If you have attended an archana at a Hindu temple, you have probably heard a beautiful rhythm unfold. The priest chants one sacred name. A flower is offered. Another name. Another flower. Again and again, the names continue until 108 names of the deity have been recited.
This form of worship is commonly known as an Ashtottara Shatanamavali—a sacred litany of 108 names. We encounter it throughout Hindu worship. Sri Ganesha has 108 names. Shiva has 108 names. Lakshmi has 108 names. Krishna, Devi, Subrahmanya, Ayyappa, Hanuman and many other divine forms are worshipped through collections of sacred names. But why does God need so many names? And why 108?
Can the Infinite Have One Name?
Perhaps the first question is not why there are 108 names. Perhaps it is: how could the Infinite possibly have only one? Each name reveals something about the nature, qualities, stories, powers, or relationship of the deity to the devotee.
Consider Sri Ganesha. We may call Him Ganapati—Lord of the Ganas. Vighneshwara—Lord of obstacles. Gajanana—the elephant-faced One. Ekadanta—the One with a single tusk. Each name directs our attention toward a different aspect of the same Divine form. The deity does not change. Our understanding deepens.
What Is a Namavali?
The Sanskrit word nama means “name,” while avali conveys the sense of a row, series, or collection. A namavali is therefore a series of sacred names. During an archana, these names may be recited individually, often with each name preceded by Om and followed by Namah. A flower, petal, kumkum, tulasi, bilva leaf, or another appropriate offering may accompany the names depending upon the deity and tradition.
The practice brings together sacred sound, divine remembrance, physical offering, and focused attention. The mind is repeatedly brought back to Bhagavan.
Why Repeat So Many Names?
Our minds wander remarkably easily. We begin a prayer. Within seconds, we may be thinking about work, then dinner, then something someone said yesterday, then a message we forgot to answer. Repetition helps gather the mind. One name becomes another. Then another. The rhythm continues.
Instead of allowing attention to scatter in many directions, the namavali repeatedly returns it to the Divine. This is one reason repetition plays such an important role in Hindu spiritual practice. The Divine name becomes an anchor.
Why Is 108 Sacred?
The number 108 appears repeatedly across Hindu spiritual traditions. A traditional japa mala commonly contains 108 beads. Many deities are worshipped through 108 names. Certain forms of worship involve 108 offerings or repetitions.
There is no single explanation that accounts for every use of 108 across all Hindu traditions. Over generations, numerous symbolic interpretations have been associated with the number. Some connect 108 with sacred cosmology and astronomy. Others interpret its individual digits symbolically. Some traditional lists speak of 108 Upanishads. Rather than searching for one mathematical explanation that must account for every appearance of 108, it is perhaps more accurate to recognize that 108 functions as a traditional sacred number of spiritual completeness.
108 Beads, 108 Names
The connection becomes especially clear when we look at a japa mala. A traditional mala often contains 108 beads plus a distinct guru or meru bead. The practitioner moves from bead to bead while repeating a mantra or divine name. One bead. One repetition. One moment of attention. Then the next.
The principle is very similar to chanting 108 names during archana. Spiritual practice becomes measurable without becoming hurried. The number creates a container for sustained attention.
Every Name Is a Teaching
A namavali is not simply a list of alternative titles. Many of the names contain teachings. A name may recall a story from the Puranas. Another may describe a divine quality. Another may describe the deity's form or relationship with devotees. Another may point toward a profound philosophical truth.
If we begin learning the meanings of the names we hear during archana, the experience changes. Instead of hearing unfamiliar Sanskrit sounds, we begin hearing a portrait of the Divine unfold one name at a time.
From Many Names to One Divine
There is another beautiful idea hidden within this practice. We chant 108 different names. Yet every name points toward the same deity. Many words, one Divine presence. This reflects something much larger within Hinduism. We encounter countless names and forms of the Divine—Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Ganesha, Krishna, Rama, Lakshmi, Murugan, Ayyappa, Hanuman, and many more. Names help us approach the Infinite. But the Infinite is greater than every name.
What Name Do You Carry With You?
You may not be able to remember 108 names after leaving the temple. Perhaps you remember only one. That is enough. Choose a divine name that brings peace to your mind. Repeat it while driving, while walking, when you are worried, before sleeping, when something wonderful happens, when something difficult happens.
The 108 names teach us that there are countless ways to remember Bhagavan. The important thing is to remember. Because perhaps the purpose of chanting 108 names is not that God needs to hear His or Her name 108 times. We need 108 opportunities to bring our wandering minds back to the Divine. And every name gives us another chance.