जै · The Jain Encyclopedia
A ladder of the Prajñāpanā · 5 rungs

By senses

अल्पबहुत्व

By senses, from fewest to most: five-sensed, four-sensed, three-sensed, two-sensed, one-sensed.

By the number of senses the order runs down, not up: the five-sensed - gods, hell-beings, humans, the larger animals - are fewest; each class with one sense fewer is a little more numerous than the last, four, three, two; and the one-sensed, the earth, water, fire, air and plant bodies, are infinitely more than all the rest together. The view's rungs for four, three and two senses sit close, because the text says viśeṣādhika, a little more, for each.

In the text's own words the ladder reads - fewest: five-sensed; a little more: four-sensed; a little more: three-sensed; a little more: two-sensed; infinitely many times more: one-sensed. Source: Prajñāpanā 3.

The multitudes: every class of being, fewest to mostPrajñāpanā 3 - an order, never a count; four words for every stepthe bands are the atlas's three magnitudes: countable, innumerable, infinitehumans are the only countable rung; plants top every ladder they stand onTHE COUNTABLETHE INNUMERABLETHE INFINITETHE FIVE DESTINIEShumans×asaṃkhyātahell-beings×asaṃkhyātagods×anantasiddhas×anantaanimals and plantsBY SENSESfive-senseda little morefour-senseda little morethree-senseda little moretwo-sensed×anantaone-sensedBY BODYmoving beings×asaṃkhyātafire-bodiesa little moreearth-bodiesa little morewater-bodiesa little moreair-bodies×anantaplant-bodiesBY GENDERmale×saṃkhyātafemale×anantaneuterTHE SEVEN HELLSthe seventh×asaṃkhyātathe sixth×asaṃkhyātathe fifth×asaṃkhyātathe fourth×asaṃkhyātathe third×asaṃkhyātathe second×asaṃkhyātathe firstthe steps: a little more · countably many times · innumerably many times · infinitely many times more - Prajñāpanā 3not to scale: the heights follow the text's word for each step, and no scale could hold a countable rung and an infinite one
The multitudes: fewest to most - By senses highlighted

Measurements and counts

Fewestfive-sensed
viśeṣādhikafour-sensed
viśeṣādhikathree-sensed
viśeṣādhikatwo-sensed
ananta-guṇaone-sensed

Connected

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समयं गोयम! मा पमायए

Do not be heedless, Gautama, for even a single samaya.

Uttarādhyayana Sūtra 10