108

In general, I am very fond of numbers.  I read a very interesting article on the significance of 108 recently and thought I should write about this unique number.

In mathematics the number 108 is an abundant number and a semi-perfect number.  108 is also known as Harshad Number as it is an integer which is divisible by the sum of its digits.  1 to the power 1 and 2 to the power 2 and 3 to the power 3 is equal to 108.  The pentagon is formed with interior angles of 108 degrees each.

In Religion, the number 108 is considered very sacred by the Eastern Religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.  The individual digits in the number 108 represents One thing (1); Nothing (0) and Infinity (8). 1 stands for God (higher truth); 0 stands for emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice and 8 stands for infinity or eternity.

There are 54 letters in Sanskrit and each letter can be mentioned as Masculine and Feminine aspect, totalling to 108.  The powerful Sri Chakra Yantra intersects at 54 points each with a masculine and feminine quality, thus totalling to 108.

There are 108 Divya Desams which are considered very sacred in the Hindu Religion.  These are the 108 Divya Kshetrams of Lord Vishnu.

Japa Mala has 108 beads as Hindus believe that the mantra has to be repeated 108 times.  108 signifies the wholeness of the divinity and perfect totality.

As a human being we are said to have 108 Desires; 108 Delusions and we tell 108 lies.  There are 108 earthly temptations a person must overcome to achieve Nirvana.  We also get 108 different feelings during the day, 36 related to past, 36 related to present and 36 related to future.  Atman, the human soul, goes through 108 stages on the journey.  There are 108 qualities of praiseworthy souls.

 In Astrology, there are 12 constellations and 9 arc segments and thus 9 times 12 is 108.  The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of Earth.  The distance from the Sun to the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Sun.

The pre-historic monument "Stonehenge" is 108 feet in diameter.  At 108 degrees farenheit, the human body's vital organs begin to fail from overheating.  This could be reason why in India the Emergency number is 108 (toll free number to call Ambulance, Police, Fire Service).

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
4th October 2013