Rudraksh: A Weave of Tears

He opened his eyes and was overwhelmed by what he saw.

There was so much pain, so much sorrow, so much agyaan.

The ascetic could not bear it. He felt his emotions well up inside him that he simply could not contain. He continued to stare in disbelief.

And as he did, his eyes turned glassy and his vision blurred. Alas, Shiva had finally cried. His tears rolled down his ashy face that had stayed unmoved for a thousand years. And as they traveled past it and onto the ground, something miraculous happened.

The ground turned moist. Suddenly, it burst open with trees. Strong, tall and ever-branching out — the lotus-like tears has given birth to the whimsical rudraksh tree.

The rudraksh can scientifically be seen as but a dried blueberry but is actually a sought-after object of healing, meditation and medicine.

Most revered among the Shaivism followers, it has a very close association with rosaries that are said to provide acupuncture-like effects on the person meditating with them. But in a more fantastical manner, the rudraksh is said to have descended from heaven with upto 21 mukhis or faces, each connected to a different power and story of its own.

When Parvati asked of her husband ornaments for adoration, Shiva is said to have fashioned beads of rudraksh for her. This is a representative of his protective affection for her that makes him want to give something meaningful and all-powerful to her, even for something as trivial as her jewelry.

The rudraksh enjoys heritage as it does a modern reverence. Today, it is associated with weaving. As the beads warp and weft, the weave creates a spectacular energy that is said to protect the body with the power of the cosmos itself.