Those familiar with the Indian tradition will generally have heard of or seen images of Shiva, the god of tantra par excellence. Shiva is depicted wearing chains of dark beads around his neck, arms, and ankles. These are rudraksha beads, which have a special meaning in Hindu tantra.
When we study the history of Shiva and Shakti, his consort and goddess of traditional tantra, several fascinating stories emerge. One of them is that Shiva, who is also the Destroyer, took the incarnation of Kali and defeated various demons.
Mythology tells us that he beheaded the vanquished demons and allowed their heads to dry up and wither, after which he adorned himself with them. The rudraksha beads worn by devotees of Shiva represent these heads of defeated demons.
How is this meaningful to someone who is learning tantra? In fact, there is great relevance in wearing rudraksha beads if one is aware of what they represent. Your tantra teacher will inform you that in order to follow this ancient science of life and love, you must certainly overcome some demons in life, just as Shiva had done.
These demons are jealousy, selfishness, hatred, dishonesty, intolerance, misogyny, and the other negative traits that contaminate an uneducated human life.
When you progress in your study of ancient tantra with a gifted tantra teacher, you will be confronted with these negative traits within you over and over again. The specific tantra instructions and rituals you will be introduced to will help you gradually shed these traits and evolve into a higher, spiritually realized person.
At this stage, you will be able to wear a string of rudraksha beads with pride, as you have defeated the demons that were hindering your spiritual progress.
These beads have several other mystical properties: they are said to lower blood pressure, act as a detoxifying agent, and have the ability to cleanse and focus the mind. That is why they are also of great help in tantra meditation. However, the benefits of wearing the traditional Shiva adornment can only come when one’s mind has responded to them with understanding and one’s actions correspond to their symbolism.
As a traditional tantric teacher, I am strongly against my students wearing such ornaments without fully understanding what they represent. The fact is that wearing rudrakshas symbolizes the fact that one has overcome base desires and urges and is committed to the study and application of Truth. Let no one disparage Shiva’s victory over evil with idle symbolism, because his battle must also be ours.