Have you ever wondered why do we have to chant a Mantra 108 times, take 108 pradakshinas around the temple deity? Why is 108 viewed as holy for all Hindus? You will be amazed when you read this article.
You see 108 is a divine number that is crucial for Life and Death on Planet Earth. The very existence of life on Earth is based on this number 108. To think our Ancient Sages did not know this is a gross understatement. With all their collective wisdom they laid the foundation of our entire Sanatana Dharma to be a way of life as opposed to just a religious order.
Is it just a random number or is there a deeper connection to it? Our Ancient Sages attribute a lot of importance to 108. Now let us dissect this meaningfully.
Amazing aspects of “108”:
There are 108 vital points or marma in a human body according to Ayurveda. Each chant of a Mantra goes through each of those vital points.
Also, in Hinduism, there are 108 Upanishads, the sacred texts of wisdom from ancient sages. Additionally, in the Sanskrit alphabet, there are fifty-four letters. Each letter has a feminine, or Shakti, and masculine, or Shiva, quality. 54 multiplied by 2 equals 108.
There are 12 Raasi’s or astrological houses and 9 Graha’s or Navagraha’s planets.
An average person is said to breathe 21,600 times in a 24-hour period. Half, 10,800, is solar energy (breaths during the day), and the other half is lunar energy (breaths during the night). 100 multiplied with 108 equals 10,800.
The Yog Gurus always tell us that our body contains seven chakras, starting at the top of the head and ending at the base of the spine. Each chakra is said to be an energy center within our body. The heart chakra, located at the exact center of the chest, is associated with transformation and love energy. It is believed that opening this energy center will lead to joy and compassion. Apparently, this heart chakra is also said to have 108 nadi (energy lines) that converge to form this energy center.
River Ganga spans a longitude of approximately 12 degrees (79 to 91) and a latitude of 9 degrees (22 to 31). 12 multiplied by 9 equals 108.
The Sarsen Circle at Stonehenge in the UK has a diameter of 108 feet.
The Brideshwara Temple in the city of Tanjore has a height is 216 ft which is 108×2.
The Koh Ker is the modern name for an important city of the Khmer empire in Cambodia. During the reign, the Kings Jaya Varman IV and Harsha Varman II Koh Ker were briefly the capital of the whole Khmer empire (928–944 AD). Inscriptions in the town mention this city as Lingapura (city of lingams). Koh Ker Pyramid at the time had an impressive Lingam atop this impressive structure. The height of this pyramid before the Lingam was destroyed was 108 ft
Now for the real interesting part:
If you were to divide the distance between the Earth and Sun by the diameter of the Sun it is approximately equal to 108
If you were to divide the distance between the Earth and the Moon by the diameter of the Moon it is 108
The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of Earth. The distance from the Sun to Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Sun. The distance from the Earth to Moon is 108 times the diameter of the moon. This is also the reason when you look up in the sky you see the size of the Moon and the Sun as the same. We all know that Sun is at least 400 times larger than the Moon. The Moon should have appeared as a speck in front of the Sun, but what you see every day and during eclipses is vastly different. All of this is attributed to this unique number.
The very existence of life on Earth is because of this unique position of the Earth, Sun, and Moon and the axial tilt of the Earth. Imagine if this was not 108, our existence on this planet would be at severe risk exposing us to catastrophic calamities such as Tsunami, Ice storms, Heatwaves. Very soon this Blue Planet would be like Mars or Venus.
For those Geeks out there, look up the equations to see what you get when you measure the distance to the Sun divided by the diameter of say, Mars or Venus. And do the same with the moons of those planets respectively. The reason why Life does not exist is said to be because of this.
But then you may ask the question is there a planet out there which can sustain Life. Perhaps yes, but certainly not at least in this Solar system. In another Galaxy that may have its own equivalent of a Sun and planets revolving around it, this may be a potential scenario. Again that 108 is crucial to have to sustain life.
When you look up and see the Billions of stars in the galaxy, surely there might be at least one Planet out there that follows this equation. Who knows the Gods must be watching us from this Planet… aka Swarga / Heaven?
Coming back to why we were not told about going around the deities in a temple 108 times or reciting a mantra or a prayer 108 times; Well, WE SIMPLY NEVER ASKED OUR PRIESTS. But now you know.
If you are a Sanatana Dharma follower, you have to be just AMAZED at how our Ancient Sages knew this when they spun the foundation fabric on Santana Dharma and deemed it as a Way of Life. No wonder Sanatana Dharma regards 108 as a Divine Number
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