sands of the Ganges ［恒河沙］ ( Gangā-nadī-vālukā or Gangā-nadī-vālikā;  gōga-sha): Also, Ganges sands. An expression indicating an incalculable number. In Buddhist scriptures, “the sands of the Ganges” often appears as an analogy for an uncountable number. This expression is used to represent, for example, the incalculable number of worlds in the universe or the countless bodhisattvas at a particular preaching assembly. “The sands of sixty thousand Ganges” and similar expressions are also common.