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Tattvārthasūtra
understood to be without any interval. So much constitutes a cycle of time (kālaparivartana). It has been said, "The soul revolving in the cycle of time has been born as well as dead many times in the instants of the ascending as well as the descending cycles of time.” The cycle of being (bhavaparivartana) is described next. In the infernal state, the minimum lifetime is ten thousand years. Some being is born with that lifetime in that region and, after wandering, is reborn there with the same lifetime. In this manner, he is born and died in the same region as many times as there are instants (samaya) in ten thousand years. Again, by increase of one instant (samaya) at a time, the lifetime of thirty-three sāgaropama, of the infernal region, is completed. Then, coming out from the infernal region, he is born in the plants and animal world with the minimum duration of within forty-eight minutes - antarmuhūrta. And in the manner mentioned above, the lifetime of three palyopama, of the plant and animal world, is completed. Similarly, the being completes the lifetime of within forty-eight minutes - antarmuhūrta - to three palyopama with regard to the human state of existence. In the celestial state it is like that of infernal beings. But there is this difference. In the celestial state, it must be taken up to the completion of thirty-one sāgaropama. All these taken together constitute one cycle of being (bhavaparivartana). It has been said, “Owing to association with wrong-belief (mithyātva), the soul has revolved many times, being born with the minimum, etc., lifetime in all the states of existence, from the infernal regions up to the upper graiveyaka heaven. Now the cycle of thought-activity (bhāvaparivartana) is described. One being endowed with the five senses and the mind - samjñi paryāptaka - and actuated by wrong belief (mithyādarśana) acquires the minimum duration, as suited to him, of within one kotākoti (1 crore X 1 crore) sāgaropama of knowledge-obscuring (jñānāvaraṇīya) karmas. The Scripture contains highly technical discussion of the cycle of thought-activity, beyond the scope of the present work. Suffice it to say here that with the increase of one instant at a time, the maximum duration of thirty koțākoți sāgaropama is reached. In the
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