RUDRAKSHA TREE

My former student, Sharveen, got a ride from me to go to school this morning as he was invited to Prize Giving Day of our school.  Sharveen scored 5As for the 2009 SPM and was invited back to school to receive a prize.  While I was driving him to school, he commented that the Rudraksha beads that I had hanging in the car were fake.  After the ceremony in school, Sharveen brought me to a shop selling the real Rudraksha beads.  He is holding a strand of 54 prayer beads.

VERSI BAHASA MELAYU

Bekas pelajar saya, Sharveen, menumpang kereta saya ke sekolah pagi ini kerana beliau dijemput menghadiri Hari Anugerah di sekolah.  Sharveen mendapat 5A dalam peperiksaan SPM 2009 dan dijemput balik ke sekolah untuk menerima anugerah.  Semasa dalam kereta saya, Sharveen menyatakan bahawa manik Rudraksha ayg saya mengantung di kereta adalah palsu.  Selepas upacara di sekolah, Sharveen membawa saya ke satu kedai yang menjual manik Rudraksha yang original.  Di gambar di atas, Sharveen memegang manik rantai yang mengandungi 54 biji manik sembahyang.

I am holding a longer strand of Rudraksha beads whichs is made up of more than a 100 beads. 

Saya memegang rantai Rudraksha yang mengandungi 100 biji manik. 

The prayer beads comes in different sizes and lengths.

Saiz dan panjang manik sembahyang ini berbeza. 

Rudraksha beads are known as Tears of Lord Siva.  They are the original Vedic beads worn by the Yogis of India and the Himalayas for thousands of years to maintain health and gain self-empowement.    The Rudraksha beads are actually the seeds from the fruit of the Rudraksha tree. 

I learnt about these wonderful beads last year and was trying to find out where to find such a tree.  By coincidence, Sharveen saw the fake beads that I bought and he showed me where to buy the real ones.  When I asked him if he knew where to find such a tree, he said that it could be found at an ashram in Sitiawan.  Of course, I made him take me to the place after I bought the prayer beads.

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Manik Rudraksha dikenali sebagai Air Mata Lord Siva.  Mereka ini merupakan manik Veda yang asalnya dipakai oleh Yogi-yogi India di Himalaya selama beribu-ribu tahun untuk mengekalkan kesihatan dan untuk mendapat kekuatan diri.  Manik Rudraksha adalah biji-biji buah pokok Rudraksha. 

Saya mempelajari tentang manik yang hebat ini tahun lepas dan giat mencari dimana boleh menjumpai pokok ini.  Secara kebetulan, Sharveen yang nampak manik tiruan saya di kereta menunjukkan tempat untuk membeli manik yang sebenar.  Bila saya menanya dia di mana tumbuhnya pokok ini, Sharveen memberitahu yang pokok ini tumbuh di satu ashram di Sitiawan.  Selepas membeli rantai manik sembahyang, Sharveen menunjukkan saya di mana ashram itu.

Here is the Rudraksha tree which is planted in front of the Sanathana Dharma Ashram in Sitiawan.  As a matter of fact, they have 3 Rudraksha trees in the compound. The founder of the Ashram told me that they got the seedlings of the tree from Hawaii. The children of the Ashram would pick the fruits and process them to be sold.  This is one of the activities carried out by the children.  I heard that the beads would be sold during religious Hindu festivals.  The beads available are the Four Face and Five Face ones.

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Inilah pokok Rudraksha yang ditanam di depan Sanathana Dharma Ashram di Sitiawan.  Sebenarnya ada 3 pohon pokok Rudraksha di sana.  Pengasas Ashram memberitahu saya beliau mendapat biji benih pokok ini dari Hawaii.  Budak-budak di Ashram akan mengumpul buah dan prosesnya untuk dijual.  Ini adalah satu aktiviti yang dijalankan oleh budak-budak di sana.  Saya difahamkan bahawa manik-manik Rudraksha akan di jual semasa perayaan Hindu.  Manik-manik yang dijual ada 4 Muka dan 5 Muka.

Common names:  Rudraksha
Scientific name: Elaeocarpus ganitrus
Family: Elaeocarpaceae
Genus: Elaeocarpus
Species: E. ganitrus

Information:
Rudraksha Mala has been used by Hindus (as well as Sikhs and Buddhists) as rosary for thousands of years for meditation purposes to sanctify the mind, body and soul. The word Rudraksha is derived from Rudra (Shiva—the Hindu God of all living creatures) and aksha (eyes). One Hindu legend says that once Lord Shiva opened his eyes after a long time dyana or yoga, because of extreme fulfillment he shed out tear. This single tear from Shiva’s eye grew into the Rudraksha tree. Rudraksha fruit is blue in color but turns black when dried. The central hard Rudraksha uni-seed has 1 to 108 faces and 2 to 21 faces Rudraksha are available, 1 faced Rudraksha is scarcely available, Rudraksha having 22 to 108 are almost extinct, there are people sayings that 22 to 108 faced Rudrakshas plants are still there at the foot hills of Himalayas and Manasa-sarover regions, but still no one has seen them.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudraksha