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Premise
MAHAVIRA ERA OF JAIN CHRONOLOGY
Jain Chronology contains two types of time cycles-ascending and descending. The latter starts from joy to sorrow whereas the former repeats it froin sorrow to happiness. The cycle completes in "Twenty Kodākodi Sāgaropama'' limit and makes a Kalpa (creation) (Jambu Pr. 2/115). According to Sarvārthasiddhiḥ, the cycle completes in descending six parts, i.e., sushama-sushamă, sushamā, sushamadushmā, dushama-sushamă, dushamă and at i-dushamā, whereas in ascending six parts, i.e., dushama-dushamă, dushmă, dushama-su shama, sushama-dushama, sushamă and ati-sushamā, mentioned also in Arya Siddhānta (3.9):
उत्सपिणी युगाध पश्चादवसर्पिणी युगार्धञ्च ।
मध्ये युगस्य सुषमादावन्ते दुष्षमेन्दूच्चयात् ॥ The limit of Creation of this twenty "kodākoņi sāgaropama" makes a period of two hundred thousand years or a period of Two Millennia, that can be counted as under :-sushama-sushamā=40,0CO years, sushamã30,000 years, sushamã-dusham=20,000 years, dushama-sushamā=5800 (4200 years less in 10,000); dushamā=2,100; ati-dushamā=2,100 and dushama-dushamä==2,100 years, dushamã= 2100 years, dushama-sushamā=5800 years, sushama-dushamão 20,000 years, sushamā=30,000 years, ati-sushama=40,000 years. (This is all imaginary calculation. The scriptures contain more period of time and the Hundāvasarpiņi period of time is believed to be including numberless ascending and descending cycles of the time).
According to Tiloyapaņņātti (Gātbā 4/1239), Lord Rşabha attained nirvāna while 3 years, 8 months and 15 days were still left in third ārā (spoke) in descending cycle whereas Lord Mahāvira achieved liberation when the same period remained in the fourth ärā (spoke). The Kalpa Sūtra repeats the same duration in other words that Arhat Rşabha of Koshal attained nirvāna while 3 years and 81 months were still left in the third spoke. Thereafter in the fourth ārā (spoke) i e. less 4200 years "sägaropama Kodākodī", or of 5800 years, (less 4200 years in 10,000 years) while 3 years and 81 months were still left. Lord Mahāvīra attained nirvana. Thus the whole period between the two nirvāṇas (liberation of Rşabha and Mahāvīra) equalises the period of
