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ĀRYAKHANDA AND CYCLES OF
AVASARPIN1 AND
UTSARPINI
The wheel of time moves along the two
fundamental time divisions-Avasarpini and Utsarpini.
Avasarpigi is divided into six periods,
viz.
Susamā-susamā
=
4 kodakodī sāgaras
Susamā
=
3 kodakodī sāgaras
Susamā -dusamā
=
2 kodakodī sāgaras
dusamā - Susamā
=
1 kodakodī sāgaras -42000 years
dusamā
=
21000 years
dusamā - dusamā
=
21000 years.
The six periods occur in the reverse
order in Utsarpini. During, Avasarpini the age of human beings is
3 palyas in the beginning of first period and it reduces to 2
palyas at the end of first period and beginning of second period,
1 palya at the end of second period and beginning of third period,
pūrvakoti at the end of third period or beginning of fourth
period, 120 years at the end of fourth period and beginning of
fifth period, 20 years at the end of fifth period and beginning of
sixth period and 15 years at the end of sixth period. The order is
reversed during Utsarpini.
Human beings take food after 3 days in
first period, after 2 days in second period, after one day in
third period, daily in fourth period, many times in fifth period
and repeatedly in sixth period. During the first three periods,
human beings of bhogabhiumi obtain their food-material from ten
kinds of kalpa trees.
During, Avasarpini up to the time of
third period with balance of 1/8 palya, there were born 15
kulakaras counted from Pratisruti up to Rsabhadeva (see
Trilokasāra, vv. 792-794) Some consider only 14 kulakaras not
including Rsabhadeva as one of them. And during the third period
with a balance of 3 years 81 months Rsabhadeva obtained salvation.
During the fourth period with a
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43
Āryankhanda and Cycles o,f
Avasarpinī and Utsarpinī
balance
of 3 years 8-1/2 months Lord
Mahāvira obtained salvation. During the fifth period in current
the last Jaina monk Virāngada muni along with his caturvidha
samgha will adopt sallekhanā at
the instance of kalkī king asking for
Grāsa as tax. And the religion, the king and fire will come to
an end then on the same day.
The Time of Annihilation
At the end of sixth period i.e.
dusmā-dusāma, the violent wind called Samvartaka destroys
parvatas, trees and the earths. All the, living beings become
unconscious at that time. The living being: residing in the
vicinity of Vijayārdha parvata, Gangā and Sindhu: rivers and
Ksudra cave enter into them respectively. Some kind devas and
Vidyādhara human beings bring pairs there. (See Trilokasāra,
gāthas 864-865). At the and of the sixth period, the showers of
seven objects, viz. wind, extreme cold, ksārarasa, poison,
strong fire, dust and smoke, operate in order for 7 days each.
Rest of human beings saved before are also finished by this
time. The earth burnt out by the showers of poison and strong
fire is broken into pieces right up to one yojana deep into it.
Then Utsarpini begins to operate. The
showers of water, milk, ghee, nectar and juice begin to operate
in order for 7 days each.
The earth becomes cold and the living
beings come out of the caves
I
of Vijāyardha etc. Then follow the
other periods during Utsarpini. In this manner the six fold
variations of the wheel of time operate only in Āryakhandas of
Bharata and Airāvata ksetras. Conditions of susama-susama
period, susma period and