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Jainism: The Cosmic Vision
brilliant. The human body-form will become attractive and the human life-span will increase in length. In the third division called Dushama-sushama of Utsarpini villages, towns, cities, etc. will come into existence. Tirthankaras will flourish. They will explain the importance of spiritual, religious and cultural life.
In the fourth division of Utsarpini human beings will be born as twins only: a brother and a sister. A brother and a sister born as twins will marry each other; that is, a brother will become the husband of his sister and they will die together. Human body will be very huge and human life-span will also be commensurably extremely long. Human beings will satisfy their desires with the help of wish-fulfilling trees. These trees will offer everything they desire. All things and living beings will undergo development or evolution in the right direction. Even in the fifth and sixth divisions of Utsarpini the development and evolution will go on continuously. On the completion of the sixth division there will be an end of Utsarpini. The half-Time-cycle called Avasarpini (Descending or Retrogressive) and the other half-Time-cycle called Utsarpini (Ascending or Progressive) together will make one complete Time-cycle. Time-cycle moves on ceaselessly and eternally. In the past there have been infinite Time-cycles and in future there will be infinite Time-cycles. In other words, the past has no beginning and the future has no end. Having understood rightly the essence of the religion of man, one who translates this understanding into practice and lives up to the principles of pure religion, breaks this Time-cycle, rises above Time and attains eternal bliss."
Thus venerable Mahavira predicted the future, while answering his chief disciple Gautamaswami's question.
10
A Journey of Ahimsa
There was a time, in the past, when the
world was confronted with two alternatives - violence or non-violence. Today the two alternatives before the world are non-violence or humanity's extinction. Man's very existence is in peril today with the wave of violence sweeping globally. Terrorism has become a global phenomenon and nations are at war, resulting in bloodshed and killings. There is violence in each and every society and has percolated down to the domestic life. An individual today is more violent. A schoolboy does not hesitate killing a classmate over a petty matter. Killing a person belonging to another race or community has become the order of the day. Thus at the level of an individual and society, violence has almost become a way of life.
In the Indian scriptures there is the story of Bhasmasur. He worshipped Lord Shiva and through severe penance propitiated Him. Shiva was pleased and granted him a boon - whatever he
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