Scientific Secrets of Jainism

Author(s): Nandighoshvijay
Publisher: Research Institute of Scientific Secrets from Indian Oriental Scriptures Ahmedabad

Page 182

The Jain Time-Cycle And The Cosmic Calendar
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made it free. They died together. They had only slight spiritual blemishes (Kaşāyas) and only a slight desire of sexual pleasures. They were almost devoid of anger, pride, illusion, greed and infatuation. They never quarrelled or fought. They never died a premature death. Human beings and beasts had few needs which were supplied by kalpavrksas (desire-yielding trees). For all these reasons, the sword (asi) i.e. war, ink (maśi) i.e. writing and farming (krşi) had not came to be used. In those days nobody knew plants and no science of plants, history of plants, kinds and uses of plants existed. But it does not mean that plant kingdom and animal kingdom had not at all developed in those days. Also, natural calamities perhaps befell subsequently in the Avasarpinikāla. Fossils in form of ruins were, therefore, perhaps formed subsequently.
In short, a fully natural life was lived during the first three ārās.
The cosmic calendar has only one division, which is called the period of evolution. In view of intellectual, physical and technological circumstances of the human society, it is called evolution, but the Jain-time-cycle has two chief divisions - Utsarpinikāla and Avasarpiņikāla. The Jain scripture entitled Brhatsangrahani states that in Utsarpinikāla, there is a gradual development of physical strength, height, life-span, spirituality etc. and bad tendencies of all living beings subside. Contrarily, in Avasarpinikāla, physical strength, height, life-span etc. diminish and spirituality deteriorates. Bad qualities such as anger, jealousy, pride etc. come into power i.e. become prominent.
Modern science and its ecological and geological evidences support these observations. The ruins in form of fossils of dinosaurs of many years ago, bear witness of their gigantic size. The American Science magazine 'Discover' states that the ruins in form of fossils of birds with the length of 11.5 feet and with wing of the expanse of 23 feet, have been discovered. According to the Jain terminology, this dinosaur is a one type of reptiles. The mongoose, the squirrel, the house-lizard etc. belong to this phylum of animals. As stated in the ‘Jiva vicāra Prakarana' written by Ācārya Śrī śāntisūriji in the twelfth century of Vikram Era and in the 'Jivābhigama', the 'Pannavanā' and other Jain canonical scriptures written earlier by the year 450 A.D., the largest size of these living beings is of the length 2 to 9 Gāus (1 Gāu = 3.2 kms.) It is estimated that this dinosaur is 80 feet in height and 150 to 175 feet in length. According to science, dinosaurs are of different kinds, different sizes and different peculiarities. They belong to the mesozoic period. According to the