The significance of number 108 | Why is it considered sacred?

Why is the number 108 considered holy? The response you’ll get from your parents is that it has something to do with math and science. Predating current mathematical formulas, Vedic sages had it all figured out! 108 is the foundation of creation, representing the universe and all of human existence, according to Vedic cosmology.

So, what is the significance of number 108? 

We believe that our exterior cosmology should reflect our inner spirituality in Hinduism since our ultimate revelation is that we are all one. The number 108 units are considered to reflect the gap between our bodies and the God within us. 

According to Ayurveda, we have 108 marma points (vital points of life energies) in our body. Because each chant reflects a journey from our material existence to our most significant spiritual self, all mantras are recited 108 times. Each chant is thought to bring you one unit closer to our inner divinity.

Significance of number 108 in meditation

1. The number 108 is also significant in meditation. There are 108 different types of meditation, according to legend. Enlightenment is thought to be attained by pranayama, the yogic practice of controlling the breath. 
2. People believe that if a person can be so calm that they only breathe 108 times in one day, they will gain enlightenment. Furthermore, throughout 24 hours, an average human is stated to breathe 21,600 times. 
3. Solar energy accounts for half of the total, while lunar energy accounts for the other half. 
4. The result of multiplying 100 by 108 is 10,800. In addition, the maximum number of repetitions each session in Kriya yoga is reported to be 108.

Number 108 in Astrology

The approximate connections of the Sun, Earth, and Moon can be seen in astrology as 108. The Sun’s diameter is 108 times that of the Earth’s. 

The distance between the Sun and Earth is 108 times the Sun’s diameter. The distance between the Earth and the Moon is 108 times the Moon’s diameter. Finally, there are nine planets and twelve astrological houses. 108 is the result of multiplying 12 by 9.

108 Upanishads in Ancient Indian Manuscripts

There are also 108 Upanishads in Hinduism, which are sacred scriptures of wisdom from past sages. 

108 and the Sanskrit Alphabet

There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each letter has a Shakti (feminine) and Shiva (masculine) characteristic. The number 54 multiplied by two equals 108.

Why do Hindus consider the number 108 holy?

These are the reasons why Hindus regard 108 to be sacred. Other religions, on the other hand, acknowledge the mystical potency of 108. For example, there are supposed to be 108 Earthly wants, 108 lies, and 108 mental delusions in Buddhism. This shows how the number 108 has infiltrated Eastern ideas, but it doesn’t stop there. The number 108 does not appear only in religion; it also occurs in nature.

108 Marma Points Cover the Human Body

Marma points are more than just a juncture on the body where two or more types of tissue meet. Marma points are where the vital life force and prana, or breath, come together. The three Ayurvedic Doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, are housed in these places.

There are 108 Marma points on the human body, and the primary Marma points correspond to the body’s seven chakras or energy centres. Marma points on the legs and feet are classified as Sanakha Marma. Those on the trunk as Madhayamanga Marma, and those on the neck and head as Jatrurdhara Marma.

Another reason why the significance of number 108 is high is because of these locations of life force energy throughout the body.

It symbolises the fullness and unity of existence.

According to the mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci, who was born around 1170 and the Fibonacci sequence is named, the number 108 can represent the entirety of existence. The golden ratio is linked to the Fibonacci sequence. The golden ratio is observed in the spiral arrangement of leaves or petals of various plants.

The Fibonacci sequence

One of the most well-known mathematical formulas is the Fibonacci sequence. The sum of the two numbers determines the next number in the sequence. The order is as follows: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so forth. 

Xn+2= Xn+1 + Xn is the mathematical equation that describes it.

“Nature’s secret code” and “nature’s universal rule” have been used to describe it. Everything from the Great Pyramid of Giza to the iconic mollusc Nautilus is supposed to be governed by it.

Significance of number 108 in various fields

In literature

1. The number of suitors vying for Penelope, Odysseus’s wife, in Homer’s Odyssey.
2. In Shi Nai’an’s Chinese classic Water Margin/Outlaws of the Marsh, there are 108 outlaws.
3. Astrophil and Stella, Sir Philip Sidney’s first English sonnet sequence, contains 108 love sonnets.
4. “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe has 108 lines.
5. In Roberto Bolao’s work 2666, “The Part About The Crimes,” there are 108 murders described.

In science

• The atomic number of hassium is 108.
• The internal temperature at which the human body’s vital organs fail due to overheating is 108 degrees Fahrenheit.
• The Earth’s distance from the Sun is approximately 108 times the Sun’s diameter.
• The Earth’s distance from the Moon is also around 108 times the Moon’s diameter.

In sports

• Wouter Weylandt, a Belgian cyclist, was wearing the number 108 when he died in an incident during the Giro d’Italia on May 9, 2011. To honour him, the Giro d’Italia’s organisers opted not to assign race number 108 in future years.
• There are 108 stitches on an official Major League Baseball baseball.
• The Chicago Cubs (MLB) won the World Series for the first time in 108 years in 2016, breaking professional sports’ longest title drought in North America. With 8 runs in the 10th inning, the Cubs won (108).

The significance of number 108 various from religion to religion. Hindu, Buddhist religions have different views and beliefs about the same. So, it is of importance for every belief and has reasons behind it.