पठ्यते मुनिभिः सर्वैर्मया पुत्र तथैव च । रुद्राक्षस्य फलं चैव त्रिषु लोकेषु विश्रुतम्
It is recited by all the sages, and by me as well, O son; and the fruit of rudrākṣa is renowned in all three worlds.
फलस्य दर्शने पुण्यं स्पर्शात्कोटिगुणं भवेत् । शतकोटिगुणं पुण्यं धारणाल्लभते नरः
By seeing its fruit, one gains merit; by touching it, the merit is a crore-fold; by wearing it, a man obtains a hundred crore-fold merit.
लक्षकोटिसहस्राणि लक्षकोटिशतानि च । जपाच्च लभते नित्यं नात्र कार्या विचारणा
By reciting, one attains hundreds of thousands of millions and hundreds of thousands of hundreds of millions, always; there is no need for deliberation about this.
हस्ते चोरसि कण्ठे च कर्णयोर्मस्तके तथा । रुद्राक्षं धारयेद्यस्तु स रुद्रो नात्र संशयः
Whoever wears Rudraksha on the hand, heart, neck, ears, or head, is Rudra; there is no doubt about this.
अवध्यः सर्वभूतानां रुद्रवद्धि चरेद्भुवि । सुराणामसुराणां च वन्दनीयो यथा शिवः
He is inviolable among all beings and acts on earth like Rudra; he is to be honored by gods and demons just as Shiva is.
रुद्राक्षधारी सततं वन्दनीयस्तथा नरैः । उच्छिष्टो वा विकर्मस्थो युक्तो वा सर्वपातकैः
The wearer of Rudraksha is always to be honored by people, even if he is impure, engaged in forbidden acts, or afflicted by all sins.
मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यो रुद्राक्षस्य तु धारणात् । कण्ठे रुद्राक्षमाबध्य श्वापि वा म्रियते यदि
By wearing Rudraksha, one is freed from all sins; even if a dog dies with Rudraksha tied around its neck,
सोऽपि मुक्तिमवाप्नोति किं पुनर्मानुषोऽपि सः । जपध्यानविहीनोऽपि रुद्राक्षं यदि धारयेत्
It too attains liberation—what then of a human? Even if lacking recitation or meditation, if one wears Rudraksha,
सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तः स याति परमां गतिम् । एकं वापि हि रुद्राक्षं कृत्वा यत्नेन धारयेत्
He is freed from all sins and attains the highest state; even if one wears a single Rudraksha with effort,
एकविंशतिमुद्धृत्य रुद्रलोके महीयते । अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि रुद्राक्षस्य पुनर्विधिम्
Having obtained twenty-one, he is honored in Rudra's realm; now I will further declare the procedure for Rudraksha.
रुद्राक्षमाहात्म्ये गुणनिधिमोक्षवर्णनम् ईश्वर उवाच महासेन कुशग्रन्थिपुत्राजीवादयः परे । रुद्राक्षस्य तु नैकोऽपि कलामर्हति षोडशीम्
On the greatness of Rudraksha: the description of its virtues and liberation. Ishvara said: Mahasena, Kushagranti, Putra, Ajiva, and others are superior, but none of them equals even a sixteenth part of Rudraksha.
पुरुषाणां यथा विष्णुर्ग्रहाणां च यथा रविः । नदीनां तु यथा गङ्गा मुनीनां कश्यपो यथा
As Vishnu is among men, as the Sun is among planets, as Ganga is among rivers, and as Kashyapa is among sages,
उच्चैःश्रवा यथाश्वानां देवानामीश्वरो यथा । देवीनां तु यथा गौरी तद्वच्छ्रेष्ठमिदं भवेत्
As Ucchaishravas is among horses, as Ishvara is among gods, and as Gauri is among goddesses, so too is this the best.
नातः परतरं स्तोत्रं नातः परतरं व्रतम् । अक्षय्येषु च दानेषु रुद्राक्षस्तु विशिष्यते
There is no hymn greater than this, nor any vow greater than this; among inexhaustible gifts, Rudraksha excels.
शिवभक्ताय शान्ताय दद्याद्रुद्राक्षमुत्तमम् । तस्य पुण्यफलस्यान्तं न चाहं वक्तुमुत्सहे
One should give the best Rudraksha to a peaceful devotee of Shiva; I am unable to describe the limit of the merit of that act.
