Master Guide on Rudraksha Bead Mala | No. of Beads, Types, How to Wear

Rudraksha is a popular mala bead commonly used in many religious, spiritual, meditational, and cultural practices. From this, you can easily estimate how valuable this seemingly simple mala bead is. You can find a wide range of accessories made with or from Rudraksha ranging from Rudraksha Charm Necklace, Meditation Mala, Rudraksha Beaded Prayer Mala Necklace to Rudraksha Wrist Mala Bracelet in the market. But seeing so many rudraksha accessories might spring up some questions like “What is Rudraksha?” and “How many beads are there in Rudraksha mala?”

Well, we are here to answer these very questions in this blog guide on Rudraksha Bead Mala. But before we get into the specific questions about the number of beads in a Rudraksha Mala, let’s get cover some general grounds first. 

What is Rudraksha?

Rudraksha is the dried seeds of a tree named Elaeocarpus Ganitrus. Now although the tree may not hold much significance, the seed itself does. This is because the name of this seed (which is later turned into beads for malas and accessories) is a combination of two distinct words. The first word is Rudra which as some of you may know is one of many names for the Lord of Lord Shiva in Hinduism. 

The second part of the name Aksha translates to Tears in the ancient Indo-European Language. When these two words are combined, they form the phrase Shiva tears of lord Shiva. The name itself came to form an amalgamation of many Hindu Myths that directly connects this seed with lord Shiva. 

Because of this close association with lord Shiva, this seed is said to provide its users with a ton of spiritual and meditative benefits. Naturally, some of these rudraksha benefits come from the name itself. This is because Hinduism and Buddhism, like many cultures, have a belief that there is power in names. 

Why should one wear Rudraksha Mala?

The reason for wearing rudraksha mala may vary depending on who you ask. Some may wear it for meditation, others purely for fashion. But regardless of whom you ask, they have their reasons. While we cannot cover all of the reasons here, the following is a list of some common ones. 

• Five-Faced Rudraksha help cultivate inner freedom and purity
• Two-faced Rudraksha seeds support marital relationships
• Six-faced Rudraksha seeds aid physical and mental development
• Gauri Shankar Rudraksha aids in balancing your life and enhancing prosperity

Now besides these specific reasons, all forms of rudraksha seeds mala protect its wearer from negative influences and grant the blessing of lord Shiva. 

Now the question is – 

How many beads in Rudraksha Mala are there?

There is no simple answer to this. The reason for this is that depending on your specific circumstances, it can have three general configurations. Additionally, the number of rudraksha in a Mala also depends on your compatibility. 

Regardless if you do not have any compatibility issues and just want to wear it normally, you can use rudraksha mala with any of the following numbers of beads. They are:

• 108 Rudraksha beads along with one Sumeru Beads
• 54 Rudraksha beads plus one Sumeru Beads
• 26 Rudraksha beads along with one Sumeru bead

Naturally, these beads are several rudraksha mala beads in a typical pure rudraksha beaded mala and wrist mala bracelet. If you have not noticed, the second and third number beads are for Rudraksha wrist mala bracelets, which are worn on the wrist. 

Alternatively, if you want to follow the verse on in the Hindu Text Simard Devi Bhagavatam, then the following are the specifics 

• 26 beads on the head
• 50 beads on the chest
• 16 beads on the arms
• 12 beads on the wrist. 

Therefore the number of beads in Rudraksha mala will depend a lot on your choice. That said, if you want to follow the Hindu Text, you may want to condition a new Rudraksha before wearing it. 

As a side note, if you do not want to follow any of these, you have the complete freedom to do so. 

How to condition Rudraksha Mala?

Conditioning is a must if you want to wear rudraksha beaded mala for religious purposes, and there is a very good reason behind this. But what is Conditioning? It is the process of declaring the rudraksha sacred through rituals and Tantric Mantras. The only problem with this is that there are very few people in the world that still know the pure tantric mantras required to condition rudraksha. Because of this, modern forms of conditioning require you to be a vegetarian and hold a vow of kindness once it is done. 

Besides the additional condition, the process itself is quite simple. For this, you will need to:

• Immerse the Rudraksha Beads in Ghee for 24 hours
• Soak them in full-fat milk for another 24 hours
• Wash it with water and wipe it with clean 

Once the conditioning is done, the color of the rudraksha beads will change slightly. After this, you are free to wear rudraksha mala as per your wish as long as you hold the vow. You do need to remember to repeat the conditioning every six months. 

These are the general things you should know about Rudraksha. But Besides these, another popular question that we often hear is – 

What are the different types of Rudraksha?

We will keep this one short as it deserves an article of its own. This is because there are twenty-one different types of Rudraksha, each with its unique traits depending on their faces. So, for now, we will just be listing the types of rudraksha and their ruling Gods. 

In addition to this different-faced rudraksha, you also have Gauri Shankar rudraksha as well. 

As each type of rudraksha has its ruling god, besides the general rudraksha benefits of keeping you under the grace of lord Shiva and aiding you in your control over emotions, the specifics of the rudraksha benefits vary. 

In the end,

Rudraksha Mala looks are among those religious and spiritual accessories that look simple but are not. On the surface, they look nothing more than just some seed-beaded mala necklace but if you study deeper, you go into a world filled with myths, gods, and their blessings. 

These myths and gods determine how many beads in rudraksha mala are there, how many rudrakshas to wear on the wrist, how many rudraksha beads to wear on the neck, how many Rudrakshas in a mala, and more.

We hope you found this helpful. And as always, thank you for reading till the end.

FAQ

Q: How many Rudrakshas in a mala?

A: The answer will depend on how you want to wear a Rudraksha Mala. If you want to wear it generally, then there should be 108 Rudrakshas with one Sumeru Bead/ Guru bead. If you want to follow the Hindu Texts, it should have 26 beads on the head mala and 50 beads on the chest mala. 

Q: How many rudrakshas to wear on the wrist?

A: If you want to wear rudraksha per the Hindu texts, you should have 12 beads on your wrist. However, if you wear it casually, the number of beads doesn’t matter. 

Q: How many beads are in rudraksha mala?

A: The typical number of beads in rudraksha mala is 108 beads with one Sumeru mala bead or guru bead. However, as per the texts, there should be

• 26 beads on the head
• 50 beads on the chest
• 16 beads on the arms
• 12 beads on the wrist.