Religion
and Rudraksh
Since the ancient times Rudraksha
has held great religious significance and fascination. As the term itself
signifies, Rudraksha is directly related to Lord Shiva, God for creation,
evolution and dissolution of every living object. Earth, Water, Fire, Air,
Space, the Sun, the Moon and the Life Force are eight different aspects of
nature that are the direct manifestations of Rudra. Anything good and
auspicious, anything that keeps us healthy and happy and that helps us
attain freedom from pain and misery is Rudra. Lord Shiva himself is the one who
is in complete awe of Rudraksha. He is always magnificently attired with
Rudraksha beads on his head, neck and arms. Rudraksha is a blessing from Lord Shiva to mankind for overcoming worldly sufferings.
Hindu religion firmly believe that Rudraksha brings prosperity, good karma,
spiritual enlightment and liberation, good health, mental peace, positivity, a
path to heaven after the death and much more. Hindu religion has not imposed
any biases on the use of Rudraksha. Indeed, it strongly facilitates that people
of all caste and religion should wear Rudraksha for physical, mental and
spiritual well-being. Every Hindu religious texts encourages individuals from
every walk of life, be it Brahmin, Katrina, Vaisya, Sudra or any other
non-Hindu to wear Rudraksha beads for purifying
their souls from sins and for attaining spiritual, mental and materialistic
gains. Above all, it is believed that the four basic shades of Rudrakshas
namely fair brown, light brown, dark brown and black represent four Varnas,
Brahmin, Ksatriya, Vaisya and Sudra. Some ancient texts also talk of animals
wearing them and achieving salvation. For humans, the path to attaining
complete salvation is only possible by using Rudraksha beads with genuine faith and complete devotion. If one is to go
down to the memory lane of ancient epics, many tales in Hindu scriptures can be
found sufficing the details on how even Lord Vishnu and many other deities were
besotted by the use of holy Rudraksha beads. It is believed that one who wears
Rudraksha beads with purity gets rid of all the sins and “live like Lord Shiva
himself”. In other word, upon wearing Rudraksha people discover a source to
reach the higher self. In a nutshell, Rudraksha is a very powerful shield
against all evils and negativity. Rudraksha beads and seeds are considered
sacred in the recitation of mantras and this reaps maximum positive results.
Hinduism recommends the use of different mukhi Rudraksha for chanting different
mantras. Recital of
appropriate mantras using Rudraksha bead mala
during a ritual provides longevity to
prosperous life and protection from accidental deaths. An individual can feel
the positive effects and the result within a month of wearing Rudraksha beads. Laxmi, the goddess of money,
always graces her eternal blessings upon a home where Rudrakshas are worshipped
with genuine faith and complete devotion.
Devotees keep Rudraksha
beads at a sacred place like a puja room for worshiping gods or place them
around ‘gods or goddesses’
pictures. It is a common belief
that if a person chooses to wear Rudraksha beads, s/he should do so the entire
day but must take them off before going to bed and again wear them on in the
morning during prayers and puja. Furthermore, it is said that wearer of
Rudraksha with complete and pure devotion is surely guaranteed a prosperous and
happy life in her/his next birth. A Rudraksha necklace
with 108 beads symbolizes the elements used in the creation of the world.
Prior to the use
Rudraksha needs to be purified first by thoroughly cleansing with milk, ghee or
oil and then by conducting a ritual called “pran prathista” for its effective
result. Pran Prathista is a process of evoking the divine power of Rudraksha by
chanting an appropriate mantra along with puja. If Rudraksha beads are worn
properly in the form of malas or other forms of jewellery abiding all the ‘dos’ and
‘don’ts’ of Rudraksha that have
been religiously determined, one can attain not only spiritual but also medical
remedy to combat various kinds of diseases.