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Ratnakarandaka-śrāvakācāra
luminance, there is incessant and eternal revolution of the worldly cycle of time in these regions.
Each half-cycle is further divided into six periods of time. The periods in the descending (avasarpiņī) half-cycle are termed as:
1) suşamā-suşamā, of 4 kotikotī sāgaropama duration; 2) suşamā, of 3 kotikotī sāgaropama duration; 3) suşamā-duşamā, of 2 kotikotī sāgaropama duration; 4) duşamā-suşamā, of 1 kotikotī sāgaropama minus 42000 years
duration; 5) duşamā, of 21000 years duration; and 6) duşamā-duşamā, of 21000 years duration.
The ascending (utsarpiņī) half-cycle has the same periods of time but in reverse order. In this half-cycle there is the all-round, progressive increase in age, strength, stature and happiness of the living beings.
We are presently living in the fifth period (duşamā) of the descending (avasarpiņī) half-cycle. This period started after 3 years and 872 months of the liberation (nirvāṇa) of the 24th Tīrthankara Lord Mahāvīra.
The complete cycle (kalpakāla) of 20 kotikotī sāgaropama duration is represented in Fig.-2 on the next page.
A transmigrating soul can be in any of the four states of existence, technically called caturgati. These four states of existence are the infernal state, the subhuman state of animals and plants, the human state, and the celestial state. All transmigrating souls remain embodied according to their individual spiritual status. It has been said in the Scripture:
The soul indeed has taken in (enjoyed) successively all the molecules of matter in the entire universe and has cast them off. And the soul has been revolving many times over in the cycles of matter.
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