Shloka 27
रुद्राक्ष-माहात्म्य
Rudrākṣa Māhātmya — The Greatness of Rudraksha
त्रिभिः शतैः षष्टियुक्तैस्त्रिरावृत्त्या तथा पुनः । रुद्रा क्षैरुपवीतं व निर्मीयाद्भक्तितत्परः
tribhiḥ śataiḥ ṣaṣṭiyuktaistrirāvṛttyā tathā punaḥ | rudrā kṣairupavītaṃ va nirmīyādbhaktitatparaḥ
A devotee intent on bhakti should fashion the sacred thread (upavīta) from Rudrākṣa beads—using three hundred and sixty beads—arranged in three rounds, as a triple strand, according to the rule.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Significance: Rudrākṣa-upavīta functions as a continual vow-sign (vrata-cihna), aligning daily conduct with Śiva-dharma and supporting liberation-oriented discipline.
FAQs
It elevates Rudrākṣa from ornament to sacrament: wearing a Rudrākṣa upavīta with devotion is presented as an outer sign of inner surrender to Pati (Śiva), supporting purity of conduct and steady bhakti that leads toward liberation.
Rudrākṣa is a Shaiva emblem used while performing Saguna worship—especially Linga-pūjā—so the devotee’s body becomes aligned with Shiva’s symbols, reinforcing remembrance (smaraṇa) and ritual eligibility during offerings, japa, and worship.
It prescribes making/wearing a Rudrākṣa-bead sacred thread (upavīta) with a specific count and triple arrangement, to be used alongside bhakti practices such as Shiva japa (e.g., the Pañcākṣarī) and regular pūjā.