Rudraksha is a very powerful bead with many qualities. The Rudraksha is the dried seed of a plant called Elaeocarpus Ganitrus. It is found in some locations of South East Asia. In India these plants were very common in Himalayan regions but most of these were cut down to make railway berths as a result today very few of these plants are left. If you do not know how to recognise a true Rudraksha it is quite possible that you will be handed over a fake one. There are many Rudraksha dealers in the market who deal with fake Rudraksha.
Genuine Rudraksha
We hope that after reading this article you will be able to recognize a true Rudraksha. If you do not wear a genuine Rudraksha then it will fail to have the expected results on you. Trading in Rudraksha was a family business that many people used to do for generations. At that time the supply was high and demand was not so much.
Today the popularity of Rudraksha is very high and people are ready to pay anything for a genuine Rudraksha. There is a tree called Badraksh that you find in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The seeds of this plant also look like the Rudraksha. This is a poisonous tree and thus the beads must not be used as Rudraksha. They look the same and if a person is not very careful they may end up buying these fake ones. These fake seeds are also sold in the market at the same price as the Rudraksha.
You can never say for sure which a trusted source to get the Rudraksha is. Even the religious gurus are selling the fake Rudraksha to the followers. One must be very careful before they buy a Rudraksha. It is possible that you are not careful and you end up paying a lot of money for a fake Rudraksha which will never work. The mukhs of the Rudraksha are the lines that you see on the Rudraksha. The depth of the lines will help you to understand if the Rudraksha is genuine or not.
Gauri Shankar Rudraksha
In a previous article we have mentioned that there is a special Rudraksha that is Gauri Sankar. This is a very rare Rudraksha where you will see two Rudrakhsas joining into becoming one. This is one of the most expensive Rudrakshas. Some dealers will join two Rudrakshas and make them look like Gauri Sankar. These can be easily tested if they are fake or real. Just place them in boiling water for twenty to thirty minutes. After that you will notice that there appears a discoloration in the point where the two Rudrakshas appear to be joined. This discoloration may mean that these two were joined together by some other means.
Water test
A genuine Rudraksha will always sink in water. If a Rudraksha is floating means it is not a real one. Some experts say that this may not always be true some Rudrakshas that are genuine but are not matured enough will also float. Whereas Rudrakshas that are artificially made with wood may also sink. It is also possible that a Rudraksha that was originally an ek mukhi Rudraksha is turned into more mukhi Rudraksha by tampering with it.
Copper coin test
The next test that we are going to talk about is the copper coin test. It is a more reliable test compared to the water test. I this if you cut the Rudraksha bead you will notice that the number of lines and the number of compartments is the same. The drawback of this test is that the Rudraksha will get damaged to an extent that you will not be able to get it back. If the Rudraksha bead is placed between two copper coins it moves either to the left or to the right. This happens due to the magnetic properties of the Rudraksha. This is a test that needs a lot of skill and not that everyone can do it. If the buyer is an expert he will prefer to buy a Rudraksha that moves towards the right.
The mukhis of the Rudraksha looks like closed lips. These are natural and deep partitions. These partitions can be faked by a dealer by sticking the parts of one Rudraksha to the other. The best way to test the Rudraksha is by doing a CT scan. This method of determining the authenticity of the Rudraksha is expensive but this is the best way to do it. Years back it was easy to find a genuine Rudraksha. Today as there are so many fake ones in the market the best way to check the Rudraksha is by doing an X ray. The x ray will clearly reveal the internal structure of the Rudraksha and help the buyer understand the authenticity of the Rudraksha.
Always remember that a round Rudraksha which is ek mukhi has never been found. It can be considered as good as a myth. You can find a half moon ek mukhi Rudraksha and that is genuine. Ek mukhi Rudraksha is the most common Rudraksha and is in high demand. This is exactly why many traders sell fake ek mukhi Rudrakshas.
Some buyers will sell Rudrakshas saying that they have carvings of a trishul, lingam, serpent and many other such formations. However, in reality a genuine Rudraksha will not have all these markings. If a person is selling such Rudrakshas then they are faking it. It is important that you consult a genuine dealer before you buy a Rudraksha. They will not sell fake Rudrakshas to the buyers.
Like a gem even a Rudraksha has quality. There can be very high quality Rudrakshas as well as the low level ones. The Rudrakshas that are broken on the surface should not be bought. Even the Rudrakshas that have a very low weight should be avoided. A heavy, bright and lustrous Rudraksha is one that a person should buy in order to get good results.
Time & Warm water test
If the Rudraksha is not real it will chip off after wearing it regularly. There are many Rudrakshas that have been passed on from one generation to the other. If you keep the Rudraksha in warm water for a certain time you will notice that the colour changes at the points where the bead was fixed with another bead or the glue will start to come out. You can also see the extra lines and know that the Rudraksha is not a real one.
It is not easy to recognize a genuine Rudraksha. It is always recommended that you buy it from a reliable source. You can try the tips that we have mentioned to ensure that you are not fooled into buying a fake Rudraksha. We hope that this article will help you to recognize a real Rudraksha. Like a gem even a Rudraksha can be faked. The Rudraksha is an expensive bead and many people are looking for it. This is why it is faked very easily. Some people feel that this bead can help them attain what they want in life without trying very hard. Well the fact is it can protect you but there is no substitute for hard work.