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ally, they will wax in physical beauty, intellect and lifespan. In the third fraction called unbracing-bracing (duhsama-susamá), villages, towns, etc., will come up. Tirthankaras will appear one after another. In the fourth fraction of the up-phase, people will be born as twins and die as twins. (In this system called yaugalika, children born as brother and sister live as man and wife). They will have big bodies and big spans of life. The kalpa trees will meet all their needs. The size of the body and the span of life will continue to increase in the fifth and the sixth fractions of the up-phase. And then a day will come when the up-phase of the time-cycle will come to its close. One down phase and one up phase together constitute one complete time cycle. Such time cycles have appeared in the past and they will continue to appear in the future. Those who make full propitiation of human life will break through the time cycles and attain liberation. Their soul will gain its true self''(8).
Bhagavān Mahāvira spent his last monsoon at Påvapuri. Hastipāla was the king of the place. Mahăvira was' encamped in his writers' building (rajjukajsabha,j which according to some was his customs office). The new-moon day of the month of kārtika drew near. The last congregation met to attend the final sermon. Sakra the Indra of the gods, stood up and prayed. He was followed by King Hastipāla himself who stood up and prayed.
Now, Bhagavan Mahavira started his final sermon. He recited 55 adhyayanas on the whirl of the outcome of piety and another 55 on the whirl of the outcome of impiety(9). At the present time, they exist as Agamas called Sukhavipāka and Duhkha-vipāka.. Then he gave forth 36 adhyayanas of the unasked vyákar ana which have come down as an Agama called Uttarādhyayana. While reciting the adhyay ana named Pradhāna on Mother Marudevi, he became fixed in the paryanka posture (10). Then gradually he became fixed in coarse kāya-yoga and stopped coarse manah yoga and coarse vacana-yoga. Then he changed over to fine kāya-yoga'and cancelled coarse kāya-yoga, and also fine manah-yoga and vacana-yoga. Then he attained the third step called suksma-kriyā-apratipāti of white (pure) meditation calles śukla dhyâng. Then he stopped even the fine kāya-yoga and reached the fourth step called
