Jain Legend Vol 1

Author(s): Hastimal Maharaj, Shuganchand Jain, P S Surana
Publisher: Hastimal Maharaj Shugan C Jain P S Surana

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K lacakra and Kulakaras
According to the Jain holy texts ( stras), the world has been progressing with a constant momentum since beginningless time. Change is the natural, permanent and innate quality of every living non-living thing. The entire ostensible / visible world is permanent / constant when compared to the fundamental matter / substance, but being ever changing, is equivalent to being transient. The cycle of night after day, again day after night, light after darkness and darkness after light, coming and going and coming again and return has been incessant since time immemorial. Rise and prosperity thereafter and the climax of prosperity and the fall followed by complete decline and rise again. In this way the world's incessant sequence has been continuing. This cycle of downfall and rise to excellence in the world is termed avasarpi (regressive half cycle) and utsarpi (progressive half cycle).Declining happiness period is the time moving towards the ebb like the waning of the moon in the dark fortnight and utsarpi period is the period that rises towards excellence like the moon continuously rising in the bright fortnight.
Declining happiness period's declining time sequence is divided into 6 parts: 1. Su am -Su ama (sukham -sukham or happy-happy) of 4 kod ākodīs gara years duration; Su am (sukham or happy) of 3 kod ākodā gara years duration; Su am -du ama (sukham -dukham or happy-unhappy) of 2 kod ākoņš gara years duration; du am -Su ama (dukham -sukham or unhappy-happy) of 42,000 years less than one kod ākod gara years duration; du ama (dukham - unhappy) of 21,000 years duration; du am du ama (dukham -dukham or unhappyunhappy) of 21,000 years. Similarly the sequence of excellent time, the utsarpi , is also divided into 6 parts in the reverse order of the declining happiness. Avasarpi and utsarpi together make for 20 kodakodi s gara, one cycle (K lacakra) of time
At this time we are all going through the declining happiness cycle. The first r (time sequence or period) of the declining happiness cycle is enriched with superlative form, taste, smell, touch and prosperity par excellence. In that time, living beings get all their life-needs met without any effort through the kalpav k a (the wish fulfilling tree). Hence their life is immersed in self and extremely joyful. There is no reason for
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