Book Title: Scientific Secrets of Jainism
Author(s): Nandighoshvijay
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad
________________
The Jambūdvipa Laghusangrahaņi And The Modern Science
137
In Utsarpinikāla the height, life-span, physical capacities etc. of human beings and animals develop, spiritual blemishes (kaşāyas) such as attachment, aversion, anger etc. diminish and inauspicious tendencies also diminish gradually. Thus, few spiritual blemishes of men and women, birds and beasts, rise.
In Avasarpinikāla, the development is contrary to this. In the beginning, the height, life-span etc. of human beings and beasts etc. are the utmost. But as time passes, they diminish. In the beginning inauspicious tendencies, jealousy, illusion, attach, aversion, anger etc.of human beings are very slight but then as time passes, they increase.
Both Utsarpiņikāla and Avasarpiņikāla have six ārās ( spokes of the wheel of time ) each. Twenty-four Tirthankaras are born in each half of the timecycle. The joint duration of both is 20 kādākādi i.e. 20X10" Sāgarōpamas (10 kādākāļi Sāgaropamas of Utsarpinikāla and 10 kādākādi Sāgarõpamas of Avasarpiņikāla). The present time belongs to Avasarpinikāla. So, we shall first think of it. Utsarpinikāla is contrastive to it.
The first ārā (spoke of the wheel of time) in Avasarpiņikāla is of duration of four kādākādi Sāgarāpamas; the second ārā is of three kõļākādi Sāgarāpamas; the third ārā is of two kādākādi Sāgarōpamas, the fourth ārā is of one kõļākāļi Sāgarāpamas less by 42000 years and the fifth and the sixth ārās of 21,000 years each. By the end of the third ārā, the first Tirthankara is born. The fourth ārā begins shortly after nirvāņa of the first Tirtharkara. The rest twenty-three Tirthankaras of this group of twenty-four Tirthankaras are born in this fourth ārā. Shortly after nirvāṇa of the twenty-fourth Tirthankara, the fourth ārā comes to an end.
According to Jain scriptures, human beings and birds and beasts in the beginning of the first ārā, are yugalik or twins and they have a hight of 3 Gāus and a life-span three palyõpamas." Height, life-span of living beings gradually decrease and in the beginning of the second ārā, their height is of two Gāus and life-span is of two palyāpamas. In the beginning of the third ārā, the decreasing height and life-span of twin human beings and beasts etc. are one Gāu and one palyāpamas respectively. At the end of the third ārā, the life-span of the human beings is of 84 hundred thousand pūrva years 15 and their height of 500 Dhanusyas. Half-way in the fourth ārā, man
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org