Unit of cosmic distance
The rajju
रज्जु
The unit the universe itself is measured in. It is defined by comparison, because no ordinary number reaches it.
The classical definition: a god flying at the greatest speed a god can fly, continuously, for six months, covers one rajju. Other texts frame it through an innumerable multiple of ocean-measures.
It is not meant to be converted. The point of the unit is that the universe is not measurable in the terms we handle things with, while still being definitely finite. Fourteen rajju tall, and no more.
Alongside it sit two other units of the same spirit: the palyopama, the time taken to empty a vast pit of fine hairs one hair at a time, and the sāgaropama, ten crore-crore palyopama. All the ages of the Kāla Cakra are counted in these.
Measurements and counts
| Height of the universe | 14 rajju |
|---|---|
| Classical definition | a god's six-month flight |
| Palyopama | emptying a pit of hairs |
| Sāgaropama | 10 crore-crore palyopama |
| Convertible? | not meaningfully |