Rashmi Lohia
Rudraksha, a holy bead or incarnation of Lord Shiva’s tear is believed to be worn to get name, fame, property, respect, good fortune and never-ending wealth in the society. In Hinduism, it is widely worn as prayer beads. It is assumed that reading or hearing the story of Rudraksha can drive away the sins of anybody and wearing it would get rid of all the bad deeds.
Rudraksha beads are considered as one of the most sacred items and are rare and precious. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas at an altitude of 2000 meters from the sea level. The tree is around 50-200 feet high and grows throughout the year. Rudraksha fruits are globular with fleshy exterior and appear in the month of June. In Nepal, around 25% of the Rudraksha trees are found.
People wear Rudraksha mala (garland) of 108 beads or use one bead in a gold or silver chain to wear around their neck. Among the various mukhis (faces) of Rudraksha, EkMukhi Rudraksha is the rarest and religiously most important type and is considered as the “King of all Mukhis”. Rudraksha with two to twenty-one mukhis are the most common, among which the paanchmukhi (five faces) are commonly found.
These beads are used for treatment of various diseases and helps to control physical dysfunction of the right eye, ear, headache ailments as well as depression. Rudraksha Mala has been used by Hindus for meditation purposes for the last thousands of years to sanctify the mind, body and soul. Many people claim that their life has been impacted by mystical properties present in the Rudraksha.
In Nepal, the business of Rudraksha is growing rapidly and is considered as one of the most profitable business. The price of Rudraksha depends on the mukhis i.e., they normally range from Rs. 50 to Rs. 5000000. There are different colors of Rudraksha available in the market such as red, white, yellow and black colored, while the black color Rudraksha is considered the best one.
Story behind Rudraksha
One day, Lord Shiva was soaking in meditation, he went into an intense state of meditativeness not opening his eyes for many years. After a long period, he became so contented in his meditation that his tears of happiness dropped in the ground and later it turned into Rudraksha tree.
It is hard to find the pure and genuine Rudraksha. Many sellers might sell the replica or glued one and can modify it into multiple mukhis. You can test the originality of Rudraksha at your home by boiling it in hot water for 1 minute and covering it again for 1 minute. If the added chemicals start to come out or if it gets cracked then it is considered to be fake. If the holy bead remains same, then it is considered to be original.
In Nepal, Rudraksha is widely bought and worn by the people and one can easily find Rudraksha in streets and temples. Rudraksha must be worn out on important days such as Mondays, Ganesh Chaturthi and MahaShivaRatri. Since, each mukhi has its own special characteristics it is recommended to take necessary ideas from a good astrologer before buying one. Not all mukhis of a Rudraksha are suitable for hand (bracelet), because some are advised to wear only in the upper part of the body.
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