व्यास उवाच- सर्वेषामेव भूतानां रुद्राक्षेण युतो वरः। दर्शनाद्यस्य लोकानां पापराशिः प्रलीयते
Vyasa said: For all beings, the best is one adorned with rudraksha; by his mere sight, the mass of sins of the worlds is dissolved.
स्पर्शनाद्दिवमश्नाति धाराणाद्रौद्रतां व्रजेत्। शिरस्युरसि बाहौ च रुद्राक्षं धारयेत्तु यः
By touching, he attains heaven; by wearing, he attains the state of Rudra. Whoever wears rudraksha on the head, chest, or arms.
स चेशानसमो लोके मखे सर्वत्र गोचरः। यत्र तिष्ठत्यसौ विप्रस्स देशः पुण्यवान्भवेत्
He, who is equal to Īśāna and present everywhere in the world and in sacrifices—wherever such a brāhmaṇa resides, that place becomes holy.
तं दृष्ट्वाप्यथवा स्पृष्ट्वा नरः पूयेत कल्मषात्। यज्जप्यं तर्पणं दानं स्नानमर्चा प्रदक्षिणम्
By merely seeing or touching him, a man is purified from sin; whatever recitation, offering, gift, bathing, worship, or circumambulation is performed—
यत्किंचित्कुरुते पुण्यं निखिलं तदनंतकम्। तीर्थानां च महत्तीर्थं रुद्राक्षस्य फलं द्विजाः
Any meritorious act he does, however small, becomes infinite in result; and, O twice-born, the fruit of Rudrākṣa surpasses even the greatest of sacred places.
अस्यैव धारणाद्देही पापात्पूतोऽति पुण्यभाक्। गृहीत्वा चाक्षमालां च ब्रह्मग्रंथियुतां शिवाम्
By merely wearing this, a person is purified from sin and becomes a recipient of great merit; and by taking up a rosary of Rudrākṣa, adorned with Brahma-knots and auspicious—
यज्जप्तं च कृतं दानं स्तोत्रं मंत्रं सुरार्चनम्। सर्वं चाक्षयतामेति पापं च क्षयमाव्रजेत्
Whatever recitation, gift, hymn, mantra, or worship of the gods is performed, all becomes imperishable, and sin is destroyed.
मालाया लक्षणं ब्रूमः श्रूयतां द्विजसत्तमाः। तस्यास्तु लक्षणं ज्ञात्वा शैवमार्गं प्रलप्स्यथ११९ तु. वराहपुराणम् [https://sa.wikisource.org/s/18ga १२८.५४](गणान्तिका)। निर्योनिकीटविद्धं च भग्नलिगं यथाक्रमम्। अन्योन्यं बीजलग्नं च मालायां परिवर्जयेत्
Now I will describe the characteristics of the rosary; listen, O best of the twice-born. Knowing its characteristics, you may speak of the Śaiva path.
स्वयं च ग्रथिता या च श्लथान्योन्य प्रसज्जिता। शूद्रादिग्रथिताऽशुद्धा दूरात्तां परिवर्जयेत्
One should avoid in the rosary any bead that is worm-eaten, pierced at the wrong place, broken, or stuck together with another, as well as—
मध्यमालग्नकं बीजं जप्तव्यं च यथाक्रमम्। हस्तसंभ्रमणेनैव मेर्वामर्शं पुनः पुनः
Any bead that is self-threaded, loosely joined, or strung by a Śūdra or others is impure; such a rosary should be avoided from afar.
संख्यातं यज्जपेन्मंत्रमसंख्यातं च निष्फलम्। सर्वेषामेव देवानां जपेन्मंत्रं स्वमालया
The middle-seated bead should be used for recitation in the proper order; by moving it with the hand, one should repeatedly touch the Meru bead.
प्रयतः सकले तीर्थे कोटिकोटिगुणं भवेत्। शुद्धायामेव भूम्यां तु मेध्यके वृक्षमूलके
If a mantra is recited with a count, it bears fruit; if without count, it is fruitless. For all the gods, one should recite their mantra with one's own rosary.
गोष्ठे चतुष्पथागारे विष्णोर्मंत्रं शिवस्य च। गणपतेश्च सूरस्य लिंगेनंतफलं लभेत्
With devotion, in every sacred place, the merit is multiplied by crores upon crores; on pure ground, or at the root of a holy tree—
शून्यागारे शवस्याग्रे श्मशाने च चतुष्पथे। देवीमंत्रं जपेद्यस्तु सद्यस्सिध्यति साधकः
In a cowshed, at a crossroads, in a temple, by reciting the mantra of Viṣṇu, Śiva, or Gaṇapati, one attains endless fruit.
