The esoteric significance of 108

As has been mentioned many times before Hinduism is a science that has mistakenly been called a religion. It is filled with incredible knowledge that seems inexplicable at first sight but which when examined turn out to be most scientific. The number 108 is one of those inexplicable figures that crops up all the time in Hinduism yet no one seems capable of giving the right answer. It seems to be a very strange number with no reasonable explanation. Was this number chosen at random or did it have any deeper implication. Our knowledge of the Sanatana Dharma makes us intuitively realise that nothing is chosen at random in our culture. Every single thing has a deep scientific and moral value. Actually this number shows the profound insight that our ancients had about the very strong connection the microcosm has to the macrocosm. This is the reason why this number is commonly used in both the religious and artistic expressions of our culture.

When we investigate this unique number we will come up with many interesting facts. All of us have some vague idea of the way our solar system is placed. We know that the sun is the centre of this system and the earth goes round it. We also know that planet earth has a moon which goes round it. It was only recently that modern science found out many interesting facts about this. If we divide the distance from the earth to the sun by the diameter of the sun the answer is 108. If we divide the distance from the earth to the moon by the diameter of the moon it is also 108. It is also a curious fact that the diameter of the sun is approximately 108 times the diameter of the earth. In Vedic astrology, there are 27 constellations or nakshatras in our galaxy. Each of them has four parts or padas. 27 multiplied by four equals 108. In its revolution round the sun, the earth moves through all these constellations in one year. In other words the number 108 covers the whole galaxy. It is something that connects us to our place in the cosmic order. The Sanskrit alphabet is a highly scientific one and covers all the sounds that the human mouth can utter. It has 54 letters. Each letter has a feminine (shakti), and masculine (Shiva), quality. 54 multiplied by 2 equals 108! 

Exactly how the rishis arrived at this complex number we don’t quite know, but we do know that they were expert mathematicians and it is their deep knowledge of these mathematical facts that made them choose this number which makes an appearance in all our arts and sciences.  If we take a pole of any height to a distance 108 times its height we will discover that the angular size of the pole is the same as that of the sun or moon!

This a geometrical fact but why should the number be viewed as holy? The Vedic sages felt that the number 108 represented the whole of existence in this universe. They said that cosmology was a mirror of our inner self. The western scientist Galileo said,

The universe is written “in mathematical language”.

He said that the mysteries of creation could be unravelled through numbers and equations. Long before Galileo came into the picture our rishis had realised that certain numbers were not only mathematically important but also offered a code for awakening our own inner being. They called this number a “Harshad number.” It is an integer divisible by the sum of its digits. 1+0+8 =9. 108 is divisible by 9. The word Harshad is translated as “joy giver”. The wisdom of the Vedic sages, pre-date modern mathematical formulas. It is said that 1 stands for the Supreme, 0 for this world of illusion and 8 stands for Prakriti or Nature. Without that 1 both the world and Prakriti would be shunya or 0!

This number also represents the spiritual steps that an aspirant has to take to proceed from his outer gross body to his inner true divinity. This is why japa malas are composed of 108 beads and all mantras are chanted 108 times because each chant represents one step forward from our limited, material self towards our highest spiritual self. Each chant is believed to bring you 1 unit closer to the divinity within.

In one minute, we breathe approximately 15 times, in 1 hour 900 times, and in 12 hours 10800 times, and in a day 10800 into 2 times. A day consists of 24 hours, and if we set aside half the day for our daily routines, then one can spend 12 hours for the recitation of one's mantra. Therefore, the maximum number of times that one can recite the mantra, or perform japa is 10800. If one wants to obtain 100% benefit from the japa, we would have to repeat it 108 times!

In yoga, the number 108 has a direct reference to our spiritual evolution. This is why it is recommended to do pranayama (breathing techniques) in rounds of 108, Surya Namaskaras (sun salutations) in nine rounds. One round consists of 12 postures and thus the whole practice totals 108. By practicing chanting, breath control and asanas in rounds of this sacred number, the ancient yogis believed we could align ourselves with the rhythm of creation, and ultimately bring an end to our own cycle of birth and re-birth.

A healthy person is said to breathe 21,600 times in a 24-hour period. Out of these half (10,800), are during the day and half during the night. One half is solar energy and one half, lunar energy. 100 multiplied by 108 equals 10,800!

In the state of Samadhi it is said that a person only breathes 108 times for the whole day! Those who practice meditation and pranayama for many hours can achieve this.

The chakras are the intersections of energy lines. Our body contains 7 chakras or psychic centres starting at the top of the head and ending at the base of the spine. The heart chakra, located at the centre of the chest, is associated with transformation and compassion. This heart chakra is said to have 108 nadis (energy lines) that converge to form this centre. The Upanishads are known as Vedanta since they come at the end of the Vedas. They are the most sacred texts of wisdom given by our ancient sages. There are many Upanishads but the most important ones number 108. This number is insidiously woven into the very texture of Hindu life. Our japa malas have 108 beads as has been said before, Shiva’s ganas (attendants) are 108, there are 108 famous Vishnu temples in India, the number of talas or rhythms in classical music is 108, the number of dance poses (karanas) given in the Natya Shastra (science of dance) is 108. Of course every god and goddess has 108 names. The gopis of Vrindavana are said to be 108. Lord Krishna’s wives are said to have numbered 16,108! The number of marmas (weak points) in Ayurveda is 107 and this is because in a chain of 108 units long, the number of weak points would be one less! The number has great significance in meditation as well since there are said to be 108 types of meditation.

The most important of all the yantras or mystic geometrical figures in Hinduism is known as the Sri Yantra. It is a most complicated geometric figure. Even today no one has been able to figure out how exactly it is made. This figure has 54 marmas or intersections where the lines of the triangles meet. Each of these points has both a masculine and feminine energy (Shiva and Shakti). 54 into 2 equals 108. Therefore there are 108 converging points both in the Sri Chakra as well as in the human body.

A pentagon is a five-sided figure in which the angle formed by two adjacent lines equals 108 degrees. There are a few pancha-mukha (five-faced) lingams in India all of which have angles of 108 degrees. These lingams are supposed to be extremely powerful and emit a great amount of spiritual energy. 

Vedic astrology is a lunar based tradition. The metal silver is correlated to the Moon. The atomic weight of silver is 108.

The River Ganga spans a longitude of 12 degrees (79 to 91) and latitude of 9 degrees (22 to 31). 12 multiplied by 9 equals 108!

Strangely enough the first manned space flight on April 12, 1961 by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut lasted 108 minutes!

The examples can go on indefinitely. This is because it is not a random number but something which has a deep scientific basis. The so called superstitious clinging to the number in all our arts and religion is because it is based on the science of life. If we delve deeper into the scientific side we will come up with even more remarkable facts.

The sun is infinitely larger than the moon but to our eyes they look the same. During a solar eclipse the moon which is so much smaller can actually cover the entire sun causing temporary darkness to the earth. This is all because of this mysterious figure 108. All of us have a vague knowledge of how the sun affects us. If we were a bit closer to the sun we would dry up with the heat. If we were a bit farther, we would freeze to death. All of us are aware of this but we don’t realise that this entire phenomenon is connected with the mysterious figure 108. The same applies to the moon. Our distance from the moon has the same 108 ratio. If it came a little closer we would be having tsunamis all the time since the moon is the controller of the ocean. We would also have tremendous problems with our own systems since our bodies are composed of 72 per cent water. So this number 108 is essential for all life on this planet as we know it. Any deviation from this ratio would spell disaster for this world. So we see how this number is absolutely essential for survival in this world.

We are all aware that we are a solar powered planet. We would not exist without the sun but it is also a fact that we would not exist without the moon! We all know that a healthy woman’s reproductive cycle consists of 28 days which is the time taken by the moon to go round the earth. Hinduism follows the lunar month of 28 days and not the solar. Experiments with marine animals etc have discovered that without exposure to moonlight they would stop re-producing. The same would happen to human beings. Without the moon there would be an end to the re-productive ability of all animals including the human and thus life on the planet would come to an end!

Another point to be noted is that the earth is tilted on its own axis at a particular angle. This angle is regulated by the moon. We have seasons only because of this tilt. If the axis was straight there would be no seasons. Hence the moon is as important to us as the sun. Of course it is also connected with the 108 ratio as we have seen.

Like the mantra Aum, then number 108 seems to have an essence that connects us to the whole. It serves as a perpetual reminder to us of the wonder and interconnectedness of the universe. Every time we see this number let us feel proud of the fact that the sages of our country had discovered the extreme importance of this number long before western science had even thought of such a thing and they had in-cooperated it into the very structure of our daily life so that we were always bound to the mystery of this magic universe.

Hari Tum Tat Sat