Mala means a garland of beads.  Mala used for counting the affirmations or mantra repetitions in meditation is called japa mala.Generally the mala have 108 beads, which represent the entire universe and the circular arrangement of mala also signifies infinite birth and death cycle. When we count the mantra using the mala, we are remembering the presence of the deity. Also a knot is kept between the beads to ensure that the beads won’t touch each other. This is to avoid the distraction that may be caused due to frictional sound of bead during mantra meditation.