जै · The Jain Encyclopedia
The ascending half

Utsarpiṇī

उत्सर्पिणी

The same six ages run backwards. Everything lost comes back.

It begins where the descent ended, at the bottom, and climbs: Duḥṣamā-duḥṣamā, Duḥṣamā, Duḥṣamā-suṣamā, Suṣamā-duḥṣamā, Suṣamā, Suṣamā-suṣamā. Lifespans lengthen, bodies grow, the earth becomes generous again.

Twenty-four new Tīrthaṅkaras appear in its fourth ara, with their own names. The first of the coming set is Padmanābha, who by tradition is the soul now known as King Śreṇika of Magadha, Mahāvīra's contemporary and patron.

Then the wheel comes round and the descent starts over. It has done this without beginning and will do it without end.

Suṣamā-suṣamā4 ×10¹⁴ sāgar.Suṣamā3 ×10¹⁴ sāgar.Suṣamā-duḥṣamā2 ×10¹⁴ sāgar.Duḥṣamā-suṣamā1 ×10¹⁴ less 42k yrDuḥṣamā21,000 yearsDuḥṣamā-duḥṣamā21,000 yearsDuḥṣamā-duḥṣamā21,000 yearsDuḥṣamā21,000 yearsDuḥṣamā-suṣamā1 ×10¹⁴ less 42k yrSuṣamā-duḥṣamā2 ×10¹⁴ sāgar.Suṣamā3 ×10¹⁴ sāgar.Suṣamā-suṣamā4 ×10¹⁴ sāgar.AVASARPIṆĪ ↓descending · everything diminishesUTSARPIṆĪ ↑ascending · everything returnsKĀLA CAKRAone full turn =20 crore-crore sāgaropamaBharat and Airāvat onlywe are here5th spoke of a descending halfc. 2,500 of its 21,000 years goneThe twelve spokes are drawn equal. They are not: the first alone outlasts the last two beyond ordinary counting.
The wheel of time — Utsarpiṇī highlighted

Measurements and counts

Aras6, in reverse order
Total length10 crore-crore sāgaropama
Tīrthaṅkaras24
First of the next setPadmanābha
FollowsAvasarpiṇī
Followed byAvasarpiṇī again

Connected

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समयं गोयम! मा पमायए

Do not be heedless, Gautama, for even a single samaya.

Uttarādhyayana Sūtra 10