Aranyani: Goddess of the Forest and Animals Within It

In Hinduism, Aranyani is a goddess of the forests and the animals that dwell within them. Aranyani has the distinction of having one of the most descriptive hymns in the Rigveda dedicated to her, in which she is described as being elusive, fond of quiet glades in the jungle, and fearless of remote places. In the hymn, the supplicant entreats her to explain how she wanders so far from the fringe of civilization without becoming afraid or lonely. She wears anklets with bells, and though seldom seen, she can be heard by the tinkling of her anklets. She is also described as a dancer. Her ability to feed both man and animals though she 'tills no lands' is what the supplicant finds most marvellous. Her worship has declined in modern-day Hinduism, and it is rare to find a temple dedicated to Aranyani.

All of our malas are made with genuine high quality semi-precious stones that each carry their own special and specific energetic properties to help you attract or overcome certain feelings, thoughts and emotions.

This 27 bead pocket mala is part of our Element Collection, representing the Earth Element.

This pocket mala is a quarter the size of a traditional 108 Bead Tibetan mala, it contains 27 beads plus 3 marker beads (not to be counted in meditation), and a guru bead and silk tassel.

Elements: Aromatic Sandalwood, with African Turquoise marker beads and Azurite-Malachite guru bead. The tassel is 100% spun silk in variegated shades of green.

Thread: This pocket mala has been strung with Brown color Nylon thread for its strength and durability, especially important when working with natural stones, as their hard edges can sometimes rub against and weaken other threads such as cotton or silk.

All of our malas are hand-knotted between each bead, which protects your beads should the necklace ever break. It also helps alleviate potential damage caused by beads rubbing against each other.

This design features a scaled version of the same pattern used in our traditional tibetan full size malas, but is broken into three sections of 9 instead of four sections of 27. The design is intentionally split with the Blue aventurine and Sodalite on the bottom acting as the clear blue sky, while the moonstone on the top portion symbolizes the clouds above. It is also available in a beautiful Triratna pattern emphasizing groupings of three (Please note that the Triratna pattern has marker beads between each set of 3, to be counted in meditation, and therefore does not feature extra uncounted marker beads). In addition to the sacred symbolism of the number 108 (and therefore the number 27), the number 3 is sacred in Buddhism as well. In Buddhism, the number 3 can be seen to represent the Three Jewels (the Triratna) that make up Buddhism. These are: The Buddha, The Dharma (The body of teachings that describe Buddhist doctrine and belief), and The Sangha (The group of people who follow the Buddha and his teachings).

Note: This Pocket Mala is available with either 6mm or 8mm beads. Some people choose to use them as travel size meditation malas at a compact quarter size of a full 108 beads, while other people prefer to wear them on their wrist to benefit from the metaphysical properties. Please keep in mind that because the thread is not elastic, this mala is not adjustable. Therefore, it may or may not fit over your fist to slide onto your wrist. Sizes are as follows:

6mm - 6.25" (inside circumference) - 7.5" (full length including tassel)

8mm - 9" (inside circumference) - 10.25" (full length including tassel)

Please note that due to the unique, hand-knotted nature of our jewelry, sizes may vary slightly from one piece to another. Please specify bead size and pattern preference (Standard or Triratna) during checkout.

All our pocket mala designs are also available in 108 bead traditional malas, as well as intention bracelets and more delicate wire-wrapped jewelry.

To learn more about malas and how you can incorporate one in your meditation practice, please see links below: