Japamālā
By Swami Harshananda
Japamālā literally means ‘rosary used for japa for repetition of mantra’.
Repetition of a sacred mantra, especially in a ceremonial manner, is an inevitable part of many religious practices. Such repetition which is generally done mentally is termed as ‘japa’. Japa must be practiced, keeping the count, either on the fingers or with a japamālā. Scriptural works prescribe many rules for the preparation of rosary and it's use.
The materials used for preparing the japamālās are the beads and threads. There are prescriptions in scriptures of both the materials used in making of japamālā-s. The japamālā is made out of those materials only.
The number of beads used for making a rosary should be 108 or 54. Rosaries are rarely made of 27 beads and sometimes even of 64 or 32 beads.
Material for Beads and Threads[edit]
- Material for Beads
- Material for Thread - For stringing the beads, the following threads are recommended:
- Cotton
- Silk thread
- Copper wire
- Silver wire
Significance of Different Types of Japamālās[edit]
Japamālā-s made of different materials are prescribed for different mantra. For instance, the rudrākṣa beads are used by the Śaiva-s and the Śākta-s who repeat mantra-s connected with Śiva or Devi. Mālā of tulasī beads are used by the worshipers of Viṣṇu.
Different types of mālā-s are prescribed for getting different results. It is believed that mālā-s of rudrākṣa beads can give mokṣa and those of pearls give competence in the knowledge of all the sciences. Generally, one bead is always kept extra in a mālā which is strung separately to stand like a crown. This is called ‘meru’. While counting the mantra-s, meru should not be crossed. While counting on the mālā, the thumb should be used supporting the mālā on the middle finger.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore