Rudraksha - An Introduction

Rudraksha is the divine power blessed with auspicious energies of Lord Shiva. We get the details about Rudraksha in number of “Granthas” and “Shastras” (the holy books of Indian Mythology). There are various stories about the origin of Rudraksha. Rudraksha is believed to have the direct blessings of Lord Shiva, which contains the properties to remove the affects of sins of the wearer. It is even said that if one wears the Rudraksha (in any form) on his body, even without worshiping or energizing it, does not get near any sinful act or thought.

Precautions to wear Rudraksha

 

• Rudraksha should never be disrespected in any way else it will not give its desired benefits.
• Rudraksha should not be worn while attending a funeral
• Rudraksha should be removed before sleeping if the person is going to copulate with the partner. It can be worn again next morning after taking bath.
• Rudraksha should not be worn while having non veg food and alcoholic products.
• One should wear a Rudraksha which has been energized with mantras to get full benefit.
• It should not be worn during the menstrual periods.
• It should not be worn when visiting a new born baby.
• Rudraksha should always be kept cleaned. After regular cleaning with the help of soft bristles, it should be oiled especially when not using it for sometime or storing it for a while.
• Rudraksha should be worn around the neck in a thread, silver or gold.
• After cleaning wash the bead with ganga jal that helps maintain its sanctity.
• Rudraksha should not be cleaned with chemicals, soaps or shampoos which reduce its life.
• Avoid wearing Rudraksha while taking bath to keep it away from soap and chemicals.

Types of Rudraksh

There are 21 different types of Rudraksh available. Every Rudraksh has a Mantra to energize it. Each type of Rudraksh is differentiated by the 'Mukh' or face and named in the same way. For example the Rudraksh with one face is called 'Ek Mukhi' Rudraksh and so on. 

Rudraksha has tremendous powers in it which can cure many diseases and troubles in life. I will give more details about different kinds of Rudrakshas and their powers and benefits one by one in my future posts.