At some point in a mantra practice, the number 108 appears. A mala has 108 beads. Teachers say to chant 108 times. Texts prescribe 108, or multiples of 108. For those new to the tradition, it can seem like an arbitrary convention. It isn’t.
108 is one of the most sacred numbers in Hindu cosmology and mathematics. The distance from Earth to the Sun is approximately 108 times the Sun’s diameter. The distance from Earth to the Moon is approximately 108 times the Moon’s diameter. There are 108 Upanishads, 108 names of many deities, and 108 sacred sites in various pilgrimage traditions. The number represents completeness — a full arc of devotion rather than an arbitrary count.
When you chant Om Kreem Kalikaye Namaha 108 times, you are not simply repeating a sound 108 times. You are completing a circuit.
The Practical Reality of 108 Repetitions
Chanting 108 repetitions of Om Kreem Kalikaye Namaha takes between 15 and 25 minutes depending on your pace. At a contemplative pace — neither rushed nor artificially slow — most people complete one full mala in about 18 to 20 minutes.
This is worth knowing before you begin. One round of japa is not a brief interlude. It is a genuine practice session, which is exactly what makes it effective.
A mala — a string of 108 beads plus one guru bead — is the traditional tool for counting. You hold the mala in your right hand, use your thumb and middle finger to advance one bead per repetition, and stop when you return to the guru bead. The guru bead is never crossed; if you want to continue beyond 108, you reverse direction. Our guide to how to use a mala walks through the mechanics in detail.
Setting Up the Practice
Time. Early morning — particularly the brahma muhurta, the period roughly 90 minutes before sunrise — is considered the most auspicious time for mantra practice in many traditions. The mind is quieter, and the practice seems to go deeper. But any consistent time works. The consistency is more important than the clock.
Place. A dedicated space, even a small one, supports the practice over time. You don’t need a formal altar. A clean mat, a candle, or a simple image of Kali are enough. The space begins to hold the accumulated intention of the practice.
Posture. Sit upright with the spine reasonably straight — on a cushion, a meditation bench, or a chair. The goal is a posture you can hold without fidgeting for 20 minutes. Discomfort that pulls attention away from the mantra works against the practice.
What 108 Repetitions Actually Does
In the early rounds of chanting, the mind is often still moving — replaying conversations, planning, narrating. This is normal. You don’t need to stop thoughts; you need to keep returning to the mantra. Each return is the practice. The thoughts are not an obstacle. The returning is the work.
Somewhere in the middle rounds — often around the 40th to 60th repetition — something shifts. The mantra begins to carry itself. Your effort decreases as the sound takes on a momentum of its own. In the Tantric tradition, this is called mantra siddhi beginning to establish itself — the mantra becoming alive in the practitioner rather than being recited by them.
By the final rounds, some practitioners report a deepening stillness, a heightened sense of presence, or a feeling of the mantra continuing even after the lips stop. Others simply feel quieter than when they began.
Whatever you experience, the practice is doing its work. Kali does not require that you feel dramatic results. She requires that you show up.
Building to 108
If 108 feels like too much to start, begin with a smaller count. 9, 27, and 54 are all traditional sub-counts that fit naturally into the mala structure. Build gradually. There is no race, and the only value in the number 108 is that you arrive there honestly rather than rushing through to finish.
For more on the mantra itself and its traditional meaning, see Om Kreem Kalikaye Namaha. And for everything about using a mala — from how to hold it to what to do with the guru bead — our guide to the mala and its 108 beads covers it fully.
