Rudraksha originates from the Sanskrit word rud or rodden, meaning "cry" or "crying", and akshu meaning "tears". Rudraksha literally means " the tears of Rudra".
A rudraksha bead is the dried fruit of the rudraksha tree. These beads are strung into rosaries worn by devotees of Shiva. Every rudraksha bead has "faces" (facets) which differ in number. A bead may have just one or upto 21 faces. Each number has its own connotation. For example, a rudraksha with one face is the rarest kind. It has three symbols of Shiva naturally engraved on it: his trishul, the phallus or linga , and the sarpa or serpent. By wearing this bead, one is forgiven even the murder of a Brahmin, one of the five deadly sins or Panchapataka. Other rare rudraksha beads are those with 11 faces, 14 faces and 21 faces. The two-faced rudraksha represents Shiva as Ardhanarishvara and is supposed to be worn by all Shaivas. By wearing this bead, one is forgiven sins committed knowingly and unknowingly. Some people believe that wearing the rudraksha is good for controlling one"s blood pressure.
It is also believed that wearing the rudraksha distracts the evil eye, and that if a person is wearing a rudraksha rosary when he dies, she or he is spared further rebirth. According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana, just looking at or touching a rudraksha brings good luck.
However, one must be careful because imitation rudraksha beads are commonly available. There are said to be several ways to test the authenticity of a rudraksha. It is believed that if a genuine rudraksha is placed in unboiled milk, it will not spoil even after several days. It is also believed that a true rudraksha will not sink if placed in milk or water. These tests do not have scientific backing and are therefore not always considered to be real tests. Only experts can unquestionably certify the genuineness of a rudraksha bead.
There is a story in the Devi Bhagavata Purana about the origin of the rudraksha. Once there lived a demon king named Tripura. He defeated the gods and established himself as their king. Since he was a demon, the gods were not happy. In desperation, they sought the help of Shiva. Considering a solution, he sat with his eyes open for 1,000 divine years. After that, he blinked and tears fell from his eyes. The rudraksha tree grew from these tears.
According to the Shiva Purana, Shiva narrated the story of the origin of the rudraksha to Parvati. As his story goes, he did penance for 1,000 years. Tired of keeping his eyes closed for so long, Shiva opened them. A few tear drops fell to the ground and from these tears, the rudraksha tree was born. The seeds of the tree were distributed on the earth and in keeping with his wishes, bore different coloured fruit for the four castes: white for the Brahmin; red for theKshatriya; yellow for the Vaishya; and black for the Shudra.
The Brihajjabala Upanishad states that Rudra opened his third eye with the purpose of destroying the world. When he closed it, a tear drop fell and became the rudraksha tree.
In India, the rudraksha tree is found in Bihar, Bengal, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. It grows to a height of about six feet and has white flowers.