Importance of 108 number!

When we see number of beads in vara mala वर-माला /vrata mala, number of names of God and Goddess, I always wondered there should be some prominence for 108 which I do not know. Why do we give so much importance to 108 in Hinduism? Why 108 is so sacred for Hindus? Here is a brief explanation of the use and importance of this number:

The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.

The distance from the Sun to the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Sun.

The average distance of the Moon from the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Moon.

In Ayurveda आयुर्वेद, there are 108 “Marma” मर्म points that are vital for giving life to living beings.

The powerful Sri Chakra yantra श्री चक्र यंत्र intersects in 54 points each with a masculine and feminine quality, totalling to 108

In Indian astrology we have 12 houses and 9 plants. 12 times 9 equals to 108.

In Tantra तंत्र, it is estimated that every day we breathe 21,600 times out of which 10,800 are solar energy and 10, 800 are lunar energy. Multiplying 108 X 100 is 10,800.

The famous saint Bharata भारत wrote “The Natya Shastra” नाट्य शास्त्र which has 108 karanas कर्ण (Movement of hand and feet)

There are 54 letters in Sanskrit each can be mentioned as masculine (Shiva शिव) and feminine (Shakti शक्ति) aspect, totalling to 108.

There are 108 Puranas पुराण and 108 Upanishads.

9 times 12: Both of these numbers have been said to have spiritual significance in many traditions. 9 times 12 is 108. Also, 1 plus 8 equals 9. That 9 times 12 equals 108.

Powers of 1, 2, and 3 in math:

1 to 1st power=1;

2 to 2nd power=4 (2×2);

3 to 3rd power=27 (3x3x3).

1x4x27=108

Harshad हर्षद number: 108 is a Harshad हर्षद number, which is an integer divisible by the sum of its digits (Harshad हर्षद is from Sanskrit, and means “great joy”)

Desires:

There are said to be 108 earthly desires in mortals.

Lies:

There are said to be 108 lies that humans tell.

Delusions: There are said to be 108 human delusions or forms of ignorance.

Heart Chakra चक्र:

The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra चक्र. One of them, sushumna सुषुम्न leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.

Pranayama प्राणायाम:

If one is able to be so calm in meditation as to have only 108 breaths in a day, enlightenment will come.

Sri Yantra श्री यंत्र:

On the Sri Yantra श्री यंत्र there are marmas मर्म where three lines intersect, and there are 54 such intersections. Each intersection has masculine and feminine, shiva शिव and shakti शक्ति qualities. 54 times 2 equal 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra श्री यंत्र as well as the human body.

Pentagon:

The angle formed by two adjacent lines in a pentagon equals 108 degrees.

Time:

Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.

Astrology:

There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments called namshas नमश or chandrakalas चंद्र्काल. 9 times 12 equal 108. Chandra is moon, and kalas कल are the divisions within a whole.

River Ganga गंगा:

The sacred River Ganga गंगा spans a longitude of 12 degrees (79 to 91), and latitude of 9 degrees (22 to 31). 12 times 9 equal 108.

Gopis गोपी of Krishna कृष्ण:

There were said to be 108 gopis गोपी or maid servants of Krishna कृष्ण.

1, 0, and 8:

Some say that 1 stands for God or higher Truth, 0 stands for emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 stands for infinity or eternity.

Silver and the moon:

In astrology, the metal silver is said to represent the moon. The atomic weight of silver is

108.

Numerical scale:

The 1 of 108, and the 8 of 108, when added together equals 9, which is the number of the numerical scale, i.e. 1, 2, 3 … 10, etc., where 0 is not a number.

Meditations:

Some say there are 108 styles of meditation.

Paths to God: Some suggest that there are 108 paths to God.

Jain जैन: (Jain is a Sect in India who follows Bhagwan Vardhman Mahaveer’s Teachings)

In the Jain religion, 108 are the combined virtues of five categories of holy ones, including

12, 8, 36, 25, and 27 virtues respectively.

Sikh सिख : (SIKH is a Religian in INDIA. They Follow The teachings of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji)

The Sikh tradition has a mala of 108 knots tied in a string of wool, rather than beads.

Buddhism: (A Sect who follows the Teachings of Mahatma Buddh)

Some Buddhists carve 108 small Buddhas बुद्ध on a walnut for good luck. Some ring a bell 108 times to celebrate a new year. There are said to be 108 virtues to cultivate and 108 defilements to avoid.

  

Chinese:

The Chinese Buddhists and Taoists use a 108 bead mala, which is called su-chu, and has three dividing beads, so the mala is divided into three parts of 36 each. Chinese astrology says that there are 108 sacred stars.

