Usually the beads of Rudraksha are strung together as a m?l?. Traditionally, it is believed that the number of beads used should be 108 plus one. The extra bead is the bindu or "guru bead" Rudraksha japa mala is generally used with Shiva mantra and it is usually the Panch Mukhi Rudraksha Mala which is used as a japa mala.
