SIGNIFICANCE OF 108 BEADS IN A MALA

In a mala, or set of mantra counting beads, there are generally 108 beads, or some fraction of that number. The question often arises:

Why are there 108 beads on a mala?

Below are some of the many reasons that have been given for having 108 beads on a mala, as well as a few other points of interest. None of these reasons are being promoted here as more or less true than the others. However, you may notice that 108 appear to be somewhat like a road map of reality in general, and the human in particular.

Regardless of the meaning of 108, it is important that if a mala is used to count mantras, the mantra be remembered with sincerity, devotion, feeling, and full attention.

SIGNIFICANCE OF NUMBER 108 IN MALA (BEADS)

9 times 12: Both of these numbers have been said to have spiritual significance in many traditions. 9 times 12 is 108. Also, 1 plus 8 equals 9. That 9 times 12 equals 108.

Powers of 1, 2, and 3 in math: 1 to 1st power=1; 2 to 2nd power=4 (2x2); 3 to 3rd power=27 (3x3x3). 1x4x27=108

Harshad number: 108 is a Harshad number, which is an integer divisible by the sum of its digits (Harshad is from Sanskrit, and means "great joy")

Desires: There are said to be 108 earthly desires in mortals.

Lies: There are said to be 108 lies that humans tell.

Delusions: There are said to be 108 human delusions or forms of ignorance.

Heart Chakra: The chakras are the intersections of energy lines, and there are said to be 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.

Sanskrit alphabet: There are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet. Each has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti. 54 times 2 is 108.

Pranayama: If one is able to be so calm in meditation as to have only 108 breaths in a day, enlightenment will come.

Upanishads: Some say there are 108 Upanishads, texts of the wisdom of the ancient sages.

Sri Yantra: On the Sri Yantra there are marmas where three lines intersect, and there are 54 such intersections. Each intersections has masculine and feminine, shiva and shakti qualities. 54 times 2 equals 108. Thus, there are 108 points that define the Sri Yantra as well as the human body.

Pentagon: The angle formed by two adjacent lines in a pentagon equals 108 degrees.

Marmas: Marmas or marmasthanas 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.

Time: Some say there are 108 feelings, with 36 related to the past, 36 related to the present, and 36 related to the future.

8 extra beads: In doing a practice of counting the number of repetitions of the mala, 100 are counted as completed. The remaining are said to cover errors or omissions. The 8 are also said to be an offering to God and Guru.

Chemistry: Interestingly, there are about 115 elements known on the periodic table of the elements. Most of those, around or higher than the number 100 only exist in the laboratory, and some for only thousandths of a second. The number that naturally exist on Earth is around 100.

Astrology: There are 12 constellations, and 9 arc segments called namshas or chandrakalas. 9 times 12 equals 108. Chandra is moon, and kalas are the divisions within a whole.

River Ganga: 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 108.

Planets and Houses: In astrology, there are 12 houses and 9 planets. 12 times 9 equals 108.

Goddess names: There are said to be 108 Indian goddess names.

Gopis of Krishna: In the Krishna tradition, there were said to be 108 gopis or maid servants of Krishna.

1, 0, and 8: Some say that 1 stands for God or higher Truth, 0 stands for emptiness or completeness in spiritual practice, and 8 stands for infinity or eternity.

Sun and Earth: The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. The distance from the Sun to the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Sun.

Moon and Earth: The average distance of the Moon from the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Moon.

Silver and the moon: In astrology, the metal silver is said to represent the moon. The atomic weight of silver is 108.

Numerical scale: The 1 of 108, and the 8 of 108, when added together equals 9, which is the number of the numerical scale, i.e. 1, 2, 3 ... 10, etc., where 0 is not a number.

Meditations: Some say there are 108 styles of meditation.

Breath: Tantra estimates the average number of breaths per day at 21,600, of which 10,800 are solar energy, and 10,800 are lunar energy. Multiplying 108 by 100 is 10,800. Multiplying 2 x 10,800 equals 21,600.

Paths to God: Some suggest that there are 108 paths to God.

Smaller divisions: The number 108 is divided, such as in half, third, quarter, or twelfth, so that some malas have 54, 36, 27, or 9 beads.

Hinduism: 108 is said to refer to the number of Hindu deities. Some say that each of the deities has 108 names.

Islam: The number 108 is used in Islam to refer to God.

Jain: 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: The Sikh tradition has a mala of 108 knots tied in a string of wool, rather than beads.

Buddhism: Some Buddhists carve 108 small Buddhas on a walnut for good luck. Some ring a bell 108 times to celebrate a new year. There are said to be 108 virtues to cultivate and 108 defilements to avoid.

Chinese: The Chinese Buddhists and Taoists use a 108 bead mala, which is called su-chu, and has three dividing beads, so the mala is divided into three parts of 36 each. Chinese astrology says that there are 108 sacred stars.

Stages of the soul: Said that Atman, the human soul or center goes through 108 stages on the journey.

Meru: This is a larger bead, not part of the 108. It is not tied in the sequence of the other beads. It is the quiding bead, the one that marks the beginning and end of the mala.

Dance: There are 108 forms of dance in the Indian traditions.

Praiseworthy souls: There are 108 qualities of praiseworthy souls.

First man in space: The first manned space flight lasted 108 minutes, and was on April 12, 1961 by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut.

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MEANING OF MANTRA (HYMNS)

Mantras are the sacred verses or sounds which are used by any individual for his inner & mental peace. It is a group of words which is believed to have strong psychological and spiritual power. By chanting the mantras again & again leads to spiritual transformation which further connects the soul of the person to the God. 

The very basic mantra is OM or AUM or ऊँ (In Hindi)

Basically, Mantras are the name of God which is recited by the person having faith in spirituality and who wants to get connected with the creator of the world. These Hymns have the power and energy which produces the vibrations inside the system which further dispels the negativity.

Repetitive use of Mantra leads to formation of JAPA i.e. uttering or practicing of mantra for an auspicious number of times. The most popular is 108 which is counted on Rosary Beads (sometimes referred to as the 'meru', or 'guru' or ‘mala’)

The devotee performing Japa using his/her fingers counts each bead as he/she repeats the chosen mantra. Having reached 108 repetitions, if he/she wishes to continue another cycle of mantras, the devotee turns the mala around without crossing the head bead and repeats the cycle.

ENCOURAGE: SPIRITUALITY IN SCHOOLS & COLLEGES

India, the country with enhanced richness in its religion, culture and beliefs does not promote Spirituality. It is quite a shame that, we are getting rid off from our basic prerequisite of life, which is an asset received from our ancient gurus & sadhus (sages).

Ancient scriptures written by our sages are the pillars of the Indian society which are getting extinct due to modernization and molding of our self in western culture. Young generation across the country is unaware of our culture, civilization and didn’t even recognize our precious history.

This is due to the fact that our education system concentrates only on western subjects instead of our foundation subjects, like Spiritualism etc. Ancient sages in their Gurukool (School) or Hermitage or a Monastery teaches their students from the very basic thing which are linked to Spiritualism and Indian cultural activities such as yoga, music study or religious instruction.

The aim of these Monasteries is to develop the individual from their inner (soul) to the outer body by mean of physical & spiritual teachings which includes Meditation (Yoga), Sadhna (Bhakti), Yajnas, Prayers etc. Due to such an atmosphere, the Gurukool was established in a peaceful location and very near to nature like in forests & mountains, so that the individual sacrifices the materialistic world and understand the basic concepts of life.

However, the schools in today’s modern time cannot be located in forests but still they have forgotten the idea of “Simple Living & High Thinking” provided by Asharam. Even modern schools and their teachers are very fond of attaining and teaching the western civilization which leads to end of our treasurable culture and religious beliefs. 

Britishers who ruled our country for an about 200 years, already infected us from the virus (their western society) and we are still trying to practicise it and allowing the same to destruct our culture, due to which our young generation are in danger and does not have the knowledge of our glorious past.

So, why can’t we support our wonderful culture and take steps to protect it by sharing the role & concept of Spiritualism in young fellows. So that our next generation acts as a strong defender and by virtue of it, we can save our country’s rich religion & beliefs.

“ADDING SIMILAR SUBJECTS OF SPIRITUALISM OR MEDITATION IN OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM MAY PROVED TO BE VERY DECISIVE IN SENSE OF BUILDING OUR NATION, A STRONG ELEMENT IN FUTURE”

KUNDALI JAGRAN (AWAKENING OF SOUL)

Beyond human mind and body, One of the most important, powerful and minute creation of God is the SOUL. No one has the capability to explain “SOUL”, as very few people feel the power of its existence. It cannot be visualized, touched or felt until we energize it to a certain level.

“The Process of Awakening of Soul is known as KUNDALI JAGRAN (In Hindu Mythology)”

Kundali Jagran can be achieved through Direct Meditation, Yoga Activities or by Enchanting Mantras.

One should have to activate and boost its inner strength to feel the essence of it. This process is used to purify the complete system of the body whether it is physically or mentally. Awakening of Soul provides you divine power and leads to the state of mental peace.

Five (5) major impurities which get extracted from the system, by the process of Kundali Jagran are:-

1.     SEX or LUST (KAAM)
2.     ANGER or RAGE (KRODH)
3.     GREED (LOBH)
4.     ATTACHMENT (MOH)
5.     PRIDE or EGO (AHANKAAR)

A normal human being is completely occupied from the above 5 things which results in a huge disturbance of the Soul to its reality and facts. The person seems to be active in physical word but inactive from inside. Due to the above realities, the inner progress becomes motionless which leads the person’s mind to negativity.

Kundali Jagran awakes the beginning of actual spiritual experience, which is very simple, natural and necessary in terms of reaching the goal.

And obviously, The Goal of each and every individual on this earth is to achieve the status of Salvation.

SALVATION (Moksha)

SALVATION (Moksha in Hindu Mythology) is the process by virtue of it the Soul cannot enter in any life cycle and will never come to existence in future. In short, the soul exempt to born & death cycle and attains peace.

The word "Salvation" needs to be understood properly as most of the world treats Death as Salvation, which is wrong.

As I stated in my earlier posts, God sent us on this living planet so as to burn our remaining deeds (karma). These deeds (karma) are already reduced to some extent by our soul which completed their desired span in hell/heaven. After that only we arrived on this planet.

God allows us (us here stands for only human beings not animals, birds etc.) to enchant his name so that our books of deeds finishes within the life cycle, which allows your further to mix our soul with the God's.

Ancient saints use to mediate for years to achieve Salvation but in current scenario, we are so busy with our schedules of life, that we are unable to do so. Henceforth our beloved god makes the steps easily so that we can reach him.

One of the easiest and best ways to achieve Salvation is to enchant the God's name regularly.

We can remember him all the time by thanking him for the things he had given to us and making our life perfect. We can start and end our day by mesmerizing him. We can thank him that he made us healthy by health, wealthy by wealth and provides us the basic amenities like food, shelter and clothes. We can pray for his blessings so as to live happily with peace & prosperity.

By connecting with the divine power of god and doing such things, I am sure God will lead us to the correct path and help us to achieve Salvation within our lives.

IDENTIFY YOURSELF

Most of the people recognize them by their official designations, on which they have been appointed viz.  CEO, CMD, Doctor, Engineer etc. They loved to identify by their designation as they feel pride and honor from inside. But this results an ego formation in their mind that they are superior from others and under this influence, they starts misbehaving with their friends and colleagues.

Actually, they are ruled by their portfolios & designations and are bound to behave like that.  As they are spending time like a King, they ignore basics aspects of life.

Person with such an attitude forgets that:-

1. They also have born and will die one day
2. They also take the same food and water to live
3. They also wear clothes
4. They also sleep and wake up in the morning
5. They also feel love, pain, sorrow

So where is the difference between the Rich and Poor, CEO and a common employee, etc.?

God is common to all of us and the same way he treats. He is just fulfilling the wishes and desires of peoples after analyzing their deeds in the past. 

He produces challenges in front of all and wants to see whether they remember him in their good as well as in bad time. He used to check everyone throughout the life by assigning tasks to them. 

One has to pray god and appraise him for what he provided to survive on the earth. Also, always try to move one step forward towards god by keeping in mind that :-

"We are just a drop of water who started his journey, to end up in the ocean"

Once our account reaches to zero in terms of good or bad deeds, our soul will reached to its destination, i.e. Holy feet of god.

HELL OR HEAVEN - BOTH TEMPORARY

People throughout the world think about life after death, but their mind is incapable to think beyond only two things, which are HELL and HEAVEN. And most of them want to enter Heaven as we heard a lot of that place viz. Gods, Angels, Full of peace etc.

In short we can say that:-

“Heaven is a Galleria of all good stuff at a single place whether tangible or intangible”.

Heaven as in books, described as the holiest place where Souls of good people resides. Good people here referred to the persons, who added a lot of positive deeds (Karma) in their account during their stay at earth.

HELL, just opposite to Heaven is a place, which also comes after the life ends. This place is full of pain, misery, sufferings and in fact it is a home full of negativity inside.

But Hell is better known as:-

“The area where the Souls get punished due to their Sins added in their account during their period of stay”.

God, the supreme power has the rights to evaluate and allocates the Soul, to enter either Hell or Heaven. As per Hindu Mythology, Chitragupta is the holy god who has been assigned with the task of keeping complete records of human beings on the earth. And he is fully responsible for allocation of souls into Heaven or Hell.

But in both the cases, the Souls have to complete their span in their respective places viz. Hell or Heaven and later on they have to move forward so as to enter into a new body.

As 100% of Soul’s Goodness cannot be Utilized in Heaven

&

100% of Soul’s Sins cannot be Burnt in Hell

So

God directs the Soul (good/bad) to enter the life cycle

SALVATION (MOKSHA):- GOD ALLOWS THE SOUL TO ENTER THE CYCLE OF BIRTH & DEATH AGAIN, SO THAT THE SOUL GETS ONE MORE CHANCE TO ATTAIN SALVATION AND HENCE IT GET RID OF REBIRTH CYCLE.

Both Hell & Heaven are temporary, Only Salvation is permanent and allows the soul to rest in peace.

Now, It’s up to the person, What he want?

1)     Heaven

2)     Hell

or

3)     Salvation (Moksha)

UNSATISFIED HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

We have plenty of food to eat, ample of clothes to wear, beautiful home to live, but still we are unhappy from inside. Why is it so? Why we feel miserable & greedy? Why we feel restless internally? Why we feel jealous from others?

                                     

This is because we forget to enlighten our self-consciousness, we are lacking co-ordination from our inner world and focusing to the malicious outside world which is affecting our peace. We are following a normal human behavior, in which we are diverting our self towards the lavishing lifestyle instead of boosting our inner strength.

There was a time, when a person earns just to fulfill his family basic needs, like food, clothes, shelter etc., he used to live happy with immense joy and peace but now the time has changed. Even a millionaire or billionaire, wearing costly suits, shoes are not happy and feels insecure throughout his life, because he is earning beyond his needs and thinks to expand his balance sheet progressively.

Following are some basic and effective methods to overcome from above mentioned disorders:-
1.)    Meditation (Yoga)
2.)    Chanting/ Reading verses of God (Mantra)
3.)    Fast once in a week or take unsalted meal
4.)    Mute for hours
5.)    Concentrate on inner peace by sitting at a calm place

People among the world consult doctors to overcome such situations and spend their valuable time & money. However, one has to think deeply with a positive attitude and asks himself a simple question, 

“WHETHER HE LIKES TO SIT IN A DOCTOR’S ROOM OR SIT ASIDE A SEA SHORE”.

The results of these methods are excellent as it directs the individual’s mind in a positive direction by allowing him to work on his brain, which subsequently increases its inner personality & strength, sensibility, activeness, +ve attitude, behavior, etc.

We shall thank God, rather blaming him due to sufferings as he has provided us the remedies which are free of cost and easily available.

POWER OF THE BRAIN BRINGS FLASHBACK OF LIFE IN THE END

Have you ever experience your past days of school in your dreams which you want to memorize after 10-15 years, which you were unable to recollect normally? I hope this happens to almost everyone and the same happened to me when I was returning home from my daily routine.

Today, due to some traffic jam, I changed my route to an old one which I used to take in my early school days. Of course as I said, a FLASHBACK runs into my mind which recollects the images and sequences of things happened in my past. Our powerful brain calculates and flashes different things which changed/ unchanged during the tenure.

FLASHBACK is a psychological phenomenon in which an individual has a sudden, usually powerful, re-experiencing of a past experience or elements of a past experience. These experiences can be happy, sad, exciting, or any other emotion one can consider.

While driving I feel that the flashback which came to my mind was not totally clear, or say the visibility of the past was not clear, it was something like a blurred image/ video. I keep on pressurizing my brain to demonstrate the clear picture of my past, which I want to see again, but I was unsuccessful.

Later on, my mind concludes that while dreaming during the night, the thoughts/ images/ videos/ flashes are pretty much clear, visible and realistic as it was happened. But the question arises WHY IT WAS SO REAL IN NIGHT DREAMS?

ANSWER: - Actually, it happens when a person feels relaxed, cool, calm n free from stress, and as the person is happy from inside, his brain takes him to the journey of the past where he cherished some of the golden moments of his life and projects the same in his dreams. These dreams/ flashbacks are of very short duration

BUT, MANY OF OUR SAINTS SAID, WHEN A PERSON IS NEAR TO HIS DEATH BED, BEFORE HE LEAVES HIS BODY, GOD ALLOW BRAIN TO PLAY FULL MOVIE OF THE PERSON’S LIFE CYCLE, SINCE FROM THE START viz. BORN, PLAY SCHOOL, TEENAGE LIFE, YOUNGSTERS, MARRIAGE, ETC., ALL THE THINGS HE SPENT ALL OVER HIS LIFE TIME. 

BECAUSE AT THAT TIME, HIS BODY IS MOVING TOWARDS THE ENDING PHASE AND HIS BRAIN DOES NOT ALLOW HIM TO MOVE FORWARD EXCEPT LOOKING BACK INTO THE PAST.