Everything in this universe is throbbing with energy which is why all the things that surround us, reverberates with some life force, be it a tree, stone, flower, waterbody, a mountain, an animal or a human being. These reverberations in the form of energy play a vital role in creating particular vibrations which can help us in leading a more spiritual life, a more satisfying life, a more intense life.

In a similar way, Rudraksha is also a manifestation of a particular kind of energy that creates certain vibrations which can work wonders. The term Rudraksha can be divided into two halves where, Rudra means Shiva and Aksha means tears, thus the name Shiva’s tears. It is said that Lord Shiva went into a deep transcendental meditative state with an aim to create well being of all creatures on the planet. Once he opened his eyes, tears of ecstasy poured down and fell on the planet to become the seeds that grew into Rudraksha trees.

The scientific name of the Rudraksha tree is Elaeocarpus ganitrus roxb, and they grow at a certain altitude, not too high and not too low, in the Himalayan region. They also grow in other places of the world, like Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Nepal, New Guinea, and Hawaii. Interestingly, 35 out of the 300 different species of this plant are found in India itself!

The seed of this tree, also called Rudraksha, are of different varieties, depending on how many faces or clefts or Mukhis it has on its surface. Rudraksha ranging from one Mukhi (1-faced) to as many as fourteen Mukhis (14-faced) are present, each one resonating with a design of frequency which is quite unique on its own.

Even within western astrology, there is a considerable diversity of methods and philosophies. Some divide astrology by the end result that is intended :

A very peculiar Rudraksha known as Gauri-Shankar is one of its kind and is a result of the formation of two naturally combined Rudrakshas. Furthermore, each type of Rudraksha is very distinctive on its own, in terms of which ruling planet it belongs to, which God it represents and what Beej mantra is it associated with? Each Rudraksha is connected to a particular planet, and the effects of the particular Rudraksha can be helpful in either strengthening a planet or nullifying its ill effects.

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