Stages of the soul:

Said that Atman, the human soul or centre goes through 108 stages on the journey.

Meru:

This is a larger bead, not part of the 108. It is not tied in the sequence of the other beads. It is the guiding bead, the one that marks the beginning and end of the mala.

Praiseworthy souls:

There are 108 qualities of praiseworthy souls.

Japan:

In Japan, at the end of the year, a bell is chimed 108 times to finish the old year and welcome the new one. Each ring represents one of 108 earthly temptations a person must overcome to achieve nirvana.

108 signify the wholeness of the divinity, perfect totality. So, let us follow what our ancestors told us to do.

The significance of 108- Sadhguru looks at the nature of time and explains how the sages of Bharat had a phenomenal understanding of this most fundamental aspect of creation. He looks at the significance of 108, and why it turns up in many places such as the number of beads in rudraksha malas. He looks at how 108 is important not just for the human being but also on the scale of the Earth and Solar System.

According to the Surya Siddhanta, an ancient Indian astronomical work, the sunlight moves at a speed of 2,202 yojanas in 0.5 nimisha. One yojana is nine miles. 2,202 yojanas amount to 19,818 miles. One nimisha is equal to 16/75 of a second. Half a nimisha amounts to 8/75 of a second, which is 0.106666 seconds. A speed of 19,818 miles in 0.10666 seconds equals 185,793 miles per second. This is approximately in line with the modern calculations, according to which the speed of light is 186,282 miles per second. Modern science has arrived at this number with great difficulty and all kinds of instruments, while a few thousand years ago, they got this number by simple observation of how the human system and the solar system function together.

The distances between the Sun and the Earth, the distances between the Moon and the Earth, the way the planet rotates and the impact it has – all these things have been looked at with great care. The diameter of the Sun multiplied by 108 equals the distance between Sun and Earth, and the diameter of the Moon multiplied by 108 equals the distance between Earth and Moon. The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. That is why we have 108 beads in a mala.

I could go on with all kinds of fabulous figures, but the most important thing is the deep connection between the making of time and the making of the human body. You know, the planet is approximately round and it has a slightly tilted orbit. As it travels, as it spins, it forms a circle. Today we know it takes 25,920 years to complete this cycle. This tilt mainly happens because of the gravitational pull of the moon over the earth. And that many years are called one cycle of yugas[1]. Each of these cycles has eight yugas.

Earth and man

Back to one cycle of axial procession – 25,920 divided by 60 (which is also the number of heart beats per minute if you are healthy) – comes to 432. Four hundred thirty two is a number that comes up in various cultures – the Norse culture, the ancient Jewish culture, the Egyptian culture, the Mesopotamian culture, and very much in the Indian culture here. Why 432? If you are in good health and in good condition, your heart beats about 60 times per minute, which is 3600 per hour, and 3600 x 24 equals 86,400 heartbeats per day. If you divide 864 by 2, again you have 432.

Only if you are riding the time, you will live an extraordinary life, which is what a human being and the human brain are designed for.

If you are healthy, you take about 15 breaths per minute. If you have done lots of sadhana, it could be only 12. 15 breaths per minute means 900 breaths per hour and 21,600 per day. 216 multiplied by 2 becomes 432 again. If you take the circumference of the earth – there is something called a nautical mile which is the real mile in the sense that it has something to do with the way the planet is. The other units of measurement were created for ease of calculation.

You know there are 360° in a circle. Likewise, there are 360° upon the planet, and each degree is divided into 60 minutes. One of these minutes accounts for one nautical mile. That means the circumference of the earth at the equator is 21,600 nautical miles – that is also how many breaths you take per day. That means the planet is spinning on time and you are doing well. If the planet was not spinning on time, it would be no good at all for us. If you are not in tune with it, it is also no good for you.

This is to show you time is not a concept that we invented – time is deep-rooted in the system, in the very way we are made. When we go into Mahabharat, there is so much talk about the yugas and how they function. I want you to look at the impact of time in human life from a different context. This is not something that someone thought up – this is a phenomenal and profound science. Yoga has always been deeply involved with this. It is just that we don’t believe in propounding theories about it. By practice, we try to attune the body to the times and spaces of creation, because without being in tune with them, you do not get very far. If you are not riding the time, you will live a mediocre life – probably a suffering life. Only if you are riding the time, you will live an extraordinary life, which is what a human being and the human brain are designed for.

The numbers in brief:

There are 2202 yojanas in 0.5 nimisha.

1 yojana = 9 miles

1 nimisha = seconds

2202 yojana in 0.5 nimisha = 2202 x 9 miles in 0.5 x (16/75) seconds

= 19,818 miles in 0.10666 seconds

= 185,793 miles/second