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CHAPTER XXXVII.
JÄIN CHURCH. The Cycles of Abasarpini and Utsarpini – The Yugalikas and the Kalpa Tree-W: get glimpses of the lives of the First Twenty two Tirthinkars-Regular Historical Accounts h gin wit! Pare hunath, the Twenty third Tirthanar al Mlavir th: T'wzaty fourthRapture and Sylie the Principal Subdivisions of the Swatambari und t'12 Diganbari --The List of Gacchas.
We have already seen how the Jains establish the eternal existence of the universe as a singie unit and of the two great everrecurring cycles of ages, Abzsarpini and Utsarpini. The Jains believe that in each of these, there fl urishi twenty-four Tirthankars. During the present period of Abasarpini, Rishav Dev or Adinath as he is also called, was the first Tirthankar and the last one was Mahavira or Vardhmâ :). It was Rishavdev, who first taught the people, men and women, the different arts and industries. But previous to his era was the period of Yu aliks, when, as the Jain tradition goes, human beings were born in pairs ; they lived as husbands and wives
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