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CHAPTER XXXVII.
JAIN CHURCH. The Cycles of Abasarpini and Utsarpini - The Yugalikas and the Kalpa Tree-We get glimpses of the lives of the First Twenty two Tirthankars-Regular Historical Accounts begin with Paresha-rath, the Twenty third Tirchankar and Mahavir the Twenty fourthRapture and Split--the Principal Subdivisions of the Swetambari and the Digambari - The List of Gacchas.
We have already seen how the Jains establish the eternal existence of the universe as a single unit and of the two great everrecurring cycles of ages, Abasarpini and Utsarpini. The Jains believe that in each of these, there flourish 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 Vardhmân. 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 Yugaliks, when, as the Jain tradition goes, human beings were born in pairs ; they lived as husbands and wives
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