Rudra means Shiva, aksha means teardrops. Rudraksha are the teardrops of Shiva. The legend goes that once, Shiva sat for meditation for a long period of time. His ecstasy was such that it made him absolutely still, unmoving. He seemingly did not even breathe, and everyone thought he was dead. There was only one sign of life — the tears of ecstasy that dribbled from his eyes. These teardrops fell upon the earth and became Rudraksha, “Shiva’s tears.”