Saturday, February 28, 2009

Rules for wearing Rudraksha

We must to know the basic Rudraksha rules before wearing a Rudraksha. No doubt, It is not allowed to wear Rudrakshas without accepting the Lord. What about other rules? What do the Puranas and Tantras tell about caste, creed and sex? Let us concentrate on these topics.

1. Don't wear Rudrakshas without believing Lord Shiva:

Rudrakshas are not Gems. Rudrakshas are not beads. They are tears of Lord Shiva. Wearing Rudrakshas without accepting Shiva (Rudra) results in dangerous consequences. The reason is simple. People who don't believe in Shiva tend to disobey the remaining guidelines too.

What about the people from other religions?
They are allowed, if they accept Lord Shiva. (Observe, only acceptance needed. Changing their custom is nowhere mentioned.) Rudrakshas greatly help in attaining best results with chanting or meditation. They are useful in raising Kundalini and are needed by all religious people. There may be their own methods to boost their worship. But, Rudraksha is incomparable.

Other Rudraksha rules:

2. Character is must. Ahimsa (Don't harm anyone), Satyam (Don't say lies) Asteyam (Don't steal anything) Brahmacharyam (Don't go passionate) Aparigraham (Don't beg anybody). All these five principles are important but the priority goes to the first ones.

3. Non-vegetarian diet, eggs, and Alcohol are strictly prohibited. Luxurious diet (Rajasikahara) and Unhealthy diet (Tamasikahara) are also not allowed.

4. Smoking and other Tobacco related habits are banned.

5. Participating in sexual activity either completely or partially is not at all permitted.

6. Saucham (Cleanliness): Rudraksha should be kept aside while going to toilet. Women should not wear Rudraksha in menstrual period (4 days). Avoid Rudrakshas in the days of Asaucha (if a birth or death occurred in that home, for birth: 3 days, for death: 10 days).
Santosham (Happiness): Don't wear Rudrakshas in the time of grief.

7. Don't touch people who are in above 6 disallowed conditions. No restrictions are mentioned regarding caste, creed or nationality.

Feeling very difficult? O.k, I can suggest a solution. Rudraksha rules 1 and 2 are mandatory. We can avoid wearing Rudrakshas in the remaining conditions.
There are traditions looking contradictory to these rules. I accept. but, they are too difficult to follow in remaining aspects and not meant for normal people.

Finally, Is it allowed to wear Rudraksha while taking bath? Yes. It is even encouraged. But, don't forget to protect costly Rudrakshas from soap and water.

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Xtreme said...

Suggest a good book or resource where i can find all the info about ekmukhi rudraksha and principles to follow to wear.

Srihari said...

I learned this info from many books (around 30, including Upanishads, Puranas & Tantras). Please visit Ek mukhi Rudraksha page in the next week. I'll write a full article on that topic.

Srisailam photos said...

Why didn't you mentioned about Garlic and Onion? They are not allowed to take with Rudraksha on body. Lasuna(garlic), Palandu(onion), Signu(munaga), Sleshmataka(virigi) are strictly prohibited.

Srihari said...

You are correct. The first two are Tamasika foods and the next two are Rajasika foods.

But, The classification of foods is a topic of debate. There are many traditions. I follow the words of Lord Srikrishna told from Bhagavdgita. And, it is also impossible to list out all food items.

Anonymous said...

Namastay, Its good to see a complete blog dedicated to rudrakshas. Can you please clarify my question below.

1. I purchased a rudraksha few years ago and started wearing it and its good to wear. The seller didnt tell me about any sort of "rudraksha suddhi/energization" pooja or "prana-prathistha" or "rudrabhiskam" to be done for the rudraksha before it is worn. I recently read in the internet that one should perform pooja before wearing the rudrashas. Can you please tell me if i can wash the rudraksha and perform the "rudraksha energization" pooja and start wearing it again?? I'm very much concerend that i was not able to do the required pooja before i wore it.
Does this have any influence on the performance of the rudraksha in bestowing good results??

Please reply back clearly.


Srihari said...

Don't become frustrated. No bad results will come. "One should perform pooja before wearing the rudrashas." BUT NOT "One must perform pooja before wearing the rudrashas.

Rudraksha energization will increase it's efficiency. Wash Rudraksha with any one of Panchamrithas (Cow milk, Cow urin, Cow dung, Fruit juice, Sugarcane juice). Daily chant Panchakshari (Namassivaya) as much as you can. That's enough.

Anonymous said...


I am married man..
Can I wear Rudraksha while going to bed.

Anonymous said...

i have mouth rudraksha and it is obtained to from a woman who sold it to me;the previous day i dreamt that a person in the dress of shiva told me to get that thing without arguing in price and i did the same.i have kept this in abir(red color),is it the way i should keep it .i also do not know the method to worship it.

Srihari said...

Keeping Rudraksha in Kunku (Kunkuma) is a common practice. If I understand correctly, you are doing the same. It's good. OK, regarding worship, please see these links : Worshiping Rudraksha, Ek mukhi Puja

Madhavan said...

thanks for ur information it helps me to know more about one face rudraksha

Anonymous said...

Hi SriHari,

In your above article you told that the rudraksha rules 1 and 2 are anyways mandatory. Brahmacharya comes in the second. Is it mandatory not to marry or not indulge in sexual activities if you are worshiping or wearing a rudraksha? for a married man is it okay to keep it aside and go for bed and wear it in the morning or some other time after bath?

Please advice
Mahesh, Kannur

Srihari said...

I doesn't mean not to marry! It means only what you thought of, keeping Rudraksha aside while going to bed. Of-course it also means not to indulge in illegal relationships (Agamya gamanam), even without wearing Rudraksha.

Anonymous said...

Tbanks SriHari