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Dr. Charlotte Krause : Her Life & Literature
the maximum age 100 years. It lasts one koțākoți of sägaropamas minus 42,000 years. During this period, the remaining 23 Tīrthankaras out of the stereotyped "Tīrtharkara-caturvimśatikā', which, as a law, appears during an Avasarpiņi ( as during an Utsarpiņi ), succeed one another in gradually decreasing intervals, each inferior to his predecessor in height and duration of life. Thus, the first Tīrtharikara of this 'Ārā'( the second of the Caturviṁsatikā) is 450
dhanu' high and lives 72,00,000 pūrvas' of years, while the last one reaches a height of only 7 'hasta', and an age of less than 100 years.
(5) 'Duşşamā', during which the body-height decreases to two 'hasta', and the duration of life to 20 years. Tīrthankara has no longer appear, religion slowly lapses into oblivion, and the gate to salvation is closed again. This period sees the last of the Sādhus and the last Jaina layman. It lasts 21,000 years.
(6) 'Duşşama-duşşamā', during which the lowest limit of degeneration is reached. Human beings are, at the best, 1 ‘hasta' high, and their span of life does not exceed 16 years. Religion and civilization are utterly dead. The world is populated by a miserable horde of savages, who dwell in caves, troubled by wild beasts, vermin, disease, and extremes of heat and cold, against none of which evils they are any longer able to protect themselves. Having lost the art of using fire, they live on raw fish and tortoises. This ever-increasing misery lasts for 21,000 years, when the first 'Ārā' of the next 'Utsarpiņi' starts, with fresh hope for a gradual improvement of things.
While the chain of these six 'Ārās', interminable like an endless band, goes on revolving for ever in Bharata and in Airāvata, there are neither Utasarpiņis nor Avasarpiņis in the rest of the universe. Even in Pūrvavideha and Aparavideha, though they too belong to the category of 'Karmabhūmis', time eternally stands still. All the 32 'Vijayas' invariable are in a condition of 'DuşşamaSuşamā', with a fair average of development, and a fair share of
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