Atthi imasmiṁ kāye—Kesā lomā nakhā dantā taco, maṁsaṁ nhāru aṭṭhi aṭṭhimiñjaṁ vakkaṁ, hadayaṁ yakanaṁ kilomakaṁ pihakaṁ papphāsaṁ, antaṁ antaguṇaṁ udariyaṁ karīsaṁ matthaluṅgaṁ, pittaṁ semhaṁ pubbo lohitaṁ sedo medo, assu vasā kheḷo siṅghāṇikā lasikā muttanti.
In this body, there are—hairs of the head, hairs of the body, nails, teeth, skin;[1] flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys;[2] heart, liver, inner membrane, spleen, lungs;[3] intestines, mesentery, stomach contents, feces, brain;[4] bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, nasal mucus, synovial fluid, and urine.[5]
hairs of the head, hairs of the body, nails, teeth, skin; Per commentaries, this group is known as the "Skin Pentad" (taca-pañcaka). It is the first section taught to novices upon ordination because attachment to physical beauty is rooted in these visible parts; discerning their nature as it is in actuality is the first step in severing attraction to the body.
flesh, sinews, bones, bone marrow, kidneys; This group represents the structural "Earth Element" (pathavī-dhātu). It guides attention from the outer wrapping of the muscles and sinews down to the structural frame of the skeleton and the deep core of the marrow and kidneys.
heart, liver, inner membrane, spleen, lungs; These represent the dense internal organs housed within the thoracic and abdominal cavities.
intestines, mesentery, stomach contents, feces, brain; This group comprises the digestive tract and the nervous center. The brain was technically added by the commentaries (it is absent in the Suttas) to complete the count to 32 and to distinguish the marrow of the skull from the marrow of the bones.
bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, grease, saliva, nasal mucus, synovial fluid, and urine. These last twelve parts constitute the "Water Element" (āpo-dhātu). Unlike the previous twenty parts which are solid and structural, these are fluid and cohesive; they bind the earth element together "just as water binds flour into dough," preventing the body from scattering.