Answer

The 12 Angas are the main divisions of the Jain Agamas. The 12th Anga is called Drstivada (Dṛṣṭivāda), and in traditional Jain counting it is considered the largest and last Anga.

A “pada” means a word, textual unit, or meaningful segment of a scripture.

So when it is said that the last Anga had “108 crore padas”, it means it contained an extremely large number of textual units — about 1,080,000,000 padas.

Explanation

In Jain scriptural tradition:

• Anga = a major limb or division of scripture
• Pada = a word or unit of text
• 108 crore padas = a traditional way of expressing the vast size of that scripture

For example, in a simple sentence like:

• “Jai Jinendra”

there are two padas:

• Jai
• Jinendra

So pada is not a foot here. It is a scriptural word/unit.

Spiritual Understanding

The huge number of padas in the 12th Anga shows how vast and profound the original Jain scriptural knowledge was. In Jain tradition, this also reminds us of:

• the richness of the Tirthankars’ teachings
• the importance of preservation
• the depth of Jain philosophy

Takeaway

Yes, the 12th Anga is traditionally the largest one, and “pada” means a word or textual unit in scripture. So 108 crore padas means a very large scriptural composition.