mukhi – Represents the feminine energy of the Earth. It’s good for pregnant women to wear to protect their children, or for couples trying to have a baby.
• 19 Mukhi – Removes all scarcity from your life and fills it with all the worldly pleasures.
• 20 Mukhi – Called Ek Alakh King. It’s believed to house all of the Hindu gods and goddesses within it.

Rudraksha with as high as 27 mukhi have been found, but it’s quite uncommon.

80% of all rudraksha are either 4, 5, or 6 mukhi. 1 mukhi is the rarest.

There are also special types of rudraksha.

A Gauri Shankar is when two rudraksha are naturally formed together, like conjoined twins. If three rudraksha bears are naturally joined together, it’s called a Trijuti.

A Ganesha is a rudraksha that has one really elongated face, which can look trunk-like and represents the Hindu god with the same name.

How To Spot A Fake Rudraksha

There’s a big demand for rudraksha, especially the rarer mukhi ones.

So some dishonest people use various techniques to pass off fake rudraksha.

That’s why it’s important to buy from honest and reputable sellers, to make sure you’re getting the real thing.

Fakes

1 mukhi are the most faked rudraksha because of their rarity. Sellers will try to pass off seeds from other plants like the areca palm nut as 1 mukhi rudraksha.

For higher mukhi rudraksha, sellers sometimes will try to carve extra artificial mukhi into the face. Or to create lower mukhi rudraksha, they may try to fill in some of the natural mukhi. They might even try to glue together pieces from multiple rudraksha.

You might need a magnifying glass to check for carved lines or glued surfaces. If you boil a fake rudraksha for a couple hours, sharp discoloration will also occur where there are any joints or fake mukhi.

Plastic beads

Some sellers also have plastic beads that very closely resemble rudraksha. The best way to determine if your rudraksha is real is by using x-ray.

Looking inside a 5 mukhi rudraksha for example, you will see 5 seed chambers that contain individual seeds, one for each face. As well as one central chamber.

Of course, not everyone has access to an x-ray machine. And you definitely don’t want to destroy your rudraksha by cutting it open.

Look closely at your rudraksha mala. With 108 beads, you should be able to find some that look a bit different from others, even if they all have the same number of mukhi.

Rudraksha beads naturally vary a little bit in size, color, and texture. If all of your rudraksha look identical, you may be looking at some fake plastic beads.

It’s also believed that placing a rudraksha between two copper coins will cause it to move or spin slightly. But this sounds a bit bogus to me.

Seeds from other plants

There are other plants which have seeds that closely resemble rudraksha. However, the seeds from some of these plants are toxic and poisonous. Wearing them may cause adverse health effects. So it’s important to make sure you’re using real rudraksha beads that come from a tree in the Elaeocarpus family.

Rudraksha Do’s and Dont’s

There are different beliefs about what you should and shouldn’t do while wearing your rudraksha.

Since they can be a blessed and spiritual object, there are activities that some people believe may tarnish your rudraksha or stop it from working as well.

• Eating meat
• Drinking alcohol or doing drugs
• Letting your rudraksha touch the floor
• Letting other people touch your rudraksha
• Wearing rudraksha during intimacy

Personally I eat meat while wearing my rudraksha and even occasionally drink alcohol and I haven’t noticed any negative effects from doing so.

Although I do try to prevent other people from touching my rudraksha. I want it to carry only my energy and not get mixed up with anyone else’s energy or karma.

If any of the above things take place, it doesn’t mean your rudraksha is worthless and needs to be thrown away. It can be purified and blessed again using a ritual, which will return it to its original condition.

Purifying Your Rudraksha

After you buy your rudraksha, you should purify and energize it for the first time before wearing it, unless you’re buying it directly from someone who knows what they’re doing and has already done so.

The easiest way to purify your rudraksha is by bringing it to a temple and having it consecrated by a guru or a priest.

But if you don’t live in an area with a Hindu temple or you aren’t Hindu, that can be a challenge.

In that case, you’ll need to do the purification ritual yourself.

The ritual should be done on a Monday, or an auspicious day. If you Google “Hindu auspicious days (month)” you should be able to easily find a list.

At a most basic level, you can just chant the mantra “Om Namah Shivaya” at least five times.

However, there are some other things you can do as well.

• Wash yourself before starting by taking a bath or shower
• Sprinkle or wash your rudraksha in pure water, or ideally holy water from the Ganges river in India
• Apply sandalwood paste or oil to your rudraksha
• Burn incense
• Offer any flower, but a white flower is supposedly especially good
• Touch the rudraksha to an image of Lord Shiva while chanting the Om Namah Shivaya mantra at least 11 times, as many as 108 times (1 for each rudraksha bead.)
• There are also optional mantras specific to the number of mukhi your rudraksha has if desired

That’s it!

Once you’ve purified and energized your rudraksha, you should wear it on your body at all times for at least a week. You can take it off to sleep or shower if needed. This allows the rudraksha to become attuned to the energy of your body and vice versa.

Conclusion

Rudraksha seeds or beads have been used and considered holy items by all sorts of people around the world for thousands of years.

People claim they can offer a wide range of benefits. Although there may not be any scientific basis behind the claims, and you should still consult a doctor or other professionals. But it might be worth giving a try to see if it could benefit you.

Always buy your rudraksha from a reputable seller and watch out for fakes, especially if you’re buying rarer mukhis.

Personally I like larger 18mm rudraksha beads like this (Amazon link.) However you may wish to get smaller 8mm rudraksha beads which can more easily be worn underneath clothing.

Do you wear rudraksha? If so, why?