जै · The Jain Encyclopedia
A ladder of the Prajñāpanā · 7 rungs

By seven hells

अल्पबहुत्व

The seven hells, from fewest to most: the seventh, the sixth, the fifth, the fourth, the third, the second, the first.

Hell by hell, from the bottom: the seventh earth holds the fewest hell-beings; the sixth innumerably more; and so on up, each earth innumerably more populous than the one below it, to the first, Ratnaprabhā, which holds the most. Every rung is innumerable; what the ladder gives is the order, and it runs the opposite way from the earths' size in the lower world.

In the text's own words the ladder reads - fewest: the seventh; innumerably many times more: the sixth; innumerably many times more: the fifth; innumerably many times more: the fourth; innumerably many times more: the third; innumerably many times more: the second; innumerably many times more: the first. 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 seven hells highlighted

Measurements and counts

Fewestthe seventh
asaṃkhyāta-guṇathe sixth
asaṃkhyāta-guṇathe fifth
asaṃkhyāta-guṇathe fourth
asaṃkhyāta-guṇathe third
asaṃkhyāta-guṇathe second
asaṃkhyāta-guṇathe first

Connected

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समयं गोयम! मा पमायए

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

Uttarādhyayana Sūtra 10