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Thread: Rudraksha - What should I do?

  1. #21
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    Re: Rudraksha - What should I do?

    Vannakkam: As with everything volunteer, Aanandinii, a few people do a lot and quite a few more help out a bit. I'm in the latter category as I don't live there, and its difficult because of agriculture laws, to take the seeds off island. But when we do go, it's nice to do a bit of seva.

    Ram ... I'm no collector, just have had the opportunity to work with them. As for the beads that are not 5 faced, each fruit is a mystery until you process it, so it's something like a happy surprise when you uncover a 7 face or a 9 face, etc.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: Rudraksha - What should I do?

    Namaste Aanandinii Ji and EM Ji,

    I haven't thought about collecting different Rudrakshas.I was assuming you are collectors as you know a lot about them.

    EM Ji,

    I was thinking that a particular tree gives similar faced ones,it would indeed be a surprise to get different faced ones.

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    Re: Rudraksha - What should I do?

    Vannakkam: Certain trees do have characteristics though. Some have more 4 faced ones for example, while others are generally bigger. Not sure what happens if you plant a 7 faced one, but my guess is that it would raise the incidence of 7 faced ones on that particular tree, but certainly not make them all 7s. Over time, as with potatoes, or anything else, seed selection would most likely help with getting the non-five ones.

    Since there are about 150 varieties in the genus, most likely some can cross-pollinate as well.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeocarpus_ganitrus

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: Rudraksha - What should I do?

    Namaskar ji,

    I just finished the final drying and selected the 108+1 beads for a Mala I mentioned making in a different thread, and I thought I would take a moment to share this image to illustrate the variations in color and pattern I've spoken of in many places. (It also gives me an excuse to experiment with a recent gift, so hopefully this works and the image isn't enormous... apologies if so.)

    These are finished 5 Mukhi beads ranging from 18 to 22mm. The process to clean and finish all of them took about 3 months.



    Hopefully this posts well, apologies again if not.

    ~Pranam

    edit: Yikes, that looks crazy on the device I'm on right now! I will check and edit as soon as I can get to a computer.
    I also plan to take some pictures of specific patterns in some of the bead faces, before I string them, and will share a link when I can upload them.
    ~~~~~
    What has Learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the good feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?
    They alone dispel the mind's distress, who take refuge at the feet of the incomparable one.
    ~~Tirukural 2, 7

    Anbe Sivamayam, Satyame Parasivam

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    Re: Rudraksha - What should I do?


    Namaste Ji,

    They are shining like precious gems.Thanks.
    Different varieties are there.

    Is this for a Japa mala?


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    Re: Rudraksha - What should I do?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ram11 View Post

    Is this for a Japa mala?
    Namaste Ram,

    This mala would be for ceremonial wear only. I've been making this as an offering/gift for the Pandit of the first Temple I visited here in the US. It would be very difficult if not impossible to use it for Japa; it's too long, heavy, and most of the beads too large to effectively pass through fingers during Japa. The full length, once strung, ended up being about 4.5 feet, so when worn it will create 3 loops around the neck, about 18 inches of equal length per loop.

    I've been working on it for so long now I can't believe it's almost done.

    ~Pranam
    ~~~~~
    What has Learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the good feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?
    They alone dispel the mind's distress, who take refuge at the feet of the incomparable one.
    ~~Tirukural 2, 7

    Anbe Sivamayam, Satyame Parasivam

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    Re: Rudraksha - What should I do?

    Quote Originally Posted by Aanandinii View Post
    Namaste Ram,

    This mala would be for ceremonial wear only. I've been making this as an offering/gift for the Pandit of the first Temple I visited here in the US. It would be very difficult if not impossible to use it for Japa; it's too long, heavy, and most of the beads too large to effectively pass through fingers during Japa. The full length, once strung, ended up being about 4.5 feet, so when worn it will create 3 loops around the neck, about 18 inches of equal length per loop.

    I've been working on it for so long now I can't believe it's almost done.

    ~Pranam
    Namaste Ji,

    I did not imagine their size would be so big.You have a lot of patience,I can not imagine a gift that could be more valuable than this.I am sure the recipient Pandithji would be very pleased.

    I have seen that big sized Rudraksha mala is worn by Sri Bharati Tirtha
    MahaSwami Shankaracharyaji.But he wears only one loop,I wonder how a three loops one would look.



    Is there any reason behind using big sized beads?Are spiritual people(like Sri Shankaracharya,Pandiths etc.) supposed to wear bigger sized Rudrakshas?

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    Re: Rudraksha - What should I do?

    Namaste Ram,
    Quote Originally Posted by Ram11 View Post
    I did not imagine their size would be so big.You have a lot of patience,I can not imagine a gift that could be more valuable than this.I am sure the recipient Pandithji would be very pleased.
    I hope so but there are some conventions for a truly perfect mala that I have not been able to follow because I only have so many beads to work with as I am only one person cleaning and finishing them as I have time. Some say a perfect mala will be beads of all one size and all one color. The beads I have used range from 18 milimeters (about 0.7 inches) to 22 millimeters (about 0.8 inches). They are smaller than the ones the
    Sri Bharati Tirtha MahaSwami Shankaracharyaji in your image is wearing, I think. Also, I have mixed the colors. I don't have enough of any color to try and match all one color for a mala, but I also think it looks nicer having a mix - more natural like the world around us, as Sri Shiva made it and as you find the beads. There are also some who say that over time and wear a Rudraksha will change its color to match the wearer... I don't know about that but it's kind of a nice thought.
    I have seen that big sized Rudraksha mala is worn by Sri Bharati Tirtha MahaSwami Shankaracharyaji. But he wears only one loop,I wonder how a three loops one would look.
    Is there any reason behind using big sized beads?Are spiritual people (like Sri Shankaracharya,Pandiths etc.) supposed to wear bigger sized Rudrakshas?
    There is a thought that the larger sizes are more powerful in some ways, though I can't personally confirm that. Rudraksha can be up to 2 inches in diameter, so they can get quite large. When they are so big, they also tend to be more expensive, and also more difficult to wear - the malas can get quite heavy. I was surprised when I felt the weight of the one I'm working on, actually, even though I knew it would have a good weight to it.
    The one worn by MahaSwami Shankaracharyaji in your image has such large beads, a full 3 turns would be so heavy it would be difficult to wear, I'm sure. 108+1 in beads that size would probably create more than 3 turns, actually, and that one looks to be closer to a 20 or 22 inch drop than the 18 inch drop I estimated while making mine.

    From my observations and what I've read, a mala of large beads, especially if they're all the same size and color, will be expensive (even without any metal work in it), heavy, and potentially it could be more powerful. This may be why they often seem to be ceremonial adornments that are passed down in a lineage - for instance the current Satguru of Kauaii Adheenam, Sri Bodhinatha Veylanswami, wears a mala which I believe was passed to him from Gurudev Subramuniyaswami, and I think the specific mala in their case is also a symbol or sigil of the position they hold, both spiritually and within their lineage. I would imagine such adornments are probably bought or made and given as a gift, and then passed down. I would think it's the same within families who have such beads and malas, but I don't really know.

    So I don't think it's so much that those who are more spiritual and/or leaders of lineages are 'supposed to wear' such large and lovely malas, but more that they are symbols, extra-special gifts, and
    inherited treasures.
    I don't know about patience, but thank you. It's been more a work of love and inspiration for me. If you would like to see it I'll post a picture when I'm done.

    ~Pranam
    ~~~~~
    What has Learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the good feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?
    They alone dispel the mind's distress, who take refuge at the feet of the incomparable one.
    ~~Tirukural 2, 7

    Anbe Sivamayam, Satyame Parasivam

  9. #29
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    Re: Rudraksha - What should I do?

    Quote Originally Posted by Aanandinii View Post
    Namaste Ram,

    I hope so but there are some conventions for a truly perfect mala that I have not been able to follow because I only have so many beads to work with as I am only one person cleaning and finishing them as I have time. Some say a perfect mala will be beads of all one size and all one color. The beads I have used range from 18 milimeters (about 0.7 inches) to 22 millimeters (about 0.8 inches). They are smaller than the ones the
    Sri Bharati Tirtha MahaSwami Shankaracharyaji in your image is wearing, I think. Also, I have mixed the colors. I don't have enough of any color to try and match all one color for a mala, but I also think it looks nicer having a mix - more natural like the world around us, as Sri Shiva made it and as you find the beads. There are also some who say that over time and wear a Rudraksha will change its color to match the wearer... I don't know about that but it's kind of a nice thought.
    There is a thought that the larger sizes are more powerful in some ways, though I can't personally confirm that. Rudraksha can be up to 2 inches in diameter, so they can get quite large. When they are so big, they also tend to be more expensive, and also more difficult to wear - the malas can get quite heavy. I was surprised when I felt the weight of the one I'm working on, actually, even though I knew it would have a good weight to it.
    The one worn by MahaSwami Shankaracharyaji in your image has such large beads, a full 3 turns would be so heavy it would be difficult to wear, I'm sure. 108+1 in beads that size would probably create more than 3 turns, actually, and that one looks to be closer to a 20 or 22 inch drop than the 18 inch drop I estimated while making mine.

    From my observations and what I've read, a mala of large beads, especially if they're all the same size and color, will be expensive (even without any metal work in it), heavy, and potentially it could be more powerful. This may be why they often seem to be ceremonial adornments that are passed down in a lineage - for instance the current Satguru of Kauaii Adheenam, Sri Bodhinatha Veylanswami, wears a mala which I believe was passed to him from Gurudev Subramuniyaswami, and I think the specific mala in their case is also a symbol or sigil of the position they hold, both spiritually and within their lineage. I would imagine such adornments are probably bought or made and given as a gift, and then passed down. I would think it's the same within families who have such beads and malas, but I don't really know.

    So I don't think it's so much that those who are more spiritual and/or leaders of lineages are 'supposed to wear' such large and lovely malas, but more that they are symbols, extra-special gifts, and
    inherited treasures.
    I don't know about patience, but thank you. It's been more a work of love and inspiration for me. If you would like to see it I'll post a picture when I'm done.

    ~Pranam
    Namaste Ji,

    Maybe as you heard the Rudrakshas as they become a part of a person tend to change color.
    I did not know that Rudrakshas are passed down from teacher to disciple,in that way they could carry the spiritual energy of the past gurus.

    Are the smallest(pea sized) ones rare and more expensive than the medium sized ones?

    Are you stringing them by yourself?
    Did you get trained under a Rudraksha master or you learned this science by self-study?

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    Re: Rudraksha - What should I do?

    Namaskar Ram,
    Quote Originally Posted by Ram11 View Post
    Namaste Ji,

    Maybe as you heard the Rudrakshas as they become a part of a person tend to change color.
    Well, truthfully the reference I read stated that the color will change to match varna - which some take to mean caste and others take to mean a growth period of your current life or over several lives. But I have no informed opinion on that. I think it might be a mix of natural pigment in the wood and oxidation as the exposed seed dries and then soaked in oil, which creates a natural varnish. An individual's natural body chemistry could possibly influence that if in regular contact with the bead, too.
    I did not know that Rudrakshas are passed down from teacher to disciple,in that way they could carry the spiritual energy of the past gurus.
    Interesting thought, and quite true. But I don't know that they are passed down within lineages, I stress that this is speculation on my part. It only appears to me that in that one Parampara these two SatGurus seem to be wearing the same mala, and so it seems to follow, but I don't know it for certain, and even then it may not be true of other sects and traditions. Ususally this is the way things seem to trend with Spiritual Lineages in other parts of the world though, so again it's an informed guess.
    Are the smallest(pea sized) ones rare and more expensive than the medium sized ones?
    It depends on the size and the species or sub-species of tree they are from. In my experience so far, seeds from the Java subspecies which are between 3 millimeters and 5 millimeters in size are the most expensive of all the beads below 10 millimeters in size. Below 10mm you will also really only get 5 Mukhi beads - not that there aren't other numbers of faces, but I've never seen one above 6. I don't think the reason these beads cost more is because they're rare, but because of the trouble it must be to drill and clean them. 3mm is very small. The larger "small" beads drop drastically in price when they get to about 6mm, and those are still smaller than you would at first think, they're tough to clean.
    Are you stringing them by yourself?
    Yes.
    Did you get trained under a Rudraksha master or you learned this science by self-study?
    Self study. I have a little experience in jewelry design and basic metalworking
    , and years of study of mysticism, holistic therapies, meditation and chakras. I love to learn and research, it's a long habit particularly in spiritual pursuits as I searched for the system that matched my faith over the years. I even work in research now. LOL I've applied this to studying Rudraksha and the design of malas. Perhaps one day I will be lucky enough to study under a learned Rudraksha master, that would be wonderful, but for now I have carefully pieced together the basics on cleaning, drying, curing, charging and stringing/knotting malas. The knowledge is free out there for those who wish to learn it, though not all in one place. It's a lot like meditation and puja, and just as calming and rewarding. ^_^

    ~Pranam
    ~~~~~
    What has Learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the good feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?
    They alone dispel the mind's distress, who take refuge at the feet of the incomparable one.
    ~~Tirukural 2, 7

    Anbe Sivamayam, Satyame Parasivam

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