Measure · Ṛṣabha's caitya-tree
Three kos
तीन कोस
The one figure in the Samavasaraṇa that can be checked against another, and does check.
Hemacandra gives the tree over Ṛṣabha's assembly as rising three kos. The general rule elsewhere gives the tree as twelve times the Tīrthaṅkara's height. Ṛṣabha is 500 dhanuṣ tall.
500 × 12 = 6,000 dhanuṣ. And 1 kos = 2,000 dhanuṣ, so 6,000 dhanuṣ = 3 kos. Two statements, two units, two places in the literature — one answer.
This is why the Samavasaraṇa belongs in an atlas built on interlocking figures. Its proportions look absent because they are distributed; they are not missing.
Measurements and counts
| 1 yojana | 4 kos · 8,000 dhanuṣ |
|---|---|
| 1 kos | 2,000 dhanuṣ |
| Ṛṣabha's height | 500 dhanuṣ |
| Tree | 6,000 dhanuṣ · 3 kos |