[INDOLOGY] Auspicious numbers in Hinduism

[dory heilijgers]

Dear list members,

Hallo, I am new on the Indology list.
The book by Gonda is his Change and continuity in Indian religion, with an article ‘The number sixteen.’ As I remember well he also discusses other numbers.

Kind regards,
Dory Heilijgers

Sent from Mail for Windows

From: Jonathan Silk via INDOLOGY
Sent: Wednesday, February 9, 2022 11:10 PM
To: Jonathan Duquette
Cc: Indology List
Subject: Re: [INDOLOGY] Auspicious numbers in Hinduism

I am surprised not yet to see reference to Otto Stein, 'The Numeral 18', (The Poona Orientalist 1, 1936, pp. 1-37; 2, 1937, pp. 164-165. it is reprinted in the Kleine Schriften. 

Freidrich Wilhelm said of the papers:  
In The Poona Orientalist I and II ( 1936 and 37) Stein published two articles on the numeral 18. They are valuable contributions to Indian number mysticism which is traceable since Vedic times. Even the reader who is aware of the specific meaningfulness of Indian numbers will be astounded how many references Stein was able to collect, and will feel inspired to look for more material on this and other numerals.

Stein was one of the all too many scholars brutally murdered by the Nazis, in his case along with his wife in Spring 1942 in Lodz. 

On Wed, Feb 9, 2022 at 10:11 PM Jonathan Duquette via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
I like to think of 108 as mathematically auspicious:

108=(1^1)*(2^2)*(3^3)!

Jonathan 



On Wed, 9 Feb 2022 at 21:03, Tieken, H.J.H. (Herman) via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
Dear Harry, 

I do not know about the auspiciousness of 108. However, the 8 in 108 does have a special meaning as it does in 18 (books of the Mahābhārata). Following upon 7, which makes a finite, closed list (seventh heaven, seven generations  in some inscriptions), 8 opens it again (with it the speaker/writer indicates that he could easily go on adding to the list). Thus, 8 rasas  ("On the Use of Rasa in Studies of Sanskrit Drama, IIJ 43 (2000), pp. 115-138) and in some Gupta inscriptions the kings are praised in 8 stanzas ("Some Literary Embellishments in the Gupta Inscriptions". ArOr 74/4 (2006), pp. 451-460.

I vaguely remember that Jan Gonda has written about numbers, but am unable to provide a reference.

Kind regards, Herman

Herman Tieken
Stationsweg 58
2515 BP Den Haag
The Netherlands
00 31 (0)70 2208127
website: hermantieken.com


Van: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> namens Jim Ryan via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
Verzonden: woensdag 9 februari 2022 21:10
Aan: Harry Spier <vasishtha.spier at gmail.com>
CC: indology at list.indology.info <indology at list.indology.info>
Onderwerp: Re: [INDOLOGY] Auspicious numbers in Hinduism 
 
Harry, 

Thomas McEvilley in his book, The Shape of Ancient Thought discusses a theory of how a number of the Indian auspicious numbers (including 108) might have been  derived from Sumerian “Processional arithmetic.” This is in Chapter 3, I think. Especially beginning on p. 293. 

Jim Ryan
Asian Philosophies and Cultures (Emeritus)
California Institute of Integral Studies


On Feb 9, 2022, at 11:09 AM, Harry Spier via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info> wrote:

Dear list members, 
Can anyone point me to any studies on auspicious numbers in Hinduism
Thanks,

Harry Spier

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-- 
J. Silk
Leiden University
Leiden University Institute for Area Studies, LIAS
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website: www.OpenPhilology.eu
copies of my publications may be found at
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