The Number 108

[gianvirdi]

Sat Sri Akal

I dont know if this topic has been started before, I wanted to know the significance of the number 108, as there are 108 knots in my mala, and also 27 knots in a miniature mala, is 27 only there because its a quater of 108 (if my maths hasnt let me down).

Thanks

Sat Sri Akal

[guptveer1469]

well not to offend anyone

this practise of mala is just for showing to people that one is meditating... i think its called karam kaand.. and 108 stands for 108 H I N D U D E V I S...

so mods, admins and members don't get me wrong, as these are only my views

bhul chuk muaaf

[gianvirdi]

^^^^ showing people that you are meditating ?

not too sure on that one, but then again as you say those are your views and you are entitled to them, i will not start a debate on the use of a mala, save that for a rainy day,

any body have any views on the 108 knots in a mala ?

regards

gian

[*gupt-kaur*]

ik oa(n)kaar sathigur prasaadh ||

One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

kbIr myrI ismrnI rsnw aUpir rwmu ]

kabeer maeree simaranee rasanaa oopar raam ||

Kabeer, my rosary is my tongue, upon which the Lord's Name is strung.

Awid jugwdI sgl Bgq qw ko suKu ibsRwmu ]1]

aadh jugaadhee sagal bhagath thaa ko sukh bisraam ||1||

From the very beginning, and throughout the ages, all the devotees abide in tranquil peace. ||1||

vaheguru :WW:

[kam1825]

108 Hindu Devis, what a load of rubbish. Who the hell told you that. If you want to know how many hindu goddesses are read the teeka of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji by Sant Gurbachan Singh. In total their are 330 million devtas with 16 million being the hindu devis.

108 stands for the number of Upanishads in Sanatan Dharam. These are the books of knowledge. It is stated that if one gains the knowledge of all 108 will gain brahmgian. The Mala represents the 108 Upanishads and as the name of God is greater then all if one if to recite it with a 108 mala it is as if they have gained the fruit fromt he knowledge of the Upanishads.

You can find other roseries in India which have 100 beads which the muslims use. they call their mala's tasvi's. These represent the names of Allah according to the Quran. The christians (catholics) have 100 beads as well but a big bead after every ten beads. On the small bead they repeat the name of god and on the big bead they say 'Hail mary'

Sunnybondsingh and 5ingh1699 you two have shown by your remarks on this thread, either you are liars, ignorant, racists or just on this forum to cause trouble. This is what should be brought to the attention of the Mods.

[gianvirdi]

wahey a sensible reply

"108 stands for the number of Upanishads in Sanatan Dharam. These are the books of knowledge. It is stated that if one gains the knowledge of all 108 will gain brahmgian. The Mala represents the 108 Upanishads and as the name of God is greater then all if one if to recite it with a 108 mala it is as if they have gained the fruit fromt he knowledge of the Upanishads."

please forgive my ignorance, but one learns by asking questions right ?

~ what are upanishads (books of knowledge) ?

~ what is brahmgian ?

thank you

sat sri akal

[5ingh1699]

Sorry kam singh i just thought i would throw a light hearted joke in! im sorry if it offended you!

Bhul chukk maaf! sorry again

[DRUGHI]

The Indian Subcontinent rosary or set of mantra counting has 108 beads. 108 has been a sacred number in the Indian Subcontinent for a very long time. This number is explained in many different ways.

The ancient Indians were excellent mathematicians and 108 may be the product of a precise mathematical operation (e.g. 1 power 1 x 2 power 2 x 3 power 3 = 108) which was thought to have special numerological significance.

Powers of 1, 2, and 3 in math: 1 to 1st power=1; 2 to 2nd power=4 (2x2); 3 to 3rd power=27 (3x3x3). 1x4x27=108

Sanskrit alphabet: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.

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 x 2 equals 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra as well as the human body.

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.

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.

Marmas: Marmas or marmastanas are like energy intersections called chakras, except have fewer energy lines converging to form them. There are said to be 108 marmas in the subtle body.

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.

Planets and Houses: In astrology, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 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: 1 stands for God or higher Truth, 0 stands for emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 stands for infinity or eternity.

Sun and Earth: The diameter of the sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth.

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.

Smaller divisions: The number 108 is divided, such as in half, third, quarter, or twelfth, so that some malas have 54, 36, 27, or 9 beads.

Islam: The number 108 is used in Islam to refer to God.

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

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.

Stages of the soul: Said that Atman, the human soul or center 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 quiding bead, the one that marks the beginning and end of the mala.

http://www.hknet.org.nz/108meaning.html

We must agree that all measuring systems are merely reference frames. They give us a starting point. It doesn’t really matter if you call them farenheits or cycles. All science is based on fundamental assumptions of the mechanics of this universe. Yet, these assumptions, if correct, connect like building blocks.

Much in the same way, the number ‘108’ is just a reference frame. It is symbolic of a bigger picture: that of humility. When devotees recite 108 Hanuman Chalisas, in their minds they believe, they are proving their love for God, and that there is in fact a need to prove their love. When devotees assign a 108 names to Shri Ganesh, they are once again gauging their devotion through numbers. This, of course, may be considered unreasonable, since it suggests that 108 chants are more effective than 109 chants. How do they know this? Have they proved it? Is 108 the magic number of the universe? No, it is not! It is a reference frame. What is important is that a system is imposed to guide us through the fundamental struggles encountered in any evolutional process. Otherwise, chaos and anarchy follow and nothing gets done.

Having said that, I will show you justifications from a few subcultures in India. Obviously, I consider the Vedic rationale to be the most consistent with the fundamental laws of this universe. The others have borrowed and built, but it still smells of Vedic beginnings.

In present times, we can find many rationales for the proliferation of ‘108’ throughout our scriptures. In fact, this number seems to garner its unfair share of attention from myriad cults and faith systems around the world. I will give you a few justifications that have been brought to my attention.

JYOTISH SHASTRA {VEDIC SYSTEM}

This universe was created by the five elements: space, air, fire, water and earth. From these elements came the three attributes: Raj {birth}, Sat {protection} and Tam {destruction or death.}

The mathematical or geographical evidence proves that one circle has 360 degrees in space. Why is this circle or wheel of life considered to be of 360 degrees only? If we take a circle and start dividing it using the four elements and three attributes, all the logic can be observed.

The circle itself, is considered the first element of space, since we must consume space in drawing a circle. In this space {or circle}, the four remaining elements and three attributes create the idea of time. The circle is divisible by the product of four elements multiplied by three attributes. This involves the belief that the three attributes exist in the circle. By moving three times, each element completes its revolution.

So now we have the number 12 {3 x 4}. This division gave birth to our 12 months, and also to the 12 horas {1/2 of the day or Ahoratri}. We now have 360 degrees as well as 12 divisions. We can now further divide the wheel of time: there are 27 fixed stars (nakshatras) along with three attributes that divide the time in smaller portions. So this 27 + 3 = 30 is interpreted as 30 degrees or days of one part of the wheel (circle) or month. All of this is only half of a day. The night is yet unaccounted for. Therefore, we multiply these 30 degrees by 2. This gives us our reference of 60 seconds in a minute.

Thus the 360º x 30º = 10,800. Zero {0} is considered ‘Purna’ or complete. So we take out the last zeros and are left with 108. The idea of our total universe is represented by this number of 108. Offering 108, devotees believe that they are showing ultimate or complete respect to the Supreme.

There are many other justifications but all can be traced back to this system. A few are explained below:

SHOSHU BUDDHIST

Followers use 108 beads in their malas. They implement the following formula:

6 x 3 x 2 x3 = 108

6 senses [sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, thought]

3 aspects of time [past, present, future]

2 condition of heart [pure or impure]

3 possibilties of sentiment [like, dislike, indifference]

BUDDHA’S FOOTPRINT

All Buddhists accept the Buddha Footprint with its 108 Auspicious Illustrations. These areas are considered to have been marked on the Buddha’s left foot when his body was discovered.

BUDDHISM

108 beads on the Hindu maalaa {rosary}

108 Arhats or Holy Ones

HINDUISM

108 Gopis {consorts} of Lord Krishna

108 Holy places for Vaishnavas

108 beads on the Hindu maalaa {rosary}

108 Upanishads

TANTRA SHASTRA

108 Pitha {Sacred Places}

The story goes that Lord Shiva was in deep and incessant meditation. His asceticism was creating great heat in the universe. All existence was in peril and Lord Brahma was deeply concerned. Lord Brahma asked the Mother of the Universe, Maa Shakti, to use Her strength and wile to seduce Lord Shiva. Maa Shakti agreed and was born as Sati, daughter of Shri Daksha. Lord Shiva was so entranced by Sati’s asceticism and extraordinary beauty that he took human form and they were married. Years later, at a feast, Sati’s father insulted Lord Shiva. Sati was so humiliated that she began a deep meditation which led to her immolation. Lord Shiva was completely heart broken. He reached into the sacrificial fire and pulled out as much of His beloved’s body as he could grab. As He ascended to heaven, bits of Sati’s body fell to earth. 108 bits to be precise! In time, these places were acknowledged and worshipped.

SANATANA DHARMA

In a book by Khurana, the explanation closely mirrors the original Vedic justifications:

A circle has 360 degrees, which when multiplied by 60 gives us 21,600 minutes in a circle. 60 comes from the 60 'ghatis' which Sanatana Dharmiks believe in. One ghati is equal to 24 minutes and 60 ghatis come to 24 hours.

One ghati is divided into 60 parts or 'palas'.

So the 60 ghatis multiplied by 60 palasa comes to 3,600.

This is further multiplied by 60 (becase a pala contains 60 vipalas) which gives us 21,600.

Half of this is for the day, and the other half for the night. So, 21,600

divided by 2 gives us 10,800. For practical purposes, we use 108. Using the

number 108 helps us coordinate the rhythm of time and space & we remain in harmony with the spiritual powers of nature.

http://www.vedicheritage.org/vhsite2007/ar...vgmmar2003.html

[gianvirdi]

vah, i was hoping for a post like that

thank you very much

[immortal57]

in sikhi numbers do not matter

you want to jap naam with every breath, not 108 times

if you do 108 jap jee sahib paath, thats great, but so is 109 or 107