Tuesday 30 December 2014

Rudraksha

"A multi-dimensional hologram in the form of a seed"

The Shiva Puran consists of 24000 shlokas, and these 24000 shlokas are divided into 7 Samhitas. A Samhita is a collection or compilation of hymns or verses in a sacred book.
In the first Samhita of the Shiva Puran, the Videyshwar Samhita, in the 25th Chapter, is the first mention of Rudraksha.
Literally meaning the 'tear of Rudra', the seed forms an almost inseparable part of the Hindu philosophy and customs, not only because of the ascendancy it commands when we talk of Hindu symbols, but also because  like all the pan-Hindu symbols be it the OM, or the Namaste, this again seems to be a purely scientific marvel designed altogether as a religious symbol.

The Vidyeshwar Samhita states that Shiva had been performing penance for thousand of years, when out of sport, he opened his eyes, wanting to help Shakti with the benefit of world. Seeing the misery and the grief all over, drops of tears fell from his half-closed eyes. These tears became immobile as soon as they fell on the earth and from these drops cropped up the the Rudraksha tree .

Symbolism of Rudraksha: Though the prime symbolism of Rudraksha has already been explained earlier, a few other attributes could be aligned with its symbolism.
Since ancient Vedic times, beads are known to help a person concentrate one's thoughts while reciting verses or performing certain rituals. Rudraksha adds to that, it being a symbol of Shiva, and becomes the perfect bead when reciting "Om Namah Shivay" for meditation. A common Rudraksha is divided into 5 sub-sections, symbolic of the 5 faces of Shiva, viz. West, South, North, East and Skyward faces, while a 2 facet Rudraksha symbolizes Shiva and Parvati.

Scientific Analogies: In the year 1993, Subhas Rai of Banaras Hindu University conducted a detailed study on Rudraksha and its scientific analogies and he came out with some very interesting results.
Mr Rai proved that Rudraksha is di-electric and can store electrical energy and have permanent magnetic properties which affect human body when worn on it. Not only the electromagnetism provides anti-ageing qualities to the Rudraksha, the di-electric attributes cause a subtle change in the electric make-up of the body, helping it in a life-supporting manner.

Healing attributes: Rudraksha not only affects the central nervous system, resulting in decreasing anxiety, blood pressure, tension, it also helps a person in increasing concentration. This, coming not from some commercial site selling Rudraksha beads, but a scientific paper presented in one of the topmost engineering institutes of India.
A certain chemical called serotinin, which is responsible for levels of confidence or mental energy \, when falls below a certain level, causes anxiety, depression or low self esteem. Anti-depressants and tranquilizers control the levels of serotinin in the body and soothe mental disturbances. Depending upon which faceted Rudrash one wears, wearing it near the heart controls certain brain chemicals, thereby inducing the state of mind.

Feeling lucky?: The left part of the brain does all the logical and structured decision making, while the right side of the brain is known more for the abstract thinking or the lateral thinking part. Now, what is being lucky? Simply put, being at the right place at the right time or making a decision at the right time. Wearing Rudraksha for longer periods activates the right part of the brain, and people start taking more decisions, based on their subconscious layer of mind, as explained in The Multifaceted OM.


Feng-Shui Connection: Rudraksha doesnt come up as your regular, "more popular", classic tools of Feng-Shui. Infact, it is has been adopted by many Feng-Shui followers who have been fascinated by Hinduism and Rudraksha, in particular.

I am not trying to advertise Rudraksha here, trying to increase the sales of Rudraksha beads being sold in every nook and corner of the country. Most of them are not even genuine Rudraksha seeds. Commercialization certainly has its demerits, and attaching magical tales and legends with Rudraksha is yet another attempt to pep up the sales in various sacred cities of India, an attempt to push the sales among the general "not-so-educated" section of the society. This, in a way, demerits the credibility of such a magnificent phenomenon and raises doubts among people.
Rudraksha has its fair share of benefits, and should certainly be treated with utmost respect and treated more of a scientific marvel than a religious symbol. However, the fanaticism associated with such symbols somehow overshadow the science and the mysticism attached to them.
Think of it, a botanical seed, rich in electro-magnetism,  the intensity varying with the facets of the seed, is no small a marvel both in terms of science and religion. No wonder, a number of MNCs are vying to make a claim to patent Rudraksha now. I am really looking forward to the day when a majority of us Indians would start looking beyond the clouds of doubtfulness and start taking pride in our rich heritage.




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