Importance of 108 number in Hinduism













When we see number of beads in vara mala/vrata mala, number of names of God and Goddess, I always wondered there should be some prominence for 108 number which I do not know.



I asked few people about why do we have 108 beads in vara mala?





Why do we give so much importance to 108 in Hinduism?





Why 108 is so sacred for Hindus?





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



The powerful Sri Chakra yantra intersects in 54 points each with a masculine and feminine quality, totaling to 108 Indian astrology, we have 12 houses and 9 plants. 12 times 9 equals to 108.



In Tantra, it is estimated that every day we breath 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 wrote “The Natya Sashtra” which have 108 karanas (Movement of hand and feet).





There are 54 letters in Sanskrit each can be mentioned as masculine (Shiva) and feminine (Shakti) aspect.



There are 18 Puranas 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.



Harishad number: 108 is a Harishad number, which is an integer divisible by the sum of its digits (Harishad 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: 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. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.



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



Sri Yantra: On the Sri Yantra there are marmas where three lines intersect, and there are 54 such intersections. Each intersections has masculine and feminine, Shiva and Shakti qualities. 54 times 2 equals 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra 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 or chandrakalas. 9 times 12 equals 108. Chandra is moon, and kalas are the divisions within a whole.



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



Gopis of Krishna: In the Krishna tradition, there were said to be 108 gopis or maid servants of Krishna.



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.





There are 27 constellations with each constellation having 4 padas, Total 27x4=108 padas across which the moon moves.

There are 12 houses created by Sun on 27 constellations across which 9 planets move, Total 12x9 =108

18,108,1008 are special numbers, Mahabharata had deep link with number 18 with Geeta having 18 chapters, war for 18 days, 18 squads fighting war, and only 18 people survived war.

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SRI GURUBHYO NAMAHA