Hey BG,

Rudraksha Mala's have so many meanings.  I have several in my car, I sleep with them, I chant Om Nama Shivia in Bed 108 times with my Rudraksha.  They offer protection and it is said that it is good for your health if you take a shower and drink from the beads.  However, you do not eat meat when wearing Rudraksha, take it off when you eat meat.

Satyam told me a story about Rudraksha.  When Shiva created Rudraksha, he created 3 of them with only 1 line, most Rudraksha's have 5 lines. One was for the Universe, one for Earth and one for himself.  The one line Rudraksha's are rare and only one is produced from each Rudraksha tree.  It is very lucky to find one of these and the person that does find it is a true Shiva Devotee.  However, if you do find the one line Rudraksha, you have to treat it properly by doing proper pooja, meditation and you have to hide it so no one can see it, or else it will disappear.  Only during MahaShivaratri and Big Special Shiva Poojas can you bring the one line Rudraksha out for everyone to see.

So, Rudraksha to me represents Shiva.  You can always tell a Shiva devotee by their wearing Rudraksha.

Om Nama Shivia

If I think of anything else interesting, I'll let you know.  I'm sure Neel has some interesting comments about Rudraksha too.  BTW, MahaShivaratri is coming soon this month, on the 26th. 

Not to disrespect your opinion Neelbhai, in my experience, you have to be careful gathering information on the internet, there's also a lot of crap and misinformation too....but mostly crap.

I've pretty much given up on the internet to find the *true* sources of information when I need to know something.  I'd rather ask a *real* live person. 

If you want temple or Hindu information, go to any *true* South Indian temple in your area.  They have priests there that will be happy to answer all of your questions.  They also have extensive library's with rows and rows of good books from other Swami's written in English and for very cheap!!  Some of my best books only cost me $2 but hardly ever more than $10.  If you want collector books, they cost more, but the information books are inexepensive.  Like Swami Sivananda books from the Divine Life Society puts their books in most temples.  So does, Swami Jyotrimayananda from Miami who runs the Yoga Research Foundation. 

Red Powder = Tika...Grey Powder = Vabuti.

A typical setting in a Shiva temple would be something like this but not limited to. When you are worshipping Parvathi, they have the Red Tika offered.  When you are worshipping Shiva, it is Vabuti... like I said, usually but not limited to.

In India there are so many different ways of operating the temples and they all have slightly different aspects.  What may be one way of doing something might be different from another and it is okay.  Since my husband is Nepali and comes from that Hindu Kingdom they have more traditional methods of worshipping that say in North or South India.  Some temples are more strict than others and some are more modern.  In Nepal they are very traditional and not so modern...although, it is changing gradually.

Actually DD, I am very web savvy...I've been doing the web long before it ever got popular and trendy.  In fact, there was a time when the internet was a totally different playing field, talk about the good ole' days....long gone.   There was a time you could do a search on the web just to get information and it was authentic.  It used to be a great tool. Now days, I'm sorry, 75% of the information is either crap and/or incomplete, or basically someone wanting to sell you something.  As for Wikepedia, I feel some of the information is okay, but then again, not complete. 

You cannot compare getting the correct information from a live source than from the internet where anything is posted as if it were true.  Don't get me wrong, I love browsing and surfing the net, I use it as a resource too, but I'm just saying that there is more than just what is on the net.  Don't forget human beings are the best resources for information.  That is coming from an "groovy" web savvy individual,   What I mean by that is a one on one direct conversation...which is better live but can be on the net too, if you know that person.  Like for instance, Neel is a great source for Indian culture and Vedanta Philosophy, I would have rather had him tell us something about Rudraksha, than make me search on the net...which I already know how to do.  Like DUH??  but, Oh well.

As for the leaflets in the temples and such, yea there are tons of information.  You wouldn't believe how many people have written about Buddhism and the false information out there, I agree.  But the ones I mentioned earlier from the temple are true blue authentic resources of information regarding Hinduism, Yoga and Vedanta Philosophy.

The sumeru you mentioned, in Tibetan Buddhism, my guru taught that it represented the head of Buddha or your guru.  Sometimes it is a knot, or sometimes it is a larger bead or the same size, but seperated from the mala itself, but yet connected as well.  It was also the starting point or the beginning as you stated, but never any rules about crossing it. See, that just proves that everyone has a different opinion. 

Anyway, just for your information, I am the last person to be paranoid and not trusting anyone...but I do know BS when I see it and that is something I don't care to dabble in. 

There are very many ways to use Mala beads.  The best way to use them is to use them the way you were taught...either by your guru or your guru parents. 

To further add to Neelbhai's story......Guru Gorakshanatha gave a Tarwal (sword) to the very first King of Nepal, Prithvi Narayan Shah.  He told the King that wherever he took this sword into battle, the land would be his.  Back during that time there was no such thing as Nepal and India like it is today...they were part of the same land, except I believe later the Nepalis area was called the Kingdom of Gorkha (that tidbit I got from the net ).  There were so many battles going on and everyone was fighting over the land and each other.  King Prithvi wanted to make one nation so that there would be peace, which was the purpose of that sword.

There are lots of stories on the internet about King Prithvi, but not about the sword and Guru Goraksha, that I could find, nor had I the time to go searching for it.  I got this information from my husband who is Nepali.  Besides, it was nicer to hear if from a native.  Satyam tells good stories about his culture.

So, if you want to learn more about the Royal Court of Nepal, here is the link to the *Official* web site.

http://www.nepalmonarchy.gov.np/index.html