Rudraksha

What is the Rudraksha tree?

Rudraksha is the seed of a particular tree species which usually grows at a certain altitude in the mountains – mainly in the Himalayan region. Unfortunately, most of these trees were used to make railway sleepers, so there are very few of them remaining in India. Today, they are mostly found in Nepal, Burma, Thailand, or Indonesia. They are there in some parts of the Western Ghats in South India, but the best quality ones come from a certain altitude in the Himalayas because somehow the soil, atmosphere, and everything influences it. These seeds have a very unique vibration.

The scientific significance of Rudraksha

In the Vedas, Rudra is also associated with the wind and the storm. This wind is no ordinary wind but the cosmic wind. Scientific studies have revealed that the whole cosmos is pervaded by numerous particles that are continuously moving and constitute interstellar matter. This matter leads to the destruction and creation of new celestial bodies. It is these particles that connect one object with another and keep the cycle of creation and recreation going. The winds caused by the movement of these particles are the cosmic winds. These winds are very powerful and make their howling sound in the universe, unperceived by the human ear.

Rudra as a deity in our Puranas is associated with this howling sound when he goes about his destruction spree. This destruction is not to be taken negatively but is for regeneration. Rudra represents these cosmic winds, the universal energy that is terrific and very powerful and constantly sweeps across the entire universe.

So, what is the connection between the cosmic winds and Rudraksha?

Rudraksha can also be said to be derived from the words Rudra Akarshana, where akarshana means to attract. Rudraksha is that which attracts Rudra or the cosmic particles, to channel them throughout our body, like an antenna. These energies attracted by Rudraksha bring added vitality to our system, leading to health and harmony, while removing negativity.