Prayer beads help us to focus your thoughts and get closer to God.

Prayer beads help us to focus our thoughts and get closer to God.  Prayer beads are known by many names in different religions around the world. They may appear and sound different, but the purpose they serve is the same - to bring more attention to prayer and enable simran or remembrance of God. It is a useful tool to help the mind to focus, to calm the spirit and to awaken the senses. The chanterelle for the seeker is like the abacus for a student, it is a simple and reassuring tool.

Rosary can have physical, spiritual and psychological effects on a seeker," says Father John Philippos, a Calicut-based parish priest. Since the chanterelles are automatically fingers, they help the user keep track of that number with little conscious effort. The more he prayed the more he was able to concentrate on his prayer. 

Rosary, from the Latin rosary, meaning "garden of roses", is the basis for the invocation of the Blessed Virgin: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, art among women Blessed are you, and, blessed are your womb, Jesus." Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the time of our death. Amen"

Roman Catholics use a rosary of 54 beads and an additional five beads on the outside of the rosary as a pendant. Orthodox Christians use the Rosary consisting of 100 knots. Sometimes prayer ropes with 50 or 33 knots are also used. Where the Islamic tasbeeh usually consists of 99 or 33 beads, the japamala used by Hindus consists of 108 beads. There are 27 in the Chota which are counted four times. Tibetan Buddhists use rosaries of 108 beads - one rosary counts 100 mantras and an additional 8 are dedicated to all sentient beings. There are 108 beads in a Sikh mala. The Bahá'í rosary has either 95 beads or a string of 19 beads and five additional beads at the bottom.

Since prayers are personal petitions to God, Buddhist chants 'om manipadme hum' - , put the jewel in the lotus - may simply be by taking the names of Hindu deities. Chanting with beads seems automatic, but the religious sentiment is very present, and the chanter remains focused. Young MNC executive Narinder Kaur Bassi says, “When I use prayer beads, I get deeply immersed in the process of chanting Satnam Wahe Guru. The use of a rosary enhances the overall experience." If Narinder uses prayer beads, Bahá'í Rafan finds him distracting. Instead he chants Allah O Aura - God is Most Glorious - on his knuckles. Counting whose sum is 19. Some Muslims chant the name of Allah again and again like this: Subhan Allah - Glory to God, 33 times, Alhamdulillah - Praise to God, 33 times and Allahu Akbar - God is great, 34 times.

Japamala can be made of Rudraksha, stem of holy basil, sandal wood and seeds of Bodhi tree or lotus plant. They can also be of semi-precious stones like onyx and sapphire. American Indians use turquoise beads because they believe it to be a protector from evil spirits. As long as you remember God, it doesn't matter which bead you use. It is an aid in prayer that is present in all cultures. Little compared to faith and devotion together. Prayer beads are universal with their own cultural and religious contexts. They are an integrative aspect of the human effort to be closer to God, an appropriate part of the Indutva concept, syncretic solidarity.