Rudraaksh

No, I am not going to review the movie! I want to share with those of you who visit my blog some facts about Rudraakshas that I have come to know today - courtesy: Eenadu. Rudraaksh means "Rudr kaa Aksh" which literally means "The eye of Rudra (Siva)". Rudraakshas were said to be born out of the tears that fell on the earth from Lord Siva's eyes. Rudraakshas are treated on par with the nine gems in astrology and unlike the nine gems which need to chosen very carefully (If not harm befalls the ring-bearer) Rudraakshas never harm the bearer of how many ever faces they might have. The number of faces the Rudraaksh needs to have in order to be worn by a particular individual is determined by a careful study of his horoscope. The botanical name of the Rudraaksh plant is 'ELAEOCARPUS GRANITRUS RODEX'. This plant is found in Indonesia, Malaysia (which account to 70% of all the production of the beads), India, Nepal, Myanmar and Borneo. The Rudraakshas are worn for their specific benefits. They are said to be much more powerful and help achieve wonders, if energized and empowered the right way. Rudraksh of different faces (mukhas) pleases the corresponding planets. It may be sufficient to go in for only for those mukhis whose ruling planets, cause malefic effects. The naming convention for the Rudraaksh seed is very straight forward - It has a single cleft it is called Ekamukhi (Single faced) Rudraaksh, If it has two faces it is Dvimukhi, 3 faces it is Trimukhi and so on. The most commonly available form is the Panchmukhi Rudraaksh. The higher the number of faces the costlier the Rudraaksh although Ekamukhi Rudraaksh is very rare and is equally as pricey. The highest number of faces for a Rudraaksh is 27. The type of Rudraaksh suggested for use varies according to the walks of life. For example students and businessmen are prescribed the Shanmukhi (6 faced) in general. It is said that the Banaras Hindu University has funded a study on the powers of Rudraaksh and have found some interesting things. Rudraakshas were found to generate electromagnetic fields and possess para-magnetic properties which help in the development of brain's neural pathways. Reduction in blood pressure, tension, improvement in physical strength and memory power were supposed to be the results. For the power of a Rudraaksh to be effective it is said that we are supposed to follow certain norms and practice certain things. I found this topic worth blogging because Rudraaksh is the "in" thing right now.