Let’s cut to the chase – does using a rosary during meditation actually help, or is it just religious theater? Across Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Sikhism, prayer beads have been used for centuries as counting tools for divine names. But here’s the rub: when the rosary becomes more about show than substance, our Gurus call it out.
Guru Nanak Sahib didn’t mince words: “Mala tilak dhoti jap” – those who flaunt rosaries, tilaks, and sacred threads while harboring hypocrisy, anger, and greed inside? They’re missing the point entirely. Kabir Sahib put it even sharper – your tongue chanting the Lord’s name is the only rosary that matters. If your heart isn’t feeling Ram, what’s the point of mechanically flipping beads?
Sure, there are “proper techniques” – turn the beads inward, outward, wear them prominently. But Gurbani exposes this as spiritual window-dressing if your mind’s elsewhere. The real japna happens when your tongue becomes pure, when divine wisdom lights up your consciousness, when every breath whispers Waheguru.
So should you use one? If it helps focus your wandering mind, fine. But never confuse the tool for the truth. As the Gurus teach, true simran isn’t about counting – it’s about awakening.
Sat Shri Akal.
