Missed your bus...blame it on the Rudrakash

I should not have bought that diamond pendant. It's bringing me ill-luck.

This stone isn't working for me. Things have been going wrong ever since I started wearing this.

Please check with your astrologer before you buy precious stones, especially diamonds.

Have you been through this phase? Or have you heard people blame their ill health, accident, theft, failed exam, heartbreak, etc on the pretty shiny gem on their hand or neck or ears? Jewellery never brought sparkles in my eyes and so I've never found myself visiting jewellers frequently. The only jewellery shopping I did was during my wedding time, which again was considered a 'cheap buy' by many of my relatives. It didn't match up to their expectations in weight or cost. I can't say I barely where jewels, considering I have six pierces on my ear and one on my nose. Three tiny pairs of ear-rings and a dot-like nose-pin/ring are the only decorations on me.

Well, I am not here to praise my abilities at shunning the sparkles and the gems. I enjoy checking out new designs and trends in jewellery, and if I had a ever-brimming bank account I might have even picked up some pretty ones. This is about a 'Rudraksh'. The Hindu families, typically insist that women wear a chain always. A bare neck is considered inauspicious, especially for young/married women. Chains were never my favourite piece of jewellery (I prefer anklets). I was often caught bare-necked, and while my mother had grown wise and stopped arguing with me over it, other relatives weren't so understanding of my personal choice. To escape the constant and repeated arguments and debates, I got myself an almost thread-like chain which barely showed. Even that invited unhappy comments but I couldn't care less. Ok I am deviating from the topic yet again.
The matter here is that I have always wanted to wear a Rudraksha bead. I finally bought one (actually got my father to buy it for me) two months ago. The jewellery shop I went to showed me a small packet full of Rudraksha beads--all the same size, shape and weight. The salesman said they were all the same variety and size. Not knowing much about the origin, history and power of the Rudraksha, I picked one (which looked the neatest to my eyes), put it onto my chain and wore it with joy. A few days later, a curious friend asked me where I had got the bead from, which "mukhi" it was, did I feel ok wearing it..etc..etc. I answered the parts I knew and smirked at the others. I had more people quizzing me about this, with some asking me if I was wearing it for any particular reason. Of course yes, I like it and I find it kinda cool.

Now, two months later, I find myself repeating some of these questions. Is it really Ok to wear a Rudraksha without consulting an astrologer? Do women, other than the sanyasins, wear it? Do I need to check the 'mukhi' factor? Can it bring bad luck? It hasn't been a tragic summer (except for the soaring heat), and I haven't suffered any serious setbacks or worries. But suddenly I find myself staring at the Rudrakasha every time I have a bad day or I catch a cold or when I am unable to meet deadlines or when my son gets cranky or if he falls of his cycle or if someone calls me fat or when someone doesn't reply to my call/sms or even if my recipe doesn't turn out quite right. I give a long, hard stare at the Rudrakasha, chained around my neck, half expecting it to speak up and yell at me for freedom. Somehow I know that I will have it removed within a week. Superstition or Stupidity!