Rudraksha Jabala Upanishad by sivananda

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Rudraksha Jabala Upanishad

Haft Om! I praise the Effulgent State of Absolute Peace, belonging to

Sri Maharudra, which

is to be known through the Rudraksha Jabala Upanishad.

Bhusunda questioned Lord Kalagnirudra: What is the beginning of

Rudraksha beads? What

is the benefit of wearing them on the body?

Lord Kalagnirudra answered him thus: I closed my eyes for the sake of

destroying the

Tripura Asuras. From my eyes thus closed, drops of water fell on the

earth. These drops of tears

turned into Rudrakshas.

By the mere utterance of the name of `Rudraksha', one acquires the

benefit of giving ten

cows in charity. By seeing and touching it, one attains double that

benefit. I am unable to praise it

any more.

I closed my eyes one thousand celestial years. Then from my eyelids,

drops of water

dropped down and attained the state of immobility for blessing the

devoted persons.

This Rudraksha destroys the devotees' sins that are committed both

night and day, by

wearing it.

By mere vision of the Rudraksha, the benefit will be say, a lac. But

by wearing them, it will

be a crore. Why, it will be equal to hundred crores.

But it will be a thousand lacs of crores and hundred lacs of crores

times powerful when one

does Japa with Rudraksha and wears it at all times.

Among Rudrakshas, one as big as Amalaka (myrobalan), is considered to

be the best. One

as big as the Badari fruit (Indian berry) is considered to be of the

middle sort. But that as big as

Chana (Bengal gram) is considered to be the worst of all. This is my

idea about the size of

Rudraksha beads.

The four kinds of people, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras

are born as merely a

worthless burden on the earth. The real Brahmin is the white

Rudraksha. The red is a Kshatriya. The

yellow is a Vaisya. And the black is a Sudra.

Therefore, a Brahmin should wear white Rudrakshas, a Kshatriya the

red, a Vaisya the

yellow and a Sudra the black.

One should use those Rudraksha-beads which are nice, handsome,

strong, big, auspicious

and thorny. One should avoid those eaten by worms, broken, without

thorns, and having sores.

The self-holed Rudraksha is of the best variety. But that which is

holed by man's attempt, is

considered to be worse. Those best Rudrakshas should be strung in

white thread. A worshipper of

Siva should wear Rudraksha all over the body. He should wear one bead

on the crest, three hundred

round the head, thirty-six round the neck, sixteen round each arm,

twelve round the chest and five

hundred round the waist. He should wear a Yajnopavita consisting of

one hundred and eight beads

of Rudrakshas. He should wear two, three, five or seven Malas of

Rudraksha round the neck.

A Siva-Bhakta should wear Rudrakshas round his crown, ear-ring,

chain, round the ear,

armlet, at all times, and specially round the stomach, irrespective

of the fact whether he is sleeping,

drinking, etc.

If the devotee wears three hundred beads, it is the worst, if he

wears five hundred it will be

medium, but one thousand will be the best of all.

The devotee, when wearing Rudrakshas on the head, should repeat his

Ishta Mantra, and

when wearing them round the neck, should repeat the Tat-Purusha

Mantra and when wearing round

the throat, should repeat the Aghora Mantra. The same Mantra (Aghora)

should be recited when

wearing round the chest also.

He should wear them round the arms with the Aghora Bija Mantra.

Then again Bhusunda asked Lord Kalagnirudra: What are the different

forms and effects of

Rudraksha beads? Please tell me about the secret of these blessed

ones including their various faces,

which is the means of getting rid of all evil.

Lord Kalagnirudra said: The bead with one face is of the form of the

Supreme Truth. A

disciplined one (controlling his senses) mingles himself with the one

Eternal Truth, after wearing

these Rudrakshas. (The following is a list of different faces of

Rudrakshas and their effects).

 

Faces Form Effect of wearing

 

1. Supreme Truth Attainment of Eternity

2. Ardhanarisvara Grace of Ardhanarisvara

3. Tretagni Grace of Agni

4. Brahma Grace of Brahma

5. Pancha-Brahmas Destruction of homicide sin

6. Karttikeya or Ganesa Attainment of Chitta-Suddhi and Jnana

7. Saptamala Attainment of good health and wealth

8. Ashtamatras (Ashta Vasus)

or Ganga Grace of these Devatas and becoming truthful

9. Nava-Saktis Grace of Nava-Saktis or nine Powers

10. Yama Attainment of Peace.

11. Ekadasa Rudras Increase of all kinds of wealth

12. Mahavishnu or 12 Adityas Attainment of Moksha

13. Cupid Attainment of fulfilling desires and grace of Cupid

14. Rudra Destruction of all diseases

One who wears Rudrakshas, should not use intoxicants, meat, garlic,

onions, carrots and all

such prohibited things. By wearing Rudrakshas during eclipses,

Vishusankranti (the end of Mina

and beginning of Mesha Masa), new moon, full moon and other such

auspicious days, one is freed

of all sins.

The base of the Rudraksha bead is Brahma, its navel is Vishnu, its

face is Rudra and its hole

consists of all gods.

One day Sanatkumara asked Kalagnirudra: "O Lord! Tell me the rules

for wearing

Rudrakshas". At that time Nidagha, Jadabharata, Dattatreya,

Katyayana, Bharadvaja, Kapila,

Vasishtha, Pippalada, etc., came to Kalagnirudra. Then Lord

Kalagnirudra asked them why they all

had come in a group. They all answered that they came to hear the

method of wearing Rudrakshas.

Kalagnirudra said: Those that are born out of Rudra's Akshis (eyes)

are called Rudrakshas.

When these beads are even once touched by hand, one attains the glory

of giving in charity two

thousand cows at a time. When they are worn in ears, he gets the

effect of giving out eleven

thousand cows in charity. He also attains the state of the eleven

Rudras. When the beads are worn on

the head, one has the benefit of giving a crore of cows in charity.

Of all these places, I am unable to

tell you the benefit when worn in the ears.

Whoever studies this Rudraksha Jabala Upanishad, be he a boy or a

youth, becomes great.

He becomes the Guru of all and the teacher of all Mantras. Havan and

Archana should be done with

these Mantras (of the Upanishad).

That Brahmin who recites this Upanishad in the evening, destroys the

sins committed

during day time; who recites at noon, destroys the sins of six

births; who recites in the morning and

evening, destroys the sins of many births. He attains the same

benefit of doing six thousand lacs of

Gayatri Japa.

He becomes purified from all sins of killing a Brahmin, drinking

toddy, stealing gold,

approaching Guru's wife, having intercourse with her, speaking with

corrupted person, etc.

He gets the benefits of all pilgrimages and river-baths. He attains

Siva-sayujya. He does not

come back (to rebirth).