Let me share the sacred instructions as revealed in the Shiva Purana, where the proper wearing of Rudraksha beads is described with reverence and precision. The Lord teaches that a devotee, intent on worship, should craft a sacred thread using three hundred and sixty Rudraksha beads, repeating this process three times. For the topknot, three beads are prescribed, O Great Goddess, while six beads adorn each ear. On the neck and arms, a hundred and one beads should be worn, matching the number of Rudras, and at the elbows, a gem should be tied once more. The truly devoted to Shiva should wear three sacred threads, and the remaining beads, counted as five, are to be placed at the waist. O Supreme Goddess, when Rudraksha beads are worn in this manner, they must be honored and praised by all, just as Mahesha, the Great Lord, is worshipped. Meditating upon such a form, seated properly and uttering the name ‘Shiva’ upon seeing it, brings freedom from all sins. If more than a thousand beads are prescribed, this is the method; but if such numbers are unavailable, another auspicious method is explained. One bead should be worn in the hair tuft, thirty on the head, fifty on the neck, and sixteen on each arm. Twelve beads are worn on the wrist, two on each shoulder, and five hundred in total. With one hundred and eight beads, a garland and sacred thread should be fashioned. Whoever wears a thousand Rudrakshas with firm discipline is honored by all the gods, just as Rudra himself is revered. Another prescription states: one bead in the hair tuft, forty on the crown, thirty-two at the throat, and one hundred and eight on the chest. One bead on each ear, six on each arm, sixteen on each forearm, and twice that number on the hands, O lord of sages. He who wears them with devotion and proper count, even if born a Shaiva, should be worshipped like Shiva and revered by all. The beads are to be placed on the head with the Ishana mantra, on the ears with the Tatpurusha mantra, on the neck with the Aghora mantra, and likewise on the heart. With the seed mantra of Aghora, the wise should place them on the hands, and with the fifteen-syllable mantra of Vamadeva, on the abdomen. Using the five Brahma mantras, thirty garlands and five or seven may be worn, or with the root mantra of Vama, all beads may be adorned. Afterward, one must avoid consuming wine, meat, garlic, onion, horse gram, phlegm-causing foods, excrement, and boar. For Brahmins, a hundred thousand Rudraksha beads are prescribed; red beads for Kshatriyas, joyful ones for ascetics, repeatedly drunk ones for Vaishyas, and black beads for Shudras, as stated in scripture, including elephant beads. Those of the four castes, householders, and ascetics should wear Rudraksha with discipline; this supreme secret must not be abandoned by birth. The virtuous attain the wearing of Rudraksha, and abandoning it leads to all hells. Beads lighter than amalaki, afflicted, bitten by thorns, eaten by worms, or defective with holes should not be worn by those seeking auspiciousness. Even so, Rudraksha resembling chickpeas, or those without blemish, are always praised as subtle and auspicious. By Shiva’s command, Rudrakshas should always be worn by all orders and castes, including women and Shudras, especially when accompanied by the Pranava mantra. Those who wear them by day with rituals for night, or by night with rituals for day, are freed from all sins at morning, midday, and evening. Those who wear the tripundra in the world, who bear matted hair, and who adorn Rudraksha, they alone attain this world. One who wears a Rudraksha on the head, tripundra on the middle of the forehead, and recites the five-syllable mantra is truly to be honored by the virtuous. If one does not have the Rudraksha on their body, tripundra on the forehead, or the five-syllable mantra on their lips, such a person should be brought to the house of Yama. Whether knowing its power or not, those who wear ashes and Rudraksha are always to be honored; they should never be insulted. Thus did Kāla command his own attendants, and hearing this, all stood silent, filled with wonder. Therefore, O great goddess, Rudraksha destroys great sins; it is dear to Shiva, pure, and greatly sanctifying, O Pārvatī. Whoever wears Rudraksha on the hand, arm, or head is inviolable to all beings and moves upon earth in the form of Rudra. Such a person is always revered by all gods and demons; he is to be worshipped, and seeing him destroys sin, just as with Shiva. Even one not devoted to meditation or knowledge, if wearing Rudraksha, is freed from all sins and attains the highest state. Reciting a mantra with Rudraksha yields merit a crore-fold, and by wearing it, a man obtains ten crore times the merit. For as long as Rudraksha remains on the body of a living being, O goddess, even minor death does not trouble him. One whose body shines with Rudraksha, marked with tripundra, and who recites the Mṛtyuñjaya mantra—seeing him brings the fruit of Rudra. He is dear to the five gods and all deities; the devotee may recite all mantras with a Rudraksha garland, O beloved. Even devotees of Vishnu and other gods wear them without doubt, but a devotee of Rudra should especially always wear Rudraksha. There are various kinds of Rudraksha described; now listen, O Pārvatī, as their differences are explained, granting both enjoyment and liberation. The one-faced Rudraksha is Shiva himself, bestower of enjoyment and liberation; merely seeing it destroys the sin of killing a Brahmin. Where it is worshipped, Lakshmi never departs; all obstacles are destroyed and all desires are fulfilled. The two-faced Rudraksha is the Lord of gods, bestower of all desired fruits; it quickly destroys the sin of killing a cow. Thus, the sacred narrative of Rudraksha is revealed, showing its purity, sanctity, and the immense merit it bestows upon those who wear it with devotion.