THAT'S A PECULIAR NAME FOR A TREE, RUDRAKSHA. IT SOUNDS EXOTIC. WHERE DOES IT GROW?

The rudraksha tree grows in Indonesia, India, China, Nepal the Solomon Islands, Mariana Islands, Guam, Rota, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii.(1)

WHAT DO BATS LIKE ABOUT THE RUDRAKSHA TREE?

Mariannas flying foxes like to eat the iridescent blue berries as do species of flying foxes in India and the Himalayas. (2) By dropping the seeds the bats help to plant rudraksha trees.

A quartet of rudraksha tree planters

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE UNIQUE ABOUT THE RUDRAKSHA TREE BESIDES ITS IRIDESCENT BLUE BERRIES?

For thousands of years the tree has been very important wherever the religion of Hinduism is practiced. The seeds of the rudraksha tree have great power for Hindus including many health and economic benefits and the removal of sins.

The seeds of the rudraksha tree fruit are believed to be the tears of Lord Shiva, one of the major Hindu gods. Rudra means Shiva and aksha means eye. There are many stories that explain the connection between Lord Shiva and rudraksha beads. One story is that Lord Shiva meditated for 1000 years and woke to see that the societies of human beings were in a deplorable state. Lord Shiva wept. His tears fell to the ground in the form of rudraksha seeds. (1)

ARE THERE OTHER USES FOR THE RUDRAKSHA TREE BESIDES PRODUCING THESE POWERFUL SEEDS?

Yes. The white wood from the tree is used for lumber. It is prized because it has a good strength-to-weight ratio. Rudraksha wood has been used to make airplane propellors which obviously have to be both light and strong.(1)

In the Solomon Islands, the timber of the rudraksha tree is used by humans.(3) Also in the Solomon Islands the living trees are used as roosting sites by the Marianas flying foxes.(4)

Eating rudraksha fruit pulp helps to cure mental illness and epilepsy. The ground up seeds stirred into water will cure common colds and reduce high blood pressure.(1)

There are many other curative powers in the fruit pulp and powdered seeds but none surpass the benefits provided by wearing rudraksha beads.

These beads can:

THE WAY I SEE IT THEN IS THAT BATS HELP THE HINDUS OF THE WORLD HAVE A SYMBOLIC OBJECT THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM.

That is correct. The Hindu religion is followed by over 800 million people in the world. It is only surpassed in followers by Christianity and Islam.(6) Even if you are a Hindu that sins, even if you are a Hindu who has a weak faith, rudraksha beads can be of benefit to you.

You apparently do not have to be a Hindu to benefit from association with rudraksha beads. However, you must follow strict guidelines for the use and care of the beads. You must also be very certain that you purchase authentic beads which have been been subjected to strict preparatory procedures.

BUT SURELY THE RUDRAKSHA BEAD INDUSTRY DOESN'T EMPLOY A LOT OF PEOPLE? RUDRAKSHA SEED-PLANTING BATS AREN'T HELPING MANY PEOPLE GET WORK, ARE THEY?

There is definitely employment for many people in the rudraksha bead industry. Demand for the beads is immense. There are about 800 sites on the internet for rudraksha bead sales.

All the seeds have to be collected from where they fall to the ground. The seeds have to be cleaned. The quality of each seed and therefore its value has to be determined. Many of the less powerful seeds are strung into rosaries. Each of those activities means employment and income for human beings.

I THINK I COULD DEFINITELY BENEFIT BY HAVING A RUDRAKSHA BEAD ROSARY OR EVEN JUST A BEAD OR TWO.

Apparently you must be very careful in your purchase of rudraksha beads. Not every seed inside an iridescent blue fruit will be a powerful rudraksha bead. It must also be suited to you astrologically.(7)

If you want the very best, most effective rudraksha beads, be prepared to pay handsomely for them. Superior, highly powerful beads can cost up to $1000 or about £500 pounds apiece. If you find cheap beads, you may be buying a collection of powerless seeds.(7) Very pretty though, interesting historically and botanically, and planted by bats.

References:

(1)Hinduism Today, Insight, Tulsi and Rudraksha, Can a Tree Be Sacred?; http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=4812
(2)Fujita, M.S. 1991. Flying Fox (Chiroptera:Pteropodidae) Pollination, Seed Dispersal, and Economic Importance: A Tabular Summary of Current Knowledge, Resource Publication No. 2, Bat Conservation International
(3)Solomon Islands: Country Report to the FAO International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources. Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. April 1996; http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPS/Pgrfa/pdf/solomoni.pdf
(4)Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants, Proposed Reclassification from Endangered to Threatened Status for the Mariana Fruit Bat from Guam and Proposed Status for the Mariana Fruit Bat from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federal Register, Environmental Documents http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-SPECIES/1998/March/Day-26/e7836.htm
(5)S.R. Dharma Deva Arya, Rudraksha Beads for Health and Self-Empowerment; http://www.byregion.net/articles-healers/rudraksabeads.html
(6) Hinduism, The World's Third Largest Religion; http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm
(7) Which Rudraksha is best for me . . .; http://www.rudraksha.co.uk/varieties.html

Text and illustrations by ML Alley-Crosby.
This is an educational, non-profit website.

January 2010
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March 2006