यावच्चावैदिकं मंत्रं पौराणं चागमोद्भवम्। सर्वं रुद्राक्षमालायामीप्सितेष्टार्थदायकम्
In an empty house, before a corpse, in a cremation ground, or at a crossroads—whoever recites the Devī mantra there, that practitioner attains success instantly.
रुद्राक्षस्रवजं शुद्धं जलं शिरसि धारयेत्। सर्वस्मात्कल्मषात्पूतः पुण्यं भवति चाक्षयम्
Every mantra, whether non-Vedic, Purāṇic, or from the Āgamas, all, when recited with a Rudrākṣa rosary, grant the desired object.
रुद्राक्षस्य च प्रत्येकं बीजं प्रत्येक निर्जरं। धारयेद्यस्तनौ मर्त्यः सुराणां सत्तमो भवेत्
One should place pure water that has washed Rudrākṣa on the head; being purified from all sin, one obtains inexhaustible merit.
द्विजा ऊचुः- रुद्राक्षस्तु कुतो जातः कुतो वा मेध्यतां गतः। किमर्थं स्थावरो भूमौ केनैव च प्रचारितः
Whoever wears each bead of Rudrākṣa, each one flawless, on his body, that mortal becomes the best among the gods.
व्यास उवाच- पुरा कृतयुगे विप्रास्त्रिपुरो नाम दानवः। सुराणां च वधं कृत्वा अंतरिक्षपुरे हि सः
The twice-born said: From where did Rudrākṣa arise? How did it become pure? For what purpose does it exist on earth as a plant, and by whom was it propagated?
प्रणाशे सर्वलोकानां स्थिरो ब्रह्मवरेण च। शुश्राव शंकरो भीमं देवैरीशो निवेदितम्
Vyāsa said: Long ago, in the Kṛta Yuga, there was a demon named Tripura. After killing the gods, he dwelled in a celestial city.
ततोऽजगवमासज्य बाणमंतकसन्निभम्। धृत्वा तं च जघानाथ दृष्टं दिव्येन चक्षुषा
When all the worlds were threatened with destruction, the steadfast one, by the boon of Brahmā, heard from the gods, as reported by the Lord, the dreadful news.
स पपात महीपृष्ठे महोल्केव च्युतो दिवः। घटनव्याकुलाद्रुद्रात्पतिताः स्वेदबिंदवः
He fell upon the surface of the earth like a great meteor fallen from the sky, as sweat-drops fall from Rudra, agitated in fierce exertion.
तत्राश्रुबिंदुतो जातो महारुद्राक्षकः क्षितौ। अस्यैव च फलं जीवा न जानंत्यतिगुह्यतः
There, from a drop of his tears, a great Rudraksha grew on the earth; truly, living beings do not know its fruit, for it is exceedingly secret.
ततः कैलासशिखरे देवदेवं महेश्वरम्। प्रणम्य शिरसा भूमौ स्कंदो वचनमब्रवीत्
Then, on the summit of Kailasa, Skanda bowed with his head to the ground before the god of gods, Maheshvara, and spoke these words.
रुद्राक्षस्य फलं नाथ ज्ञातुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः। जप्येथ धारणे चैव दर्शने स्पर्शनेपि वा
"O Lord, I wish to know the true fruit of the Rudraksha—whether by recitation, by wearing, by seeing, or even by touching it."
ईश्वर उवाच-। लक्षं तु दर्शनात्पुण्यं कोटिर्वै स्पर्शनेन च। दशकोटिफलं पुण्यं धारणाल्लभते नरः
Ishvara said: "A hundred thousand merits come from seeing it, ten million from touching it; by wearing it, a man obtains the merit of a hundred million."
लक्षकोटिसहस्राणि लक्षकोटिशतानि च। जप्त्वास्य लभते पुण्यं नात्र कार्या विचारणा
"By reciting with it, one obtains merit equal to hundreds of thousands of millions and hundreds of thousands of millions of hundreds; about this, there should be no doubt."
उच्छिष्टो वा विकर्मस्थो युक्तो वा सर्वपातकैः। मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यो रुद्राक्षधारणेन वै
"Whether one is impure, engaged in forbidden acts, or afflicted by all sins, by wearing Rudraksha, one is freed from all sins."
कंठे रुद्राक्षमादाय श्वापदो म्रियते यदि। सोपि रुद्रत्वमाप्नोति किं पुनर्मानुषादयः
"If even a beast of prey dies with Rudraksha on its neck, it attains the state of Rudra—how much more so, then, for humans and others!"
ध्यानधारणहीनोपि रुद्राक्षं यदि धारयेत्। सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तः स याति परमां गतिम्
"Even if one is lacking in meditation and concentration, if he wears Rudraksha, he is freed from all sins and attains the highest state."