The twelve aṅgas
Ācārāṅga, Sūtrakṛtāṅga, Sthānāṅga, Samavāyāṅga, the Bhagavatī, and seven more: the core of the canon, each given a size twice the one before it.
Twelve limbs, the dvādaśāṅgī, said to be shaped by the gaṇadharas from Mahāvīra's word. In order: 1 Ācārāṅga (Āyāraṃga), conduct; 2 Sūtrakṛtāṅga (Sūyagaḍa), other doctrines; 3 Sthānāṅga (Ṭhāṇaṃga), things by number; 4 Samavāyāṅga (Samavāyaṃga), groups by number; 5 Vyākhyāprajñapti (Viyāhapannatti), the Bhagavatī — questions answered; 6 Jñātādharmakathāḥ (Nāyādhammakahāo), parables; 7 Upāsakadaśāḥ (Uvāsagadasāo), ten lay followers; 8 Antakṛddaśāḥ (Antagaḍadasāo), ten who ended rebirth; 9 Anuttaropapātikadaśāḥ (Aṇuttarovavāiyadasāo), ten reborn in the Anuttara; 10 Praśnavyākaraṇa (Paṇhāvāgaraṇāiṃ), questions and their answers; 11 Vipākaśruta (Vivāgasuya), the fruits of deeds; 12 Dṛṣṭivāda (Diṭṭhivāya), the views — lost.
The commentators on the Samavāyāṅga give each a size in padas, and the sizes double: 18,000 · 36,000 · 72,000 · 1,44,000 · 2,88,000 · 5,76,000 · 11,52,000 · 23,04,000 · 46,08,000 · 92,16,000 · 1,84,32,000. The sūtras themselves say only "numerable thousands" for most; the exact series is the commentators', and the atlas prints it as theirs. The eleven that survive come to 3,68,46,000 padas by that reckoning; what survives in manuscript is a small fraction of it.
The twelfth, the Dṛṣṭivāda, is lost, and has no pada count here.
Measurements and counts
| Count | 12 · 11 surviving |
|---|---|
| Smallest | Ācārāṅga · 18,000 padas |
| Largest surviving | Vipākaśruta · 1,84,32,000 |
| Rule | each double the last |
| The eleven together | 3,68,46,000 padas |
| Source of the series | commentators on the Samavāyāṅga and Nandī |