________________ JAIN CONCEPTS OF GEOGRAPHY AND COSMOLOGY 241 KALCHAKRA While concluding it would be pertinent to say about Kalchakra (time cycle). The concept of repeating time cycles has been in vogue in India. Vaidic tradition believes in the cycle of an ascending and a descending order. Each half cycle consists of four eras known as Satyug, Tretayug, Dwaparyug, and Kaliyug. There are varying notions about the length of such time cycles. Generally acceptable one is of 24000 years. Jainism believes in time cycles of immeasurably long periods. Every such time cycle consists of 2000 trillion Sagaropams. Those cycles have an ascending order called Utsarpini and a descending order called Avsarpini. Bharat and Airvat Kshetras experience an ever-increasing improvement during the ascending order and an accelerating deterioration during the descending order. Each half cycie is divided in six eras and 24 Tirthankars arise one after another in those Kshetras during the third and fourth eras of every Utsarpini and Avsarpini. Mahavideh Kshetra is not subject to such periods of improvement and decline. The moderately favorable conditions prevail there forever. Moreover, there are always some extant Tirthankars. It is said that there would be at least one Tirthanakar in each of its four major divisions, as it is at present. There can, however, be as many as 32 Tirthankars at the rate of one Tirthankar for every Vijay. As there are 5 Mahavideh Kshetras, there could be maximum 160 extant Tirthankars in those continents. Since each of the five Bharats and Airvats can have one Tirthankar during that period, there could be maximum 170 extant Tirthankars at a time. That is believed to have happened during the time of Lord Ajitnath. ODO Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org
