Yogis Sacred Number 108

Galileo Galilei said that “the universe is written in Mathematical Language” – that the mysteries of creation itself could be unraveled through numbers and equations. For the mystics, such numbers offered more than a scientific explanation — they offered a code for awakening, a code to our own nature. And for the yogis, that code is 108.

In yoga, the number 108 refers to spiritual completion. It is why japa malas are composed of 108 beads, why pranayama is often completed in cycles of 108, and why sun salutations are often performed in nine rounds of the 12 postures (totaling 108). 

In Astrology, our connection with destiny 108, also appears frequently. The Earth, for example, is said to have an Astrological cycle of 2160 years (20 x 108). While there are also 27 lunar mansions in Vedic Astrology spread over the four elements, or the four directions (27 x 4 = 108).

The importance of the number 108 can be seen repetitively in Astronomy and Astrology:-

1. In Vedic astrology there are 12 Rasis (solar houses) and 9 Navamsas (lunar houses), 9 x 12 = 108.
2. The diameter of the sun is about 108 times that of the diameter of Earth.
3. The average distance between the Earth and the Sun is 108 times the sun’s diameter.
4. The average distance from the Earth to the Moon is 238,800 miles, about 108 times the moons diameter. This makes it so the moon appears the same size as the sun during eclipses.
5. In Vedic Astrology there are 27 Nakshatras and each Nakshatra has 4 Padas. If you multiply the 27 Nakshatras with the 4 padas of the Moon it equals 108.