Mala - 108 Bead

Each of these knotted malas were handmade in India and purchased at a fair-trade price. When the Call and Response Foundation closed their doors, we not only inherited their prison outreach work, but were also gifted their store. These were some of the items we received. We deeply honor and thank the Call and Response Foundation and their founding director, Jen Canfield, for inspiring and guiding us on this path of service.

Malas are a physical aid for mantra practice. As the mind repeats the mantra, the fingers slide across each bead, helping us return to the Holy Truth of the Present Moment.

There are 108 beads on each of these malas, a sacred number that can remind us of the 108 attendants of Shiva, the 108 Gopis that dance with Krishna in the Vrindavan moonlight, or maybe the 108 names of the Goddess. And then there is the tasseled Guru bead, marking the beginning and end of our mantra journey, a place where we bow in our mind and heart to the Guru—the Indescribable Ecstasy of Consciousness Itself.

Malas are very important to us at SCP. Just as Krishna Das has said, “The chant that works is the one that you do,” the best mala is the one you are drawn to use. Maybe it’s the feel, the color, or the aroma, the association with a particular deity or lineage, or an unexpected personal connection. Ram Dass taught the importance of following the intuitive heart, and we trust that you will pick the right mala for you. We also know the power of receiving malas as gifts. As you look through the collection, pay attention to that mala that calls out for one of your dearest friends. When someone gives us a sacred object, it often imbues it with deepened meaning and heartfelt feeling, a true boon to our spiritual practice.

Tulsi is the most sacred of plants and an incarnation of the living Goddess. It is a favorite of Lord Vishnu, and also a favorite of ours. There is just something so satisfying about the felt sensation of fingers across the rough grain. Each meandering crevice and groove reminds us that it’s not about the destination—not about how many times we make it to 108, but about each individual repetition of the Holy Name, an invitation into the Lila View, “where everything is God and nothing but God” (Shyamdas).

Rudrākṣa is a compound of the words Rudra, a vedic name for Shiva, and Akṣa, eye. Rudrākṣa means the “Eye of Shiva,” and Rudraksha seeds are said to be emanations of Shiva’s tears. Pressing against these Holy seeds we can feel Shiva’s presence as their mountain-range topography imprints into the skin. Hanuman is an incarnation of Shiva, and as Neem Karoli Baba has said, “You must honor Shiva through Love. Ram and Shiva are the same. Ram worshiped Shiva. Shiva worshiped Ram. They are only One.”

In Sanskrit, Sandalwood is known as Candana. A sacred wood with a cooling aroma, it said to be associated with the Goddess. Rosewood is known as “Red Sandalwood,” and carries the same association. Rose Quartz is said to awaken unconditional love, and Lapis has been used for thousands of years for its spiritual power of Truth.

Navagraha is the “Nine planets” of the the ancient solar system: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and Rahu and Ketu, the shadow planets that swallow the Sun and Moon during an eclipse.

May these malas be a friend on your spiritual path 📿✨