धृतरुद्राक्षकण्ठाय यस्त्वन्नं सम्प्रयच्छति । त्रिसप्तकुलमुद्धृत्य रुद्रलोकं स गच्छति
Whoever gives food to one wearing Rudraksha on his neck lifts up three times seven generations and goes to Rudra's realm.
यस्य भाले विभूतिर्न नाङ्गे रुद्राक्षधारणम् । न शम्भोर्भवने पूजा स विप्रः श्वपचाधमः
A Brahmin whose forehead lacks sacred ash, whose body lacks Rudraksha, and who does not worship in Shiva's abode, is the lowest among outcasts.
खादन्मांसं पिबन्मद्यं सङ्गच्छन्नन्त्यजानपि । पातकेभ्यो विमुच्येत रुद्राक्षं शिरसि स्थिते
Even if eating meat, drinking liquor, or associating with outcasts, one is freed from sins if Rudraksha is placed on the head.
सर्वयज्ञतपोदानवेदाभ्यासैश्च यत्फलम् । तत्फलं लभते सद्यो रुद्राक्षस्य तु धारणात्
The fruit gained from all sacrifices, austerities, gifts, and study of the Vedas is instantly obtained by wearing Rudraksha.
वेदैश्चतुर्भिर्यत्पुण्यं पुराणपठनेन च । यत्तीर्थसेवनेनैव सर्वविद्यादिभिस्तथा
The merit gained from the four Vedas, from reading the Puranas, from visiting holy places, and from all knowledge and the like,
तत्पुण्यं लभते सद्यो रुद्राक्षस्य तु धारणात् । प्रयाणकाले रुद्राक्षं बन्धयित्वा म्रियेद्यदि
One immediately attains that merit simply by wearing a Rudraksha; if, at the time of death, one dies with a Rudraksha tied on—
स रुद्रत्वमवाप्नोति पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते । रुद्राक्षं धारयेत्कण्ठे बाह्वोर्वा म्रियते यदि
He attains the state of Rudra and is not subject to rebirth; if one dies wearing a Rudraksha on the neck or arms—
कुलैकविंशमुत्तार्य रुद्रलोके वसेन्नरः । ब्राह्मणो वापि चाण्डालो निर्गुणः सगुणोऽपि च
He lifts twenty-one generations of his lineage and dwells in the world of Rudra; whether a Brahmin or an outcaste, whether possessing or lacking qualities—
भस्मरुद्राक्षधारी यः स देवत्वं शिवं व्रजेत् । शुचिर्वाप्यशुचिर्वापि तथाभक्ष्यस्य भक्षकः
Whoever wears ashes and Rudraksha attains divinity and reaches Shiva; whether pure or impure, even if eating forbidden food—
म्लेच्छो वाप्यथ चाण्डालो युतो वा सर्वपातकैः । रुद्राक्षधारणादेव स रुद्रो नात्र संशयः
Whether a foreigner or an outcaste, even if joined with all sins, simply by wearing Rudraksha he becomes Rudra—there is no doubt about this.
शिरसा धारिते कोटिः कर्णयोर्दशकोटयः । शतकोटिर्गले बद्धो मूर्ध्नि कोटिसहस्रकम्
Worn on the head, it yields ten million merits; on the ears, one hundred million; tied at the throat, a billion; on the crown, a thousand million.
अयुतं चोपवीते तु लक्षकोटिर्भुजे स्थिते । मणिबन्धे तु रुद्राक्षो मोक्षसाधनकः परः
Ten thousand when worn as a sacred thread; a hundred billion when on the arm; and when Rudraksha is on the wrist, it is the supreme means to liberation.
रुद्राक्षधारको भूत्वा यत्किञ्चित्कर्म वैदिकम् । कुर्वन्विप्रः सदा भक्त्या महदाप्नोति तत्फलम्
A Brahmin who, wearing Rudraksha, performs any Vedic rite with devotion always attains the great fruit of that act.
रुद्राक्षमालिकां कण्ठे धारयेद्भक्तिवर्जितः । पापकर्मा तु यो नित्यं स मुक्तः सर्वबन्धनात्
Even one who wears a Rudraksha garland on the neck without devotion, and who always commits sinful acts, is freed from all bondage.
रुद्राक्षार्पितचेता यो रुद्राक्षस्तु न वै धृतः । असौ माहेश्वरो लोके नमस्यः स तु लिङ्गवत्
One whose mind is devoted to Rudraksha, even if not actually wearing it, is a Maheshvara in this world, worthy of reverence like the Shiva-linga.