Controversial 108 Beads Or 108 Lies?

Kanwaljit.Singh · Dec 19, 2015

Source: http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Significance_of_the_number_108

The basic ten digit numbering system developed in India has one to nine numbers and a zero. The final digit is nine which when multiplied by any other digit gives a series of numbers which add up to the number nine. For example the addition of one, zero and eight is nine. This is the significance of 108 which is a multiple of nine or nine times twelve to be exact. Generally a set of prayer beads contains 108 beads. It is also auspicous to offer 108 flowers in Puja or in multiples of 9.

One hundred and eight beads of Mala: 21,600 breaths are divided by two (one half for night, Remaining 10,800 is divided by 100. Some of the Acharyas have set the system that a sanyasi must chant the name of god 10,800 times a day. The figure of 108 is sometimes used in front of the name of a holy or highly respected person who's connected with god. This results in a person who follows the law of repeating the Lord's name with half of his life's breaths.

Is there any truth in the above description?

Also check out the whole Wiki page, most of the article is filled with Hindu beliefs around no. 108.

Why would a Sikh concern thyself with numbers when it all collapses down to ONE?

Admin · Dec 19, 2015

Is there any mention of 108 beads in SGGS?

Rajwinder · Dec 19, 2015

I dont understand the point .. even if we prove that this number has some significance then what ? Does that will prove that sikh religionfoundation members were good mathematicians ? I think the same i have seen in some gurdwara's where people do this "lari" of path's sitting in one big room .. ;-) i think these all are number traps ;-) .. lets stay out of it i guess.

Ishna · Dec 19, 2015

Rajwinder said:
I dont understand the point .. even if we prove that this number has some significance then what ? Does that will prove that sikh religionfoundation members were good mathematicians ? I think the same i have seen in some gurdwara's where people do this "lari" of path's sitting in one big room .. ;-) i think these all are number traps ;-) .. lets stay out of it i guess.

Indeed! I think the point being made in the OP is that the Sikhiwiki page appears to be pro-108 beads, when in fact it means nothing in Sikhi.

Ishna · Dec 19, 2015

Kanwaljit Singh said:
Source: http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Significance_of_the_number_108

Is there any truth in the above description?

Also check out the whole Wiki page, most of the article is filled with Hindu beliefs around no. 108.

Why would a Sikh concern thyself with numbers when it all collapses down to ONE?

I appears to me that the page is just a stockpile on information about 108 beads. I don't think anyone has done any work on the page yet.

Create an account, start fixing the page. That's the beauty of wiki. All it needs is a statement at the beginning about how Gurbani rejects a physical mala and that the following references are historical based on Sanatan Dharma.

Sherdil · Dec 19, 2015

Sikhiwiki is just a stockpile of information in general, not necessarily related to Sikhi. The connection here seems to be that the belief hails from the subcontinent. They also have a page on the Mirza, Sahiban love story. I guess the connection there is Punjabi culture.

Harkiran Kaur · Dec 19, 2015

Didn't I read somewhere that Baba Deep Singh Ji do 108 Japji Sahibs in a single day??

Kanwaljit.Singh · Dec 20, 2015

Baba Deep Singh Ji do 108 Japji Sahibs

Yes but he was following a discipline. He was not trying to achieve a 'boon'. And the story is told to inspire people to do at least one Japuji daily. Many other Sikh personalities did Japuji Sahib multiple times during the day.

Sherdil · Dec 20, 2015

Harkiran Kaur said:
Didn't I read somewhere that Baba Deep Singh Ji do 108 Japji Sahibs in a single day??

If he had done 107 or 109 Japji Sahibs, would it have made a difference?

Similarly if there are 8.5 lakh janoons instead of 8.4, does it really matter?

The number itself is trivial.

swarn bains · Dec 20, 2015

there is no mention of 108 in sggs.
secondly there are many types of rosaries mentioned in mahan kosh.
muslims have their number, hindus have two, christians have their number
sikhs have no mechanical rosary. in sikhi the mind is the rosary, because sikhi calls for reciting the name of God all the time. it is countless. therefore no rosary required, nor there is any

Harkiran Kaur · Dec 20, 2015

Kanwaljit Singh said:
Yes but he was following a discipline. He was not trying to achieve a 'boon'. And the story is told to inspire people to do at least one Japuji daily. Many other Sikh personalities did Japuji Sahib multiple times during the day.

But the reason I brought it up was that it 108... why 108?? Why not 100 which would be a more rounded number? Was there significance to 108??

Ishna · Dec 20, 2015

Because 108 is a magical number in Hinduism?

Tejwant Singh · Dec 20, 2015

Ishna said:
Because 108 is a magical number in Hinduism?

YES!

Tejwant Singh · Dec 20, 2015

In Jap ji, Guru Nanak -the wordsmith-eliminated all the number business by changing
ਸੰਖ into ਅਸੰਖ. The latter means countless.

Secondly, claiming and then even worse believing in that Baba Deep Singh did 108 Jap ji in one day is not Gurmat according to SGGS, our only Guru.

The irony of all this is that it is said that Baba Deep Singh did 108 Jap ji in one day and in this very Jap ji, Guru Nanak eliminated the number game as mentioned before.

This proves when the Sakhis that do not jive with Gurmat values should be rejected vehemently.

Kanwaljit.Singh · Jan 16, 2016

Actually 1 and 0 depict the binary nature of everything we see and 8 is the infinite nature of what we are. So much to say in short form 108.