108 sacred number hinduism holy books

The number 108 is divided, such as in half, third, quarter, or twelfth, so that some malas have 54, 36, 27, or 9 beads. Throughout history 108 has always been a highly revered number, coveted by many. However, the holy books in hinduism are the basis on which we have evolved our culture and way of living. Around the time the ancient vedic texts were being collected, far away. In hindu dharma, number 108 has held great importance. It is always used as the number of beads in a vara mala or a vrata mala. Here is a brief explanation of the use and importance of this number. Lets look at some of the reasons why 108 is considered to be a sacred number. Rishi panchami is a day of fasting observed traditionally by married women to pay their homage to the sapta rishis. The onelined rudraksha is called as singlefaced rudraksha while the twoline rudraksha is called as twofaced rudraksha and so on.

Heres how the number 108 binds us to the universe hindu. Also, in hinduism there are 108 upanishads, the sacred texts of wisdom from. Here is a brief explanation of why this number is so pristine and holy for hindus. The relative authority of religious texts develops over time and is derived from the ratification. The holy book in the hindu religion is known as the vedas. Not only hinduism, number 108 has its profound significance in sikhism, buddhism, and jainism, all of which are offshoot religions of hinduism.

Bhagavad gita is a popularly known holy book of hindus. Why is the number 108 considered sacred by hinduism. In hinduism the lines between the sacred and the secular are blurred and depend on. In hindu tradition, the mukhya shivaganas attendants of shiva are 108 in number and hence shaiva religions, particularly lingayats, use malas of 108 beads for prayer and meditation. The body of sacred literature in hinduism is vast and diverse enough to write volumes on. The number 108 is considered sacred, and continues to pop up in yoga, nature, and astrology. Mukhya shivaganas also known as the attendants of lord shiva were 108 in number that is why it is recommended to do 108 mala jaap of rudraksh for lord shiva. This is the reasons, why our ancient books have everything in multiples of 9. In the last article we took a look at the ancient art of gematria which is the art of assigning numbers to. The tripitaka is the earliest collection of buddhist writing and contains a total of 2184 sacred writings and tales to guide the buddhist communities. Lets see the significance of numbers one to ten in hinduism. But, how many of us know the actual importance of this number. Rudraksha seeds are believed to possess divine and medicinal properties. Here, i will give only a brief introduction to the holy books of hinduism.

The sikh tradition has a mala of 108 knots tied in a string of wool, rather than beads. But 108 and 1008 are used for all the gods in ashtotharam 108 and sahasranamam 1008, particularly in all the south indian temples on day to day basis. Number 108 has its significance in almost every rituals followed in india. The number 108 is very special for followers of hinduism. The holy books in hinduism are there only for guidance. The vedas are scriptures that the hindu people use as a guide to daily and religious life.

Phi, metatrons cube and the holy number 108 by marty leeds greetings world mystery readers. This holy book is written in the sanskrit language. International day of yoga is celebrated annually on 21 june i. Most interesting facts about hinduism sanatana dharma. Each tradition has a long list of hindu texts, with subgenre based on syncretization of ideas from samkhya, nyaya, yoga, vedanta and other schools of hindu philosophy. For example, the number 108 is considered sacred in many eastern religions and traditions, such as hinduism, buddhism, jainism and sikhism, it is a major connection number in yoga and dharma based practices, even the prehistoric monument stonehenge is 108 feet in diameter. Om or aum aum, also known as, om, is the most important symbol in hinduism. They differ from literary texts by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual practices, commandments or laws, ethical conduct, spiritual aspirations, and for creating or fostering a religious community. Vedic sages of later era devised a vyjanti mala rosary with 108 beadsstones to keep count of mantras hymns in their daily ritual of meditation. Of these some called sruti are broadly considered as core scriptures of hinduism, but beyond the sruti, the list of. But 108 has long been considered a sacred number in hinduism and yoga. Hinduism is an ancient religion with diverse traditions such as vaishnavism, shaivism, shaktism and others.

Why do we give so much importance to 108 in hinduism. In addition, the ring of prayer beads worn around the waist of zen priests is usually made of 108 beads. Hinduism does not possess a single holy book like bible in christianity and quran in islamic dharma. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism. Have you ever been asked to chant a mantra for fifteen minutes or 100 times. The hindu rosary or set of mantra counting has 108 beads.

There is something called pramana, authority, which our acharyas have recognised, and as per the acharyas a set of books are considered primary texts, whereas, other books based on these primary books can also be referred to. Hinduism sacred books the bhagavad gita, translated from the sanskrit, with introduction and notes revised second edition. Why the number 108 is sacred in yoga and hinduism yoga. Significance of 108 what is the significance of number. Traditionally, malas, or garlands of prayer beads, come as a string of 108 beads plus one for the guru bead, around which the. It is made up of three sanskrit letters namely a, u, and m, and is written as no. Rotate 8 by 90 degrees either ways, you get the symbol of infinity. The institutes of vishnu sbe 7 julius jolly, translator 1880 sacred books of the east, vol. In the jain religion, 108 are the combined virtues of five categories of holy ones, including 12, 8, 36, 25, and 27 virtues respectively. Guided by the founder, satguru sivaya subramuniyaswami, the magazines editors, who are initiated monks of the kauais hindu monastery, collaborated with holy men and women and experts around the world in creating graphically rich guides to virtually. The importance of the number 108 in hinduism live vaastu. Sacred number 108 abstract meaning of number 108 below is the abstract definition of number 108 1 stands for supreme truth or god consciousness. What is the significance of number 108 in hindu philosophy. These reasons explain why hindus considered 108 holy.

Even the prehistoric monument stonehenge is 108 feet in diameter. Atmansoul in hinduism, it is believed that the soul or inner self atman, goes through 108 stages of spiritual development. Since 1979 the international magazine hinduism today has been producing a treasury of educational features on all aspects of sanatana dharma. I will talk about vedas first with regards to this number. Its importance is so much rooted hinduism that mobile companies has made a business of selling mobile numbers having 108. Zero zero or shunya represents nirguna brahman who is sans any form or quality. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. So, every buddhist has to overcome 108 earthly temptations to achieve nirvana. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas.

Earth, sun, and moon are also linked to the holy 108. The number 108 is considered holy and auspicious in hinduism. All hindus know that some books are considered holy by everyone, and not every book written by every author becomes holy. There are many sacred texts of hindus but most valuable and primary texts are vedas. The number 108 is very auspicious for followers of sanatana dharma. The following are the most sacred holy books in hinduism. Here are some more amazing examples of the magic of the number 108. According to yogic tradition, there are 108 pithas, or sacred sites, throughout india. The numbers significance is open to interpretation.

In this way, there are about 1108 types of rudraksha beads. First, lets distinguish between two types of hindu literature. Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata, and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation, etc. In the jain religion, 108 are the combined virtues of five categories of holy ones, including 12, 8. The number 108 is considered sacred in many eastern religions and traditions, such as hinduism 3, buddhism, jainism 4, sikhism and connected yoga and dharma based practices. Traditionally, malas, or garlands of prayer beads, come as a string of 108 beads plus. Vedic sages used the term shri 108 to represent yogis, preceptors, divine and highly learned gurus. The number 108 is considered sacred by the dharmic religions, such as hinduism, buddhism, and jainism. But then what is paramtman is another question and we must then tread another path for understanding. The number 108 is sacred to us hindus and when we do japa 108 times we are treading the sacred path and that is the significance to realize paramatman. The diameter of the sun is 108 times more than the diameter of the earth. Japanese monks rings their temple bells 108 times to welcome new year and sign of the old one.

The number 108 is considered highly auspicious in hindu and buddhist. The religious scriptures are not followed word to word. This article is the second article in a continuing series dealing with sacred number, sacred geometry and gematria. The number 108 is sacred in mathematics, geometry, astrology, numerology and in many world religions and spiritual traditions. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. When we see number of beads in vara malavrata mala, number of names of god and goddess, i always wondered there should be some prominence for 108 which i do not know. Hindus magic numbers 18, 108, 1008 by s swaminathanin hinduism numbers have a lot of significance. Rudraksha beads are classified according to the number of lines on them. Why number 108 is considered auspicious in indian culture. It can be written on large pieces of thick material and stored in large buildings. The word meru recalls the mythological holy mountain at the center of the hindu cosmic universe and lord vishnus heavenly seat. Why the number 108 is sacred in yoga and hinduism yoga journal.