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JAIN JOURNAL
Vol. XXXVIII
No. 4 April
2004
RELIGION (DHARMA)- A SOCIAL NECESSIT
JAINA PERSPECTIVE*
R. P. Poddar
Jaina ontology holds ‘Time (kāla)' as having ascending (utsarpini) and descending (avasarpiņi) swings. In the first it swings from extreme evil (duşşamā duşşamā) to extreme good (suşamā suşamā) through the intermediary phases of evil (duşşamā), evil diluted with good (duşşamā suşamā), good with vestiges of evil (suşamā duşşamā) and good (suşamā). The first two phases last for twenty-one thousand years each. The rest respectively last for (K-42000 years) 2K, 3K and 4K where 'K' stands for a fabulous measure of time (koți koți sāgaropama'). The gear is reversed in the second. At present the Time is in the descending swing of which the first four phases and approximately 2527 years of the fifth phase have clapsed. After approximately 18,473 years of the current and 21,000 years of the sixth phase Time's swing will be reversed.
In the first two phases of the present descending swing, human beings were born in pairs of male and female. The new pair produced another before extinction and so on. All human requirements were fulfilled by ten types of trees called kalpavrkşas (wish-fulfilling trees)?. The human beings of those times were, ‘endowed with all the auspicious marks, having unimpaired form, voice, constitution, colour and a favourable wind humour, peaceful by nature; with slight anger, pride, deceit and greed; meek and mild; having few desires and keeping their wishes always within compass, not amassing anything, eating flowers and fruits growing on the earth, living under trees and wearing leaves'. They did not need any weapon to protect themselves. Even
Acharya Atmāram Memorial Jain lecture at Guru Gobind Singh Department of Religious Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala.
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