Posted by admin | Posted in Rudraksh | Posted on 09-04-2018
Tags: Elaeocarpus sphaericus, ostrem bead, rudraksah
Elaeocarpus sphaericus
[el-lee-oh-KAR-pus SFAY-rik-us]
(Syn: Elaeocarpus ganitrus)
Family: Elaeocarpaceae
Names: Rudraksah (Sanskri), Utrasum-bead tree, Rudraki, Rudraks (Hindu), Rudraksa, Rudraksam, Ruttiratcam, Rudraksi.
Description: Rudraksha trees are mostly found in South Eastern Asian Islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Bali, Iran, Java, Timor (Indonesia) and parts of South Asian Kingdom of Nepal. The Rudrakasha trees are very tall and bear small white colored sweet smelling flowers on blooming in the rainy season. These flowers turn into black berry like fruits, which yield brownish red colored Rudrakasha seeds on maturing. These seeds have sutures running throughout their diameter determining their type. A medium sized evergreen tree with a spreading handsome crown; leaves simple, oblong-lanceolate, sub-entire, or irregularly crenate, decurrent into the petiole. glabrous, acute or acuminate; flowers white, in dense racemes in old leafaxils, stamens about 40 in groups, opposite each petal, anthers linear, one valve tipped at the apex with a small tuft of glistening hairs.
| Cultivation: Rudra Bhandar, started the promotion of holy Rudraksha tree for those who want to grow the tree in their home garden. Although it does not require any special climatic condition to grow, it depends on the nature of soil and care during first few months of sprouting the seeds of Rudraksha. After planting this holy tree around the house, it removes evil eye and sins of the housing environment. Because of its evergreen nature, it brings cool environment around the surrounding. Rudraksha tree can be grown by soiling the special beads as well as by planting small plant directly. When Rudraksha beads are soiled it takes around one year for it to sprout to a plant. Not all the beads that you are getting have the quality to sprout into plant, so to overcome this difficulty we supply the healthy selected beads for planting.
Rudraksha can be grown in tropical and subtropical climatic condition. During the few years when the plant just sprouted or when small plant is planted it requires very special care with daily watering to the plant, shelter from cold, direct sun light and from insect bites. After five to seven years, it starts giving rise to Rudraksha beads of different faces in the same tree. The most usual causes of failures for growing Rudraksha tree is with quality of seed or sowing too deeply. Another common cause is watering. Seeds need a supply of moisture and air in the soil around them. Most seeds will of course only germinate between certain temperatures. These are the care to be taken for plantation of seeds of Rudraksha. |
History: Rudraksha meaning—the eye of Rudra [Shiva] is considered to be the most potent manifestation of the Cosmic Force. Hence Rudraksha is the object of veneration and also the source to reach the higher self. Rudraksha is often believed to symbolize the link between the earth and the heaven. These beads are the seeds of the Rudraksha fruit obtained from Rudraksha trees.
The ustram bead tree gains its Western name from its fruit, hard kernels which are dried and strung into rosaries by flowers of the god of the Hindu trinity, Siva the Destroyer. Ustram bead necklaces are also treasured by other Indians, who wear them to regulate the blood pressure and to tranquilize the mind against nervous disorders. When dried, the ustram bead is about the size of a marble with brainlike configurations which are commonly referred to as its “faces.” Worth its own weight in gold, a bead’s value is determined not only by its size but by the number of faces with which Nature has endowed it, from the rare single-faced bead representing the One Reality treasured by temples, through twenty-one faces symbolic of various philosophical concepts, to the fused or double bead symbolizing infinity, which is set in gold, emerald, and rubies. The ascetic followers of Siva have given the bead his name, the rudraksha. Rudra is another name for Siva, and his devotees believe the rudraksha bead is the tear of rage which fell from Rudra’s eye as he beheld the effrontery of mankind. Legend says the Destroyer wept when he witnessed the towering metropolis or “triple city” created by man’s superbly ambitious technology. In its arrogance, this magnificent human creation had undermined the balance between the earth, the atmosphere, and the sky. Then, according to The Mahabharata, having shed the implacable tear which turned into an ustram bead, “The Lord of the Universe…unleashed his arrows at the triple city…for the welfare of creation.”
It is evident from the ancient Holy Scriptures that the beads of Rudrakasha have immense amazing powers. They are considered to be associated with the eyes or the tears of lord Shiva. These beads are said to be a gift from the Almighty to his children. These beads help the people world wide in relieving their sins, pains and sufferings. Recent scientific researches indicate the magnetic and electrical powers of this vegetable matter obtained from the Rudrakasha tree. The researches have proved that these beads really have the ability to affect neuro physiology of human beings.
Rudraksah Beads have been used for thousands of years as an aid to Self Empowerment and the Self Enlightenment. It has been shown that Rudraksha Beads have electromagnetic properties and that they affect the Human Body when worn. In addition to this, scientific researches have found that the different faces or Mukhis found on the different Beads have different electromagnetic qualities. Therefore these beads affect the Human Neuro physiology in different life supporting ways. Scientifically the Rudrakasha beads are Dielectrical as they store electrical energy and also possess permanent Magnetic properties changing with the variation in the number of faces on the beads. Rudrakasha seeds are dynamically polar and also posses Electromagnetic, Paramagnetic and Diamagnetic properties. Due the Electromagnetic properties the Rudrakasha beads have anti ageing factors also. Though the fact of Rudraksha bead of vegetable matter having electromagnetic property is still unrevealed but their power of curing body ailments cannot be denied. It is indicated that the dielectric and magnetic properties of the Rudraksha seeds impart positive changes in the bioelectrical system of the human body in a life-supporting manner. As a result of this electrical makeup of our body changes.
As Bioelectrical and Biochemical actions and reactions organize in the body at higher levels of interaction another change is then initiated in our Bio Mechanical System and the Sacred Trinity of Body Systems are in Union with one another. Many scientists have described the beneficial powers of a Rudraksha by virtue of its Electrical and Magnetic properties that affect our Central Nervous System, Autonomic, Sympathetic and Para Sympathetic Nervous Systems and various other Organ Systems. Group of Scientists proved that wearing Rudraksha controlled heartbeat and had a positive effect on Blood Pressure, Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Palpitations and Lack of Concentration. Some statements also indicate that persons wearing certain Rudraksha also posses an anti ageing property. The electromagnetic powers of a Rudraksha bead vary from single mukhi to a 15 mukhi Rudraksha. Persons can wear Rudrakasha of a single kind of mukhi or that of a combination of different types of mukhis. Prof. Roy says, “that normally within 45 days you can start feeling the positive change. In 90 days you can feel much better. Thereafter it will work continuously giving benefits”. When asked Can Rudraksha cause harm? His answer was “No it cannot”. He states that all beads are not recommended for those below 8 years of age. Additional Knowledge can be added to these statements with rules from the Devi Bhagwat stating “The mentioned rules of wearing Rudraksha of different colors by different persons are not compulsory”. And Ladies are allowed to wear Rudraksha.
Constituents: Rudraksha beads are composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and some trace elements in combined form. The percentage composition of these gaseous elements was determined by C-H-N Analyzer and by Gas chromatography. These beads consist of 50.031 % carbon, 0.95% nitrogen, 17.897% hydrogen and 30.53% oxygen.
Properties: Cardiostimulant, hypotensive, sedative, anticonvolusions, spasmolytic, choleretic and bronchodialatory (fruit); stimulates the central nervous system and hypoglycemic (stem bark).
Medicinal Uses: Considered a major stress reliever, reducing circulatory problems, clinical research of its medicinal properties has not been possible because of its cost. The fruits are sour, thermogenic, appetiser and sedative, and are “useful in cough” bronchitis, neuralgia, cephalalgia, anorexia, epileptic fits, manic conditions and other brain disorders, and vitiated conditions of kapha and vata. The fruit stone (seed kernel) is sweet. cooling, emollient cerebral sedative, expectorant, liver tonic and febrifuge, and is useful in epileptic fits, melancholia, manic conditions, mental disorders, convulsions, insomnia, cephalalgia. hepatopathy, hypertension, bronchitis, fever and vitiated conditions of kapha and vata.
Elaeocarpus sphaericus fruits are used in Ayurveda for mental diseases, epilepsy, asthma, hypertension, arthritis and liver diseases.
Other Uses: The mature dried seeds from the fruits of these trees are used to make rosaries and necklaces for prayer and meditation mainly used by Hindus and Buddhists. The wood from the rudraksha tree are used for timber in building work, light construction, carpentry, joinery, wood ware, furniture, veneer, boats, light wood based artifacts, plywood and sometimes in plane propellers.
References:
The Garden of Life, Naveen Patnaik, Doubleday, 1993; ISBN: 0-385-2469-8
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