1,3,7,108 - The Numerological Pillars of Dharmic (Vedic) Living

According to Vedic understanding, and indeed all time-honoured ancient traditions, numbers (including numerology) convey significant meaning as well as reflecting some of the primordial laws of nature. A few of the key ones we use in Dharmic Living are outlined below.

1 - The number 1 symbolizes 'unity'. One stands alone, devoid of duality. 1 represents the unified undifferentiated wholeness of life.

The Divine, God, the Omnipresent, the Unified Field of Natural Law, and all other expressions of the single totality of life are symbolised by the numeral 1.

3 - The number 3 is prominent in many great traditions throughout history. Often dubbed, 'the trinity', there is the father, son and holy ghost of Christianity. Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva of Hinduism (which is an offshoot of ancient Vedic Science). In Ayurveda, the 3 fundamental principles of intelligence (doshas) are said to govern the entire universe. All visible light (light being the essence of creation) is composed of 3 primary colors – red, blue and green.

In Vedic Science, the one (1) unified, unsounded field of consciousness at the basis of all of life (Pure or Transcendental Consciousness) through its innate nature of knowing itself, is said to experience itself as '3'. I.e. as the 'subject' or knower of consciousness, the 'object' of consciousness, and the 'process' that connects the subject (the observer) and the object (the observed). Maharishi went into great detail to explain the 3-in-1 structure of consciousness; how through what he called its own 'self-interacting dynamics', consciousness knows itself knowing itself as consciousness. He outlined how ‘1 becomes 3 … while remaining unity’. The apparent breaking of unity into 3, then continues as the 3 becomes many. This continues on and on, giving rise to the infinitely diverse and ever-expanding universe... which of course is nothing but consciousness or Unity! (Don’t worry, that’s the theory as I’ve heard it! Still a major mind-bender for me too!)

7 – Have you ever noticed that Mother Nature expresses herself in 7’s a lot? There are seven colours of a rainbow. There are seven notes in a musical scale from which all songs are composed. The primary energy centers or chakras of the body are 7 in number. 7 is another key, universal number that the intelligence of nature commonly uses in building creation.

108 – The number 108 may seem somewhat random but it is highly significant in Vedic science. This is due to the combination of individual numbers. As discussed, 1 is said to represent unity or singularity (one wholeness or totality of life). 

'0' is said to signify the 'Absolute' - the non-physical, omnipresent, unbounded source of life. Whereas we commonly equate zero with nothingness or emptiness, spiritually speaking, even though the source of life (unbounded consciousness) is not concrete or physical, it is said to be far from empty. It is teeming with infinite intelligence, the seed of the entire creation. 

'8' represents eternity or the never beginning, never-ending nature of creation or consciousness. Where does the number 8 begin? Where does it end? Every point of it can be both its beginning and its end. An 8, on its side (∞) is the symbol for infinity.

So '108' represents the full range of creation, the full range of life - from point or singularity to infinity and infinity back to singularity.

I'm not sure if this is coincidence (are there any coincidences in nature? Hmmm), but it's also interesting to note that adding the earlier numbers - 7+3 giving 10 and 7+1 giving 8 – gives 10 & 8 …108!

In Ayurvedic medicine, there are said to 108 vital points (marma points) throughout the body. These are subtle points of intelligence between consciousness and matter. The key switchboards for the entire range of mind and body. (We talk a lot about marmas in DL). Necklaces used traditional for certain meditation and chanting practices (e.g. Rudraksha beads), always have exactly 108 beads, reflecting this cosmic number.

There are many, many more examples of all these key numbers and we’ve used them as the framework for ‘The Pathway to Dharmic Living’. (link text to the ‘The Pathway to Dharmic Living’ Page).