• My volunteer activities with Isha Foundation in the past couple of years have often involved offering Rudraksha beads to devotees visiting our temples. It has been a thought-provoking experience which I want to share.

Adiyogi Mala of 100008 Panchamukhi Rudraksha Beads

You may have noticed that the 112 ft Adiyogi Shiva Statues are wearing a Rudraksha mala. These malas are made by Isha Foundation teams with 1 Lakh and 8 Panchamukhi Rudraksha beads. Every year at Mahashivratri, these malas are changed. New malas adorn the statue while the old malas are removed. The beads in the old mala are separated out and kept in heaps. During the Mahashivratri night, we can see Sadhguru consecrating these by offering bilva leaves to them.

After Mahashivratri, these beads are offered to the visiting devotees at the various Isha temples across the country.

Rudraksha Diksha Process

For the past few years, in the days leading to Mahashivratri, devotees could register for the Rudraksha Diksha process online and get a packet with two of these beads along with some more consecrated items couriered to their homes. They could register for free or donate whatever they wish.

Later an online event was held where the recipients of these rudraksha beads would get initiated by Sadhguru into a simple sadhana process.

The Rudraksha beads and the simple sadhana initiation have both been offered for free to anyone who is interested.

Veneration of the Rudraksha

As I volunteered to offer these packets with free Rudraksha beads to devotees visiting Isha temples, one thing became clear to me – these people really venerate the Rudraksha. All of them from young to old know about these beads. They have all heard the puranic stories about Rudraksha being the tears of Shiva. A lot of them responded to the idea of getting a rudraksha bead with reverence, however, at the same time they had many doubts. 

Can I wear a Rudraksha? Can I continue eating non-veg food? How should we keep these beads? Should I keep them in the Pooja room? Can I wear them on my wrist? Can I use them as japa mala? Can we take them for all our family members? Can women also wear them?

My Experience with the Rudraksha Mala

I have been wearing my Rudraksha mala for close to twenty years now. I picked them up at my second Isha Foundation yoga program where I learnt my advance practice of Shakti Chalan Kriya and Shoonya meditation.

I read through the instructions that Isha Foundation had provided at the time. The  instructions mainly are -

1. Keep the rudraksha beads immersed in oil/ghee for a day every six months. This is to ensure the beads remain healthy otherwise they could dry up and crack.

2. Don’t expose the beads to chemicals. So, I need to remove the mala when I shampoo.

Apart from these there are some more instructions about how to string the beads, how to store the beads in case we aren’t wearing them for a few days and so on. You can read the longer guidelines post from Isha Foundation here: https://ishalife.sadhguru.org/in/the-rudraksha-guide

Over twenty years, my Rudraksha mala is like a part of my body. I wear it at all times. And I am familiar with its feeling. As I travel extensively, I feel the mala keeps the energies around me positive. And it supports my spiritual intentions and quest for liberation. Honestly, it has been quite a long time, and now, I take the mala and its benefits totally for granted.

A First Step for So Many Others...

Today, as I interact with so many devotees who are receiving these free Rudraksha offerings from Isha Foundation, I feel quite overwhelmed. It pains me that these Indian devotees who so venerate the Rudraksha – are filled with so many doubts about even keeping it in their house, let alone wearing it on their necks! 

I feel sad that so many Shiva devotees, who hold these beads as sacred, did not come across a genuine source of Rudraksha beads in their life. They did not find a Guru who could guide them correctly about how to keep these beads and use them for a better life. And they have not been able to reap all the benefits of having a Rudraksha mala, the way I have.

Today, as there is a resurgence towards ancient Indian wisdom, this Rudraksha offering from Sadhguru and Isha Foundation is a significant effort. Through this effort, millions of Indian people have woken up to the reality of these highly venerated Rudraksha beads. They are now wearing a single consecrated Panchamukhi bead on their neck which earlier adorned the Adiyogi Shiva statue.

To read all articles by author

To read About Rudraksha

To read all articles on Indian Culture