Usage and valuable information about 108 beads in JAAP MALA

One of the students at IIT Kanpur, did some research on significance of the no. 108. I think its a usefull piece of information for all:

• How many beads to you have in a maala?
• Why do saints (sadhus) prefix 108 before their name like Shri Shri 108..?
• And why is 108 given so much importance in religion in particular ?

This is a common question that I am often faced with when people come to take my guidance. So I decided to search the answer in numerology and spiritualism.
In numerology, number 1 is ruled by Sun, 0 by the power of Almighty and 8 by Saturn. Sun symbolizes the spiritual aspect of life. Saturn symbolizes the worldly and material aspect of life and almighty denotes perfection and salvation.

Now a question arises why the number is 108 and not 801 or 180 or 810?

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 = 1 x 4 x 27 = 108) which was thought to have special numerological significance.There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.The chakras, in human body, are the intersections of energy lines, and there are a total of 108 energy lines converging to form the heart chakra. One of them, sushumna leads to the crown chakra, and is said to be the path to Self-realization.

Marmas or marmastanas are like energy intersections called chakras, except have fewer energy lines converging to form them. There are said to be 108 marmas in the subtle body.Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future. There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments called namshas or > chandrakalas. 9 times 12 equals 108. In a horoscope, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 times 9 equals 108.

There were said to be 108 gopis of Lord Krishna.In the Jain religion, 108 are the combined virtues of five categories of holy ones, including 12, 8, 36, 25, and 27 virtues respectively.Sikh tradition has a mala of 108 knots tied in a string of wool, rather than beads.It is believed that Atman, the human soul goes through 108 stages on the journey.

There are 108 forms of dance in the Indian traditions.There are 108 Upanishads as per the list contained in the Muktikopanishad.My search continued and soon I got the answer. According to Vedas, the universe was created by five elements: space, air, fire, water and earth. From these elements came the three attributes:Raj (birth), Sat (protection) and Tam (destruction or death). Â Perfection or salvation can be attained if there is a perfect balance between the three. Similarly, if analyzed, the number 108 contains 1, which stands for the birth, 0 stands for protection and completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 stands for destruction or death.108 is actually the numerical value of the Almighty's power of perfection. It signifies Radha and Krishna, Sita and Ram.

 I concluded this when I came across the phonetic values given by the great Mathematician Aryabhatta. Substituting his numerical values of the alphabets in Radheshyam or Sitaram we get a total of 108.108 symbolises a perfect combination of the social and the spiritual world. The sum of 108 is 9, which is the number of completion. In numerology I have observed that number 9 is a universal number and signifies completion and salvation. It is really strange but most of the human activities revolve round number 9 " a child normally takes 9 months in the mothers' womb, we breath 72 times in a minute and so on.All the multiples of number 9 add up to 9 when each digit is separately added. This shows yet another characteristic of Number 9. Number 9 is the number that has the potential to absorb everything. All vices and good deeds are absorbed in it.Thus, I conclude that 108 is actually a number of ultimate happiness, perfect compatibility and everything in its perfect form.Writing or reciting a mantra 108 times makes it a complete series and helps the devotee in getting closer to God : the ultimate truth
-------------------------------------------------------------------
For more and other information about the cause of 108 beads in Jaap Mala, please vist : >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_108