Section · 70 units and instants
Time
काल
From the samaya, which cannot be divided, to the pudgala parāvarta, which cannot be counted.
Jain texts measure time in both directions until measurement gives out. Downward to the samaya, the instant an atom takes to cross one point of space, below which nothing can occur. Upward through units multiplying by 84,00,000 at every step, until the texts stop counting and begin describing. Between the two turns the wheel of ages. Follows the Śvetāmbara reckoning throughout.
All of it is also walkable as an interactive atlas of nested maps.
The units of time 29
- Aḍaḍa अडड
Year-unit 6 of 28 - Ahorātra अहोरात्र
A day and night - Arthanipūra अर्थनिपूर
Year-unit 18 of 28 - Āvalikā आवलिका
The smallest measurable unit - Avava अववा
Year-unit 8 of 28 - Ayuta अयुत
Year-unit 20 of 28 - Cūlikā चूलिका
Year-unit 26 of 28 - Hūhūka हूहूक
Year-unit 10 of 28 - Is time a substance? काल द्रव्य
A question the traditions answer differently - Kṣullaka bhava क्षुल्लक भव
The shortest possible life - Lava लव
Forty-nine breaths - Māsa मास
A month - Muhūrta मुहूर्त
Forty-eight minutes - Nalina नलिन
Year-unit 16 of 28 - Nayuta नयुत
Year-unit 22 of 28 - Padma पद्म
Year-unit 14 of 28 - Palyopama पल्योपम
Measured by analogy, not by number - Prāṇa प्राण
One breath - Prayuta प्रयुत
Year-unit 24 of 28 - Pudgala parāvarta पुद्गल परावर्त
The largest span of all - Pūrva पूर्व
Year-unit 2 of 28 - Sāgaropama सागरोपम
Ten crore-crore palyopama - Samaya Kṣetra समय क्षेत्र
The field of time - Śīrṣaprahelikā शीर्षप्रहेलिका
The largest countable unit - Stoka स्तोक
Seven breaths - The units of time काल
Overview - Truṭita त्रुटित
Year-unit 4 of 28 - Utpala उत्पल
Year-unit 12 of 28 - Varṣa वर्ष
A year
The instant, and the ladder of number 32
- Ananta अनन्त
The infinite - Antarmuhūrta अन्तर्मुहूर्त
More than an instant, less than 48 minutes - Asaṃkhyāta असंख्यात
The innumerable - Jaghanya Anantānanta जघन्य अनन्तानन्त
Number 19 of 21 - Jaghanya Asaṃkhyātāsaṃkhyāta जघन्य असंख्यातासंख्यात
Number 10 of 21 - Jaghanya Parītānanta जघन्य परीतानन्त
Number 13 of 21 - Jaghanya Parītāsaṃkhyāta जघन्य परीतासंख्यात
Number 4 of 21 - Jaghanya Saṃkhyāta जघन्य संख्यात
Number 1 of 21 - Jaghanya Yuktānanta जघन्य युक्तानन्त
Number 16 of 21 - Jaghanya Yuktāsaṃkhyāta जघन्य युक्तासंख्यात
Number 7 of 21 - Kevalī samudghāta केवली समुद्घात
Counted in samaya - Madhyama Anantānanta मध्यम अनन्तानन्त
Number 20 of 21 - Madhyama Asaṃkhyātāsaṃkhyāta मध्यम असंख्यातासंख्यात
Number 11 of 21 - Madhyama Parītānanta मध्यम परीतानन्त
Number 14 of 21 - Madhyama Parītāsaṃkhyāta मध्यम परीतासंख्यात
Number 5 of 21 - Madhyama Saṃkhyāta मध्यम संख्यात
Number 2 of 21 - Madhyama Yuktānanta मध्यम युक्तानन्त
Number 17 of 21 - Madhyama Yuktāsaṃkhyāta मध्यम युक्तासंख्यात
Number 8 of 21 - Paramāṇu परमाणु
The indivisible atom - Pradeśa प्रदेश
One point of space - Samaya समय
The indivisible instant - Saṃkhyāta संख्यात
The numerable - The four śalākā pits शलाका
How the greatest number is defined - Utkṛṣṭa Anantānanta उत्कृष्ट अनन्तानन्त
Number 21 of 21 - Utkṛṣṭa Asaṃkhyātāsaṃkhyāta उत्कृष्ट असंख्यातासंख्यात
Number 12 of 21 - Utkṛṣṭa Parītānanta उत्कृष्ट परीतानन्त
Number 15 of 21 - Utkṛṣṭa Parītāsaṃkhyāta उत्कृष्ट परीतासंख्यात
Number 6 of 21 - Utkṛṣṭa Saṃkhyāta उत्कृष्ट संख्यात
Number 3 of 21 - Utkṛṣṭa Yuktānanta उत्कृष्ट युक्तानन्त
Number 18 of 21 - Utkṛṣṭa Yuktāsaṃkhyāta उत्कृष्ट युक्तासंख्यात
Number 9 of 21 - Vartanā वर्तना
What time does - Vigrahagati विग्रहगति
Counted in samaya
The wheel of ages 9
- Avasarpiṇī अवसर्पिणी
The descending half - Duḥṣamā दुःषमा
Spoke 5 of the wheel - Duḥṣamā-duḥṣamā दुःषम-दुःषमा
Spoke 6 of the wheel - Duḥṣamā-suṣamā दुःषम-सुषमा
Spoke 4 of the wheel - Kāla Cakra काल चक्र
The wheel of time - Suṣamā सुषमा
Spoke 2 of the wheel - Suṣamā-duḥṣamā सुषम-दुःषमा
Spoke 3 of the wheel - Suṣamā-suṣamā सुषम-सुषमा
Spoke 1 of the wheel - Utsarpiṇī उत्सर्पिणी
The ascending half