Rudrakshas are generally strung together to form a Mala. Most, of the Rudraksha Mala is made out of 108 beads plus one. That one extra bead is known as Bindu, and it is essential to have a Bindu in a Mala. Else, the energy becomes cyclical, and people who are vulnerable to energy change can feel dizziness.
Importance of Wearing Genuine Rudraksha Mala
If you ever decide to wear a Rudraksha mala, you should not wear a Rudraksha Mala with less than 84 beads plus one Bindu. Above that, any other number is appropriate.
When you make the necklace, it is better to use silk thread or cotton thread. You also might want to change the thread every six months to take better care of it because as the strings become older, they might just snap and all your beads will spread all over the place.
You might also want to use copper, silver, or gold wires for the necklace, and have it made it by a jeweler. Just make sure that the wire is not knotted tight and when it is tight there are chances that the inside of the Rudraksha cracks. Thus, it is better to have it lose.
You can wear the Rudraksha mala anytime you want it. If you want to wear it in the shower, then just don’t use any chemical soap. The chemical soap might make the rudraksha brittle, and after some time might just crack. It is good if you just want the water to flow over it and upon your body.
Benefits of Rudraksha
Rudraksha is good for everyone, but especially, it is better for those who are always on the move. Have you ever noticed when you move to someplace, you don’t get any sleep at all, or it gets so hard to fall asleep, but when you go to some place, you fall asleep very easily? It is because the surrounding you are in might not be conducive to your energy and that will not allow you to settle down.
For this, the Rudraksha is very good support as it can create a cocoon of your own energy. Thus, sadhus and sanyasis wore Rudrakshas for this purpose as one of the rules for them is that they cannot put their heads down in the same place twice.
There is another valuable use of Rudraksha, which was mainly used by the sadhus and sanyasis. When they traveled in nature, they had to find ponds to drink water. But it could be poisoned or contaminated with certain gases in nature. If you hold rudraksha above the water, then you can know whether the water is drinkable or not.
If the rudraksha turns clockwise, then the water is good; and if the rudraksha turns anticlockwise, then the water might be poisoned. This technique was also used to check the quality of food. The same is the case: if you hold it above pranic substance, it moves clockwise; else, it moves in an anti-clockwise direction.
Rudraksha against Negative Energy
Atharva Veda talks about how you can use energy to your advantage and to someone else’s detriment. It even says that if you are able to master this, then you can even cause extreme suffering that can go as far as death.
You might be thinking that nobody wants to harm you. One, this might not be true because you don’t really know what goes on in someone else’s mind. Two, even if there is no one to harm you, then say, if the person sitting next to you might be the target of someone else’s negative energy, but he might not be receptive to it, then you might catch that negative energy.
Just imagine this situation: there might be two people shooting at each other right in front of you. Even if they are not shooting each other, you might be shot. The same is the case here. To protect against any kind of negative energy, you can use Rudraksha.
Ek Mukhi, Panchmukhi Rudrakshas, and More
Many people want to wear Ek Mukhi Rudraksha (1 Mukhi Rudraksha) because it is considered to be very powerful. But you need to know that it can be troublesome. If you have many faces yourself, then if you wear the Ek Mukhi, you are asking for trouble. It is a common saying: “If you wear an Ek Mukhi (1 Mukhi Rudraksha), then you will leave your family within 12 days.” That might be true or not, but the energy works in such a way that you would want to live alone, and your energy would not be compatible with others.
The safest option is the Panchmukhi Rudraksha (5 Mukhi Rudraksha), and it can be worn by anyone – man, woman, or child. It is good for health, especially for blood pressure, and anger management. For children, the best Rudraksha is the Chha Mukhi Rudraksha (6 Mukhi Rudraksha).
Gauri-Shankar Rudraksha can be worn if you want to balance your Ida and Pingala (Ida and Pingala represent basic duality in nature, and are personified by Shiva and Shakti. Simply you can call it the masculine or feminine, or the logical and intuitive aspect of life). People say that wearing it can bring prosperity, and prosperity generally doesn’t mean just money. It can come in other forms too.
Each Rudraksha is special
The Rudrākṣa seeds have different faces and each holds significant power. The one-faced Rudrākṣa represents Lord Śiva Himself, manifest and vibrant, capable of dispelling sin even from killing a Brāhmaṇa. The two-faced Rudrākṣa resembles the divine couple, Deva and Devī, and has the power to eliminate two types of sins. The three-faced Rudrākṣa is like fire, swiftly eradicating the sin of killing a woman.
The four-faced Rudrākṣa symbolizes Brahmā and absolves the sin of taking lives. The five-faced Rudrākṣa is a reflection of Rudra and eradicates various sins such as consuming forbidden food or entering impure places. The six-faced Rudrākṣa represents Kārtikeya and should be worn on the right hand to expunge the sin of Brahmāhatyā without any doubt.
The seven-faced Rudrākṣa is called Ananga and brings liberation from the sin of stealing gold and other valuables. The eight-faced Rudrākṣa is Vināyaka, which purifies one from the sin of engaging in illicit relations and grants abundance in terms of food, clothing, and wealth. Eventually, it leads to the attainment of the Highest Place. (Based on Devi Bhagwad Purana)
In general, Rudraksha is a great tool to achieve purity in life.