Can Women wear Rudraksha Beads?

[Suhita]

Namastey,

I wear 7 Mukhi Nepal Rudraksha mala. I had a visit last week to a temple in my locality and after performing Aarti, the temple priest told me that I am not supposed to wear Rudraksha as it is a symbol of Lord Shiva. But Shiva and Shakti are always interconnected with each other then why is so that ladies aren't supposed to wear Rudraksha Mala or Bracelet? Is it true?

~Hari Om

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Suhita; In that priest's sampradaya it must be true then. But it isn't some general rule. In my sampradaya women wear single beads like you.

Aum Namasivaya

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~

namasté


ॐ रुद्राय नमः
oṁ rudrāya namaḥ


You may find this HDF string useful:
http://hindudharmaforums.com/showthr...%C4%81k%C5%9Ba

It covers the following:
What types of questions are usually asked about rudrākṣa ? Let me offer a few:

• Can women wear rudrākṣa ?
• How many types of rudrākṣa are there? e.g. how many 'faces' mukhi-s ( from mukha or faces, mouth )?
• Is one better then the other?
• What are the merits of wearing rudrākṣa ?
• What is the proper garland (mālā ) to wear ? How many seeds ( 108, 27, 54) ?
• Where is it improper to wear the rudrākṣa mālā e.g. toliet, cremation grounds,etc.
• What is the proper start for wearing rudrākṣa ? e.g. pūja or purification?
• Should I wear the mālā to bed?
• Is there a 'test' to insure a rudrākṣa bead is authentic?
• What foods should a wearer of rudrākṣa avoid ( as found in the śiva mahāpurāṇa )?
• Can I make orniments or rings from rudrākṣa ?
• Can other family members wear the same mālā ?
• Is it advisable for children to wear rudrākṣa ?
• What is the best size of the rudrākṣa seed ( some call seed bīja; some write it as vīja )
• Do you, yajvan wear a mālā ? Yes.
• Is there a botanical name for rudrākṣa ? Yes, Elaeocarpus ganitrus.
• Will I feel something when I wear rudrākṣa ?

ॐ महेश्वराय नमः
om maheśvarāya namaḥ


praṇām

[Suhita]

Namastey Yajvanji,

Very nice information. thankyou for sharing this useful thread. Specially the food that should be avoided. But is there any restriction that ladies should wear Rudraksha beads related to particular Gods\Goddess?

~Hari Om

[Aanandinii]

Namaste Suhitaji,

Specially the food that should be avoided. But is there any restriction that ladies should wear Rudraksha beads related to particular Gods\Goddess?

As there seems to be no forthcoming reply yet, I thought I would offer my condensed experience outside of the writing in that thread, which I have also linked you to in the past, and others.

In the end, what you are asking comes down to Sampradaya and personal belief.
If you belong to a Sampradaya that puts limits on you, and you are bound to that Sampradaya and wish to hold to those limits, then by all means do.
If you wish to place further limits and restrictions on yourself, then that is also fine.

A woman you have read information from, as indicated in earlier posts - Neetaji of Rudrasha Ratna - and presumably who you may have purchased from as well, has studied this deeply and provides quotes from Shatra regarding this. She states that the Vedas and Upanishads state NO limits or rules for wearing Rudraksha, as far as gender, age, eating, time of day, night, bathing, etc. This is also supported by several Satgurus I have read, and in my own experience is supported by the many people I know who wear them. The only restrictions I have ever heard that remains the same for everyone I have read and spoken to is that you MUST follow good hygiene practices at all times when you wear them - this means good spiritual, mental and emotional hygiene as well as physical hygiene - and that one must respect them as a physical manifestation of Sri Shiva. So if you wouldn't do something in His presence, then take them off first. Care for them and keep them clean as you would Him, or any of the forms of Devi or God they represent.

It's generally a good rule as well to not wear them while bathing or swimming because you really shouldn't get them so wet all the time, it's not good for the bead, which is made from plant material. But this is not a must that was defined anywhere but by people's own practice.

From my own experience as mentioned a few lines ago:

• I wear a 3 to 4 millimeter mala of 108 +1 beads all the time. I was given it as a gift from one of my best friends, who is from Maharashtra. She told me I should never take it off except to bathe, (for the reason given above), or to clean and restring the beads.
• I have been told the same by the elderly and very traditional mother of another great friend, from what is now Telangana. This kind lady also wears a 108 +1 mala of much larger beads, which was given her by a Pandit in her village when she was young. She has always worn it and intends to pass it to her grand-daughter one day. This same lady also wears an Ek Mukh - 1 face Rudraksha at all times, wrapped in a golden cage with a representation of Sri Shiva held over it. She wears a couple of others too, but I'm not sure of the face numbers, and she has earrings made from smaller Rudrakshas as well.
• This same lady has gifted a Gowri-Shankar Rudraksha to each of her daughters at their wedding.
• When asked by her grand-daughter if she could also wear a 1 Face, she stated it's not good for young people, and she would have to wait till she was older and had led a full life.
• These are all things I have also been told by a Shaivite friend from Gujarat - especially the part about I shouldn't take off the small mala I was given - and another Shaivite friend from Nepal, and a colleague from Tamil Nadu. None of them blinked at the idea of a female wearing them. A couple of them wear their own.
• At the Temple I go to I often see women wearing Rudraksha singly, grouped in what I assume to be power kanthas, and in malas. Sometimes I see people - women included - using them for Japa. Most of the community I worship with are Gujarati, but not everyone.
• I also wear a bracelet with a 4 face, representing Sri Brihaspati, and a growing necklace I've been making with 6 face beads as I find them. I've been complemented on it many times, but never been told I shouldn't be wearing it.
• I've made and gifted to a Temple a large mala of 108 +1 beads of between 22 millimeters to 25 millimeters. No one was shocked or upset that a woman had done this, and the mala was received happily.

Rudraksha are a gift from Lord Shiva and Devi Shakti to Shrushti for the good and benefit of All. Any limits you put on them are valid, but they are also your own - or the limits of your Sampradaya, which they will have their own valid reasons for.
This is simply my understanding as given me by my teachings and reading thus far and through my experience.

~Pranam

ps - I know I still owe you a reply to a different thread. My apologies in the delay, I am somewhat limited by my available devices in how much I am able to type in the time I have to be online lately. I will reply as soon as I am able to give it proper attention.

[Suhita]

Thankyou So much Anandiniiji. You really explain each and every topic correctly with deep thoughts.

~Hari Om

[ajay]

Namaste Suhitaji,

I have seen Mata Amritanandamayi, the female enlightened sage,famously known as the hugging saint, wearing rudraksha beads around her neck and wrists. You can clearly see this in her images in the net.

Similarly with an another female enlightened master called Anandmurti Gurumaa. I also remember seeing the same in other female spiritual saints and even female householders as well on the spiritual path.

Women not allowed to wear rudraksha perhaps maybe an another superstition that had come throughout the ages like untouchability and casteism, which is not part of true hinduism, as per my educated opinion.

Hope this helps,

Ajay

[Suhita]

Namastey Ajayji,

Thanks for sharing the names of these personalities. At least now I can share this with people who are against ladies wearing Rudraksha beads.

~Hari Om

[Aanandinii]

Namaste ji,

Slightly off-topic, but regarding Mata Amritanandamayiji, there is a nice story about her I was told a while ago. Maybe here. Maybe you've heard it...

A woman was at Amritanandamayii's Ashram, practicing her meditation. She was interrupted by a man who asked why she bothered, as it was well known that women couldn't achieve realization and you had to be born as a man in order to achieve that. Even scripture seemed to support this. Perhaps she would be better off focusing on her family and hoping for a male birth next time around.

Mata was nearby, so upset by this the woman went to Mata to ask, and the guy followed. Amma's response was short, "Yes, of course a woman cannot achieve realization." And then she continued on with what she was doing. Satisfied, the man smirked and sauntered off too, leaving the woman feeling very confused and disturbed.

Hours later she was still sitting there, clearly very upset and trying to work it out. Amma saw her and approached, asking what was wrong. The woman explained what had happened and asked, why she had been doing all of this if she could not achieve her goal because she was female?

Mata Amritanandamayi smiled and nodded and told her, of course no woman can achieve realization but neither can any man.

~Pranam

[devotee]

of course no woman can achieve realization but neither can any man.

Well said ! Till you are so much identified with the body that you can't think beyond your and others' genders .... there can be no realisation for you ! You are just a sufferer !

OM