Dhanusha
Literal Meaning
A bow's length
Etymology & Sanskrit Root
Sanskrit 'dhanusha' (bow): an ancient unit of height and distance, roughly comparable to two meters, though Jain texts describe the earliest Tirthankaras as standing hundreds of dhanusha tall.
Spiritual Insight & Context
Like their vast lifespans, the towering heights Jain texts give the earliest Tirthankaras (sometimes 500 dhanusha or more) signal an ancient golden age rather than a literal physical measurement meant to be pictured at human scale.