Astronomical patterns behind three digits
The sacred number 108 has been revered in India for millennia. It appears in mythology, meditation, and astronomy, but there is more to it.
Some believe that numbers have magical properties. It certainly appears remarkable to see how much can be done with just ten digits. Numbers convey information: in passwords, codes, encryption, and calculations; in all the numerical operations of daily life; in shopping lists, quantities of ingredients used in cooking, the contents of our wallets, monthly budgets, and bank accounts. All these numbers carry meaning. They may evoke joy-when many zeros appear before the comma in a bank account-or fear, when they do not. In this sense, numbers can describe emotions.
Numbers can also describe shapes. Consider the number four and its association with squares and rectangles, or with quadruplicities, such as the four cardinal signs, four fixed signs, and four mutable signs. The list could be extended indefinitely.
Yet some numbers stand out more than others, such as the Golden Ratio or pi. There are also more humble ones: whole numbers that recur repeatedly across cultures and continents.
The number 108 is one of them. More precisely, 108 is often regarded as the mother of magic numbers. Although it is universal in scope, it appears to be particularly rooted in India, where it is treated with marked reverence.
And while simple minded people might consider this number to be auspicious because of arbitrary or fanciful reasons, others understood it to embody knowledge, for example in meditation and the study of the Vedas:
- 108 is the number of beads in a japa mala, a mediation bead string or prayer rosary.
- Pranayama (breath exercises), mantras and certain meditation practices often use 108 repetitions to structure discipline in meditation.
- Yogic thought says the human body has 72,000 nadis (energy channels), of which 108 major ones converge at the heart chakra.
- There are 108 Upanishad forming a structured body of philosophical scripture within the Vedic canon
The number was also directly associated with the gods and this is the reason why 108 is believed to be sacred:
- Shiva’s had 108 attendants
- Lord Krishna was surrounded by 108 gopis (cowherd maidens) devoted to him;
When myths incorporate precise numbers, they almost certainly carry astronomical significance. We need to keep in mind here, that 108 is both a symbolic number AND a kind of astronomical unit.
Relationship between the Sun and the Moon
1) 108 is the link between the Earth-Moon and the Earth-Sun distance.
- The true diameter of the Sun is 1,392,700 km.
- The distance between the Sun and the Earth is 149,597,870 km
If we divide the solar diameter by the Sun-Earth distance, the result is 107.416, rounded to the next whole number we get 108.
But the true magic reveals in the next step:
If we divide the Earth-Moon distance by the lunar diameter we come with these three values (depending on the Moon’s distance from the Earth):
- The diameter of the Earth is 3 475 km
- The Moon/Earth distance at perigee: 363,300 km : 3,475 km =104.5
- The Moon/Earth distance at apogee: 405,500 km : 3,475 km=116.7
- The average Moon-Earth distance: 384,400 km : 3,475 km =110
In other words, the relationships between the solar diameter and the Sun-Earth distance is the same (or at least very similar) as the lunar diameter and the Earth-Moon distance.
The image below shows the basic principle: the diameter of the Sun (d) multiplied by 108 gives us the (true) distance between the Sun and the Earth. The Lunar diameter (m) multiplied by 110 which is very close to 108, gives us the (true) Earth-Moon distance.
2) 108 as a Proportional Link Between the Diameters of the Sun and Earth
We can divide both the solar diameter and the Earth’s diameter by 108, and then divide the solar result by the Earth’s result. We still obtain approximately 108.
- Solar diameter: 1,392,700 km ÷ 108 = 12,895.37
- Earth diameter: 12,742 km ÷ 108 = 117.98 km
Now divide the solar result by the Earth result:
- 12,895.37 ÷ 117.98 ≈ 109.3
As we can see, the ratio remains very close to 108.
Lunar month magic
We can also put the two lunar months in relation to each other. The sidereal month is the time it takes for the Moon to complete one orbit around the Earth with respect to the fixed stars. On the other hand, the synodic month is the time between successive phases, as for example the time form one New Moon to the next New Moon.
- Synodic Lunar Month: 29.53059 days
- Sidereal Lunar Month: 29.53059 days
If we divide the synodical by the sidereal month we come up with 1.080848933 or a rounded 108.
Nakshatra
The magic number is important in the calculations of nakshatras (lunar mansions):
Muhurtas
In India a year is divided into 10,800 muhurtas where one muhurta corresponds to 48’ and a day to 30 muhurtas.
Golden Ration
The equation 2 sin (108/2) results in the golden ratio.
- 27 Nakshatras × 4 zodiacal quarters = 108
Common multiplier
108 ties the planets together as a common multiplier.
- Jupiter has a cycle synodic cycle of 12 years. 12 years = 4320 days =108 x 40 days
- Saturn has a synodic period of 30 years =10,800.44 days= 108 x 30 days
Measurement systems
108 seems to be the basis of ancient measurement in the Harappan, or Indus Valley, civilization. This measure is mentioned by Varāhamihira in his Bṛhat Saṃhitā, where he states that the height of a tall man is 108 aṅgulas, that of a medium man is 96 aṅgulas, and that of a short man is 84 aṅgulas.
There are many other magical numbers. One is particularly intriguing and linked to the Solar Steps. Read here about the number 339.
© Tania Daniels 2026
Sources:
-Varāhamihira, Bṛhat Saṃhitā, trans. Ramakrishna M. Bhat, Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi, 1981, vol. 1, p. 642 (68.105).
-Danino, Michel. The Lost River: On the Trail of the Sarasvatī. Penguin Books India, 2010, p. 208.
-Subhash Kak, The Astronomical Code of the Rigveda, New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan,2013