Imagine an intricate blueprint for knowledge rolled into ten neat packages—each called a sthāna—much like an ancient Dewey Decimal system. That’s exactly how the Sthananga Sūtra lays itself out:

1. Parikāra-sthāna
   • Acts as the nuts and bolts of study: definitions, classifications and introductory tools used by monks.
2. Sūtra-sthāna
   • Delivers pithy aphorisms that hit the nail on the head—core Jain doctrines in bite-sized verses.
3. Pūrvanayoga-sthāna
   • Brings in stories from earlier masters, weaving history and moral examples into the tapestry of teaching.
4. Prakirna-sthāna
   • A grab-bag of miscellaneous but essential topics—think of it as “all the rest,” from ritual timings to legal points.
5. Śabda-sthāna
   • Focuses on words and meanings: grammar, pronunciation, even poetic meters.
6. Saṃgraha-sthāna
   • A concise roundup, gathering key lists for quick recall—ideal for on-the-go revision.
7. Kriyā-sthāna
   • Covers the how-to’s of worship and daily conduct: rituals, vows, temple etiquette.
8. Niya-sthāna
   • Lays down behavioral restraints—what monks must steadily practice to keep their vows unblemished.
9. Yoga-sthāna
   • Maps out mental disciplines and meditation techniques, from breath control to stages of concentration.
10. Nirgraha-sthāna
    • The final checkpoint: intensifies focus on self-restraint, showing how to rein in the mind’s roaming tendencies.

Across these ten sections, some 500-plus topics are systematically numbered and often composed in mnemonic verse. That approach wasn’t merely for show; in a pre-print world, it made memorization a breeze. Fast-forward to today’s digital archives or modern AI taxonomies, and a familiar thread appears—breaking big subjects into bite-sized, searchable chunks remains the name of the game. Even recent efforts to digitize Jain manuscripts at institutions like the British Library LibrarySound Archive nod to this age-old impulse: keep things neat, memorable, and ready for exploration.