THE POWER OF THREE

The belief in the occult and its mystical relation to numbers and coinciding events is what numerology all about. Associated with astrology, divinatory arts and the paranormal, each number holds various theories in nearly all cultures and religions but according to me the “number 3” holds its head amidst several conflicting and contradictory assumptions.

More maligned than appreciated, with the common Hindu belief of “Teen Tigadha, Kaam Bigadha”, the number 3 needs to be shown in its more favourable light. Let the following serve to be an eye opener for the POWER OF THREE:

# Three states of matter exists:                                  Solid, Liquid and Gas

# Three realms of the earth:                                       Atmosphere, Lithosphere and Hydrosphere

# Three layers of nature:                                            Light, Fire and Obscurity

# Three parts of a plant:                                             Roots, Stems and Leaves

# Three parts of the animal body:                             Head, Thorax and Abdomen

# Three parts of literature:                                        Poetry, Prose and Drama

# Three way control in man:                                     Thought, Word and Action

# Three periods of history:                                       Ancient, Medieval and Modern

# The three aspects of family:                                  Man, Woman and Child

# Three divisions of time:                                         Past, Present and Future

# Three periods of life:                                             Youth, Middle age and Old age

# Three religious activities:                                       Worship, Charity and Study of Scriptures

# Three paths of Life cycle:                                       Birth, Life and Death

# Idea of three universes:                                         Heaven, Earth and Hell

# Three goals of existence:                                       Righteousness (Dharma), Prosperity (Artha) and Pleasure (Kama)

# The three emergent forces of life:                          Kinetic Energy (Rajas), Static Energy (Tamas) and Balance (Sattva)

# Three states of consciousness:                              Consciousness (Jagrat), Dream (Swapna) and Unconsciousness (Susupti)

# Three factors of the mind:                                     Cognitive (Manas), Ego (Ahankara) and Intellect (Buddhi)

# Three powers of the mind:                                    Knowledge to Create (Gyana Shakti), Creative Urge (Ichha Shakti) and Act of Creating (Kriya Shakti)

# Three poisons of the mind:                                    Desire (Kama), Anger (Krodha) and Greed (Lobha)

# The Trinity in Christianity:                                      Father, Son and the Holy Spirit

# The Tridev in Hinduism:                                         Creator (Brahma), Preserver (Vishnu) and Destroyer (Mahesh)

# Three branches of Hindu philosophy:                   Existence (Sat), Consciousness (Chit) and Bliss (Anand)

# Three parts of the universal sound:                      Aum (Om)

# Three muses in Greek mythology:                          Brightness (Aglaia), Joyfulness (Euphrosyne) and Bloom (Thalia)

# Three fates in Roman mythology:                            Spinner (Clotho), Apportioner (Lachesis) and Inevitable (Atropes)

# Three world rulers in Greek & Roman mythology:          Zeus (Jupiter), Poseidon (Neptune) and Hades (Pluto)

And so I can go on ad nauseum about the “number THREE”.

Cutting across cultures and civilizations, it seems that the “number three” holds significance in all aspects of life – be it factual, metaphysical or religion and this is the mainstay of my fascination with it.

This number has a unique significance and personally I agree with the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras that “number Three” is a perfect number—the number of HARMONY, WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING.

I rest my case.