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Jainism: The Cosmic Vision
multiply themselves to a dangerous number. Sons will hardly serve their parents. Donation, good conduct, austerity and good feelings will gradually become rare. Quarrelsome mentality, violent temperament, passion for revenge, etc. will grow in intensity and extent. People - rather traders will largely use false weights and measures to deceive their customers. The excellent things of excellent colour, smell, flavour and touch will vanish."
Then Mahavira described conditions of the coming fifth division of the current half Time-cycle. He said, "In the endpart of the fifth division of the current half Time-cycle, there will flourish a Jain Acharya Duhprasaha, a Jain nun Phalgushri, a Jain householder Nagila, a Jain lay-woman Satyashri, a king Vimalavahana and his minister Sumukha. Human body will be nearly three feet in height. Human life-span will be of twenty years only. On the last day of the fifth division of the current half Time-cycle, in the morning, the observance of monastic code of conduct will completely disappear, in the noon the practice of kingly duties will completely disappear, and in the evening fire will completely disappear."
Then Mahavira drew a picture of the coming sixth division of the current half Time-cycle. He said, "On the completion of the fifth division made up of twenty one thousand years, there will set in the sixth and last division, called Dushama-dushama, of the current half Time-cycle called Avasarpini (Descending). In this sixth division, conditions will deteriorate even further to a great extent. Religion, society and government system will become completely extinct. There will be nothing like family. Father-son relationship and all behaviour based on it will come to an end. In the beginning of this division, there will blow
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Predictions of Tirthankara Mahavira
terrific winds and there will be torrential rains. They will cause deluge and destruction. Only human beings and animals will survive with seeds. They will reside in hollows or caves on the banks of rivers Ganga and Sindhu. They will live on flesh and fish."
Then Mahavira described conditions which will take shape after the completion of the sixth division of the current half Time-cycle. He said, "At the end of the sixth division of the current half-Time-cycle called Avasarpini (Descending), there will set in the first division of the half-Time-cycle called Utsarpini (Ascending). The conditions prevailing in the first division of Utsarpini will be the same as those prevailing in the sixth division of Avasarpini. And the second division of Utsarpini will be similar to the fifth division of Avasarpini. In the beginning of the second division of Utsarpini, earth will receive rains of two types called Pushkara Samvartaka which will remove heat from earth. The earth will cool down. Then the earth will receive milky rains called Kshira-megha which will generate unctuousn ousness in things. After that, earth will receive fourth type of rains called Amruta-megha (Nectar-rains) which will produce herbs and vegetation with varied properties. Then the earth will receive the fifth type of rains called Rasa-megha (Flavour-rains) which will make the earth fertile and also capable of producing fruits, grains, etc. of various flavours. All these rains of five types will descend heavily and uninterruptedly on earth."
"Conditions will be conducive to progress again. Human beings residing in hollows or caves on the banks of rivers will come out from them and will settle on plains. With the change in time, human intellect will gradually become cultured and
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