Many of us who follow Yoga must be aware of how some Yoga community started their new year : Yes, with 108 Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskar.
Do know more interesting facts and things associated with 108!!!
Tradition prayer malas have 108 beads
- In Hinduism, Buddhism tradition prayer malas have 108 beads,remember rudraksha malas.
- Mukhya ShivaGanas are also 108 in numbers.
- Who are ShivaGanas ? Lord Shiva has created many special Souls to assist Him in His work. These entities, also known as Shiva Ganas, have an abundance of Lord Shiva’s energies embedded in them.
- Jews often give gifts and charitable donations in multiples of the number 18, associated with the Hebrew word ‘chai(חי)’, meaning ‘alive’, ‘living’, or ‘life’.The number 108 both is a multiple of 18 (6 times 18) and contains the numbers 1 and 8 that compose the number 18. Source.
- There are 108 Upanishads, texts of the wisdom of the ancient sages.
- It is said that Lord Krishna had 108 gopis
- 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 this number.
- There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet.Each one has a masculine (Shiva) and feminine quality (Shakti) associated with it. 54 letters x 2 qualities.
- The Chakras which are the energy levels, starting from the root and travel to the top of the crown. It is said there are 108 energy lines that converge to form the heart chakra, Anahata.
- 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. Source.
Also, there is an awesome article by Sadhguru where he explained how 108 comes into significance. He also mentioned the below facts in the article.
The distances between the Sun and the Earth, the distances between the Moon and the Earth, the way the planet rotates and the impact it has – all these things have been looked at with great care. The diameter of the Sun multiplied by 108 equals the distance between Sun and Earth, and the diameter of the Moon multiplied by 108 equals the distance between Earth and Moon. The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. That is why we have 108 beads in a mala.
Ok, so what’s the significance of this number?
This number breaks down to:
- 1 = God or a Higher Truth
- 0 = Emptiness or Completeness
- 8 = Infinity or Eternity
What is the significance for us?
Start – Just Do it
We people have become so busy in our mundane life that we neglect some of the most precious things we have with us. Yes, our bodies. Let’s start and move beyond zero. Be it a minute of physical activity or some moments of silence meditation. Just do it.
Here is a beautiful post, a love letter to our beautiful body. Love your body and care for it.
Happy Practicing.
