Rudraksha beads are worn to strengthen a specific planet, and each type is identified by its mukhi - the number of faces or clefts running down the bead. This tool reads your birth chart, finds the grahas the chart shows as needing support, and names the mukhi that belongs to each, with its ruling deity and how it is worn. The selection is arithmetic: it computes Shadbala for the seven planets and takes every one that falls below the minimum Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra requires of it.
In Vedic astrology every graha is linked to a particular mukhi Rudraksha. Wearing that bead is believed to channel the planet's energy - steadying a weak or afflicted planet, or calming a malefic that is troubling the horoscope. The right bead therefore depends on which planets in your chart need support, not on a single fixed Rudraksha for everyone.
This calculator makes that determination the same way the gemstone tool does, and it is worth being precise about it. It computes Shadbala for the seven planets and compares each against the minimum Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra sets for it - 390 virupas for the Sun, 360 for the Moon, 300 for Mars, 420 for Mercury, 390 for Jupiter, 330 for Venus and 300 for Saturn. Every planet under its line is prescribed for. Mars is added when Mangal dosha is present and Saturn when Sade Sati is running, whatever their strength. If no single planet stands out, the 5 Mukhi of Jupiter is the most widely worn general bead.
Each Rudraksha is counted by its mukhi (faces), and each mukhi is governed by a deity and a planet:
Two grahas have a second bead in common use: the Sun takes a 1 Mukhi or a 12 Mukhi, and Saturn a 7 Mukhi or a 14 Mukhi. Where two are named, either is the bead for that planet, and the deity shown belongs to the graha rather than to one of the two forms.
The two remedies answer the same question - which planet needs support - and this site drives both from the same Shadbala finding, so the planets named on this page and on the gemstone page will match. What differs is the risk and the cost. A gemstone is a focused amplifier and the tradition is careful about which planet it is applied to, which is why blue sapphire is trialed before it is worn permanently and why the gems of functional malefics are avoided for an ascendant. Rudraksha carries no comparable caution in practice, and beads are commonly combined rather than worn one at a time.
There is also a difference in what can be cited. The bead-to-planet mapping is traditional lore rather than a chapter of Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, whose remedial chapter prescribes mantra, yantra, daana and puja. The mantra side of the prescription is the citable half: BPHS's Graha-Shanti chapter, verses 19 to 20, gives the japa counts for the nine grahas in thousands, from 7,000 for the Sun to 23,000 for Saturn, totalling 1,30,000. Wearing a bead and doing the graha's japa are complementary, and the japa is the part with a verse behind it.
The one belonging to the planet your chart most needs to support. The tool computes Shadbala for the seven grahas and matches every planet below its required minimum to its ruling mukhi - for example 5 Mukhi for Jupiter or 7 Mukhi for Saturn - rather than giving one bead to everyone. If no single planet stands out, the 5 Mukhi is the widely recommended general bead.
Traditionally the bead is cleansed, energised with a mantra such as 'Om Namah Shivaya' or the planet's own mantra, and threaded on a red or black cord or set in silver. It is usually put on in the morning, often on the weekday ruled by its planet. The tool shows the ruling deity and wearing guidance for your recommended mukhi.
Yes. Many people combine beads - such as pairing a planet's bead with a 5 Mukhi - and Rudraksha is considered safe to wear without the trial period gemstones require. Even so, it is best to strengthen the planets your chart actually calls for rather than wearing beads at random.
1 Mukhi (or 12) to the Sun, 2 to the Moon, 3 to Mars, 4 to Mercury, 5 to Jupiter, 6 to Venus, 7 (or 14) to Saturn, 8 to Rahu and 9 to Ketu. Each also carries a deity: Surya, Shiva, Hanuman, Vishnu, Vishnu and Brihaspati, Lakshmi, Shani Dev, Durga and Ganesha respectively.
This site derives both from the same finding, so the planets named on the two pages agree. A gemstone is the stronger and costlier intervention, and tradition is selective about which planet it may be applied to for a given ascendant; Rudraksha is gentler, is commonly worn in combinations, and carries no equivalent trial period. If you want the part of the prescription with a verse behind it, do the graha's japa: the counts come from the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra Graha-Shanti chapter, verses 19 to 20.
Personalized gemstone, rudraksha, mantra and Lal Kitab remedies tuned to your chart's weak points.
For educational purposes. Astrological interpretations are traditional and not a substitute for professional advice.