Acharya Karan V – For a staunch believer, performing certain rituals recommended by the chosen religion can certainly bring good results. If the rituals are executed with full faith and given guidelines, one is bound to reap the good benefits. Wearing a “Mala” or string made of the beads of Rudraksha is one of those rituals, that when followed properly, can create an aura of positive energy around the person wearing it. Rudraksha has been traditionally used by Hindus as a prayer bead for ages. It has derived its name from Sanskrit word “Rudraksh” meaning “eyes of lord Rudra or Shiva”. Lord Shiva is usually depicted to be wearing a string made of Rudraksha hence people worshipping Lord Shiva as their primary God tends to consider it very sacred. Rudraksha is organic in nature. It is produced in the form of a seed by a tree usually found in the Himalayan regions. The number of the trees growing Rudraksha has gone down considerably in the last few years as unwittingly, the wood of the tree was used a lot for commercial uses. Rudraksha is usually worn in the form of a “Mala” or a string.

There are lots of testing methodologies (including scientific processes like X Ray or CT Scan) for checking the genuineness of Rudraksha, most common being the ‘Water Test’, putting the bead in a glass of water, if it sinks down it is said to be original and if it floats then it considered fake. Though the authenticity of this specific test is questionable, as authentic but unripe Rudraksha will also float in water – Acharya Karan V

Traditionally, 108 beads are strung together with one extra bead as a “bindu”. The “Bindu” bead helps channelize the extreme energy of the 108 Rudrakshas, making it safe to be worn by people with extreme sensitive nature. Ideally, it is better to change the string periodically as it becomes thin and worn out with time, keeping the Rudrakshas from falling down as the string may get snapped. A Rudraksha string is believed to bring positive and conducive energies for someone who is forced to move from one place to another, for example, in today’s face-paced world, one is required to travel a lot, eating and living at various places. The Rudraksha Mala is capable of subverting the built-up negativity around the carrier of the string and facilitates the flow of positive energy, making the circumstances favourable. One can wear Rudraksha Mala all the time, even when one is having a shower. Lord Shiva’s blessings will surely bring lot of goodwill for the one wearing Rudraksha.