Asaṃkhyeya

An asaṃkhyāta (Sanskrit: असंख्येय) is a Hindu/Buddhist name for the number 10¹⁴⁰ or alternatively for the number $10^{(a\cdot2^b)}$ as it is listed in the Avatamsaka Sutra. Depending on the translation, the value is different. It is $10^{(5\cdot2^{103})}$ in the translation of Buddhabhadra, $10^{(7\cdot2^{103})}$ in that of Shikshananda and $10^{(10\cdot2^{104})}$ in that of Thomas Cleary, who may have made an error in calculation.

Asamkhyeya is a Sanskrit word that appears often in the Buddhist texts. For example, Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have practiced for three great asamkhyeya kalpas before becoming a Buddha. Asamkhyeya means ‘incalculable’.

The word "asaṃkhyeya" literally means "innumerable" in the sense of "infinite" in Sanskrit. It is also a title of Vishnu and of Shiva. The word comes up in Vishnu Sahasranama Stanza 27, "Asankyeyo-aprameyaatmaa:" one who has innumerable names and forms.

See also

• History of large numbers