I reproduce here a write-up that appeared recently in the Times of India (Bangalore, 20 November 2008). According to one Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev (I have no clue who this gentleman is!) as quoted by the article, “applying vibhuti in different points of the body can bring positive energy”. The article is reproduced here without any comment. Rather, the claims made in the article are so hilarious (even outrageous at times) that it does not require any comment!
Unfortunately, that is not the way it is seen by the believers. When I referred the article to a few of my “spiritually-inclined” friends, they animatedly described the spiritual powers of these holiest of holy items. Undoubtedly, these “benefits” are derived, according to them, from a mysterious play of some “positive” and “negative” energy.
Having read the TOI article and listened to my friends’ vociferous defense of Rudraksha’s magical powers, I turned to the Internet to get some scientific information on the benefits (if any) of Rudraksha. Even after an hour of google-search, I could not locate even a single web page giving scientific information on this magic berry. On the other hand there are thousand of web pages marketing Rudraksha beads online! The only write-up I could locate that even remotely approaches the subject on a scientific basis is a news report about a claim made by some ayurvedic researchers. Even the ever-expanding Wikipedia failed to be helpful in this regard.
I expect some of our readers may be able to throw some light on this bead. No, I don’t want to hear anything about its unexplained spiritual powers, but some factual botanical information on this berries.
So, here is the write-up:
Benefits of vibhuti & rudraksh
Vibhuti is a tool to enhance receptivity. When applied at different points of the body, especially points of higher receptivity, one receives positive energy.
Vibhuti is always taken with the ring finger, as that is the most sacred part of the body. Apply vibhuti to the following places for maximum benefit:
- Agna Chakra: Between the eyebrows to receive life as knowledge or wisdom.
- Vishuddi Chakra: Pit of the throat to enhance power.
- Anahata Chakra: Center of chest, where the ribcage meets to receive life as love.
- Just behind the earlobe is a solid bone which runs into a crevice. If one follows that crevice one can find a dimple where a little vibhuti can be applied.
- Men can apply a little bit of Vibhuti one their right big toe, while women should apply it one their left big toe.
Another powerful tool to enhance one’s well-being is Rudraksh, the seed of a tree that primarily grows in the mountains. Rudraksh has a very unique vibration about itself and is won for different purposes.
Rudraksh cleanses a certain amount of the aura. It can vary from pitch-black to pure white, depending on the person’s physical and mental health. The aura is the reflection of who one really is. If one goes to a new place where the vibrations are completely different, the body many not be able to settle down. Wearing Rudraksh cocoons one in one’s own energies, preventing external energies from disturbing. There are a variety of Rudraksh available, each for a different purpose. Ekamukhi or single-faced Rudraksh is for power. However, it is not advisable to wear it without proper guidance. Dwimukhi or two faced is for wealth, while Panchamukhi or five-
faced is for well-being. Panchamukhi can be worn by everyone, irrespective of age or gender. Apart from improving genral well-being, it is also reduces blood pressure and keeps the body calm and alert. Shanmukhi or six-faced Rudraksh is good for children as it attracts motherly love.
Editor’s Note: A few additional facts about this business of Rudraksh. A single seed from the fruit can cost upto Rs. 40,000. There are over 300 different species of trees from the Elaeocarpus genus that are farmed to harvest these berries. The import trade from Indonesia alone amounts to Rs. 3 billion a year, and another Rs. 2 billion worth of seeds comes from Nepal. And we wonder why 456 million Indians are living below the poverty line.
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m sorry i object,i don thing u have got ur perception right (ad hominem attack removed)..
i have recently started using a rudraksha and hav visibly c its benifits it is very subtle but it dosnt mean it does not exists and ur right rudraksha has sum wat become a business many fakes are there n they are largely marketed here and else where …. but rudraksha the originals definitely have benefits and as u have printed above…
abt the vibuthi… vibuthi has both mental and physical well being it has been experienced my many not yet by me
Since Ajita has given a proper response (Had I not read his response, I would have repeated it almost verbatim!) to SR, I need not give an exhausitive reply here.
A belief does not become right just because people hold on to it for thousands of years. To cite an oft-repeated example, people believed (some still do!) in a flat earth for thousands of years, but it was not right. The brahmins believed in their divine superiority for thousands of years; to have a proper response to this claim, find a militant Dalit activist.
Sure, google is not the only or the ultimate source of information.
Can SR provide an authentic source of scientific (experimentally proven) information on the mysterious properties of his favorite berry? No dowsing business please!
Manoj
Manoj,
Thank you for incuding a very helpful summary on the benefits of Rudraksha particularly the section on Vibhuti and how/where to apply it. However, your article and research to me appears haphazard. You have apprently researched (an exhaustive, one hour Google query) regarding the scientific information on Rudraksha. And you mention Sadghuru and have no idea who he is…why not do another Google investigation?
Some things cannot be explained by science. Life itself cannot be explained by science. But there are certain truths. Rudraksha have been appreciated for thousands of years, used by countless sages and yogis. Certainly there must be a reason behind this and not just some modern-marketing gimmick? The same applies for Vibhuti really, it has been used for countless years, perhaps there is a reason, no?
You can conduct a simple experiment with a Rudraksha necklace. Certain foods have negative, positive and neutral prana. If you don’t know what prana is you can Google that too. Onions and garlic for example are known to have negative prana meaning it tends to have a draining effect on one’s energy. Fresh fruit (especially lemon/lime) typically emit positive energy, which benefits one’s prana. Suspend the necklace just a few inches over each of these foods by gently holding the end string or just one of the beads. Do not move your arm, you can cradle it to make sure it is not interfering with what will happen (if the Rudraksha has been properly energized by the way). You should notice that the beads will swing clockwise for poitive prana, counterclockwise for negative prana and a straight line for neutral pranic foods.
Can science explain this? Maybe, maybe not? Yogis have used this particular benefit for countless years. It is helpful because oftentimes they receive food from begging and do not know what went in to it. This is a way of letting them know its pranic capacity. This is just one of the many benefits of the beads but one that is “observable”.
“Some things cannot be explained by science. Life itself cannot be explained by science.”
This is completely false. Perhaps the “why not do another Google investigation?” statement can be thrown back here, but that would not be sufficient simply in light of the vast amount of scientific information explaining life. If you have other things that science cannot answer that your form of magic can, please state them.
“Rudraksha have been appreciated for thousands of years, used by countless sages and yogis. Certainly there must be a reason behind this and not just some modern-marketing gimmick?”
Certainly. It’s not a modern marketing gimmick, it’s an ancient one. This form of argument, the argument from popularity, is laughable. The ability of large masses of humans to believe in fantasy has been documented time and again. Please listen to some of V.S. Ramachandran’s lectures.
The entire concept of “Prana” is hogwash and not supported by any evidence. But let me side-step that distraction to address your “experiment”.
What you have described is called pendulum dowsing. It is caused by subconscious ideomotor responses. If you searched in the scientific literature you will find a simple and well-established explanation for this phenomenon. Instead of going through it with you here, let me simply point to a source: http://www.psychicscience.org/dows1.aspx
Now, the experiment itself that you suggest is completely non-scientific (shows how little you understand science). For the experiment to be scientifically rigid, the person doing the experiment should not know what is supposed to happen. Also, there needs to be a statistically significant sample size, but let’s ignore that for now. I suggest readers to find someone who has not heard about this con and tell them to expect the exact opposite. i.e., tell them that that fruit (lemons) will elicit a counter-clockwise turning and vice-versa for garlic.
The swinging has nothing to do with these “beads” which are simply the seeds of a tree and nothing more, or the foods. People throughout the ages have conned others using the ideomotor effect. It is found in all cultures is different forms. It is a powerful con because the victims have no idea about the science behind it. These cons have been used for centuries and organized cons turn into mass delusions, like in the case of the rudraksha beads and vibhuti.
well swami dayananda saraswati founder of arya samaj said that rudraksha is dry seed of tree. it has no healing power. why nobody challenge it according to drug and magic (objectionable advertisement)act 1954
Manoj,
Well said. Claims are too funny. This comedy writes itself.
Next time some one argues about Rudraksh, I will present him these statistics.
H A