The term
“Rudraksha” itself symbolizes Lord Shiva. “Rudra”
stands for Lord Shiva and “Aaksha” for Shiva’s
tears. Lord Shiva himself is the first ardent user and
admirer of Rudraksha. Later devotees and sages began
using Rudraksha as a blessing from Lord Shiva himself to
protect mankind from worldly sufferings and miseries.
With the development of modern science, many scientists
researched for evidences that support the ancient belief
on the significance of Rudraksha.
All the scientists came up with the findings that
reassured and confirmed the divine power of Rudraksha
beads. Individual from every walk of life irrespective
of caste, creed, religion, nationality or gender can use
Rudraksha to gain maximum spiritual, physical and
materialistic benefits.
Scientifically known as Elaeocarpus ganitrus Roxb,
Rudraksha tree is a large evergreen broad-leaved tree,
which grows in the area from the Genetic Plain to the
foothills of the great Himalayas and the middle area of
Nepal. The main trunk of Rudraksha tree is cylindrical
and has circular section.
Rudraksha tree has grayish white bark and rough
in texture with small vertical lenticels and narrow
horizontal furrows. Its branches spread in all
directions. Its leaves appear shining green externally
and dull coriaceous internally.
It has ovoid, conical and elongate flowers, nearly 1 to
2 cm in diameter. Its fruit is globose and drupaceous
having a fleshy exterior and is light green in color.
Rudraksha beads are covered by an outer shell which is
blue in color and is hard and tubercle on the inside. On
each Rudraksha seed vertical lines are seen running down
its surface. These lines are called mukhi or “the clefts
or furrows on the surface” and determine the type of
mukhi Rudraksha.
For instance Seeds with one vertical line are one mukhi
Rudraksha, those with two lines are two mukhi and so on.
Rudraksha beads contain 50.031 % carbon, 0.95% nitrogen,
17.897% hydrogen and 30.53% oxygen. It takes 15 to16
years for Rudraksha to mature and bear fruits. It is
kept in water for a number of days and then Rudraksha is
taken out after peeling off the pulp.
Rudraksha comes from 1 to 38 mukhis, but
Rudraksha of 1 to 14 mukhis are commonly found. The
five-faced Rudraksha are found easily and abundantly.
One mukhi Rudraksha is extremely rare Rudraksha.
Depending upon the availability and production of
Rudraksha different prices have been allocated for
different mukhi Rudraksha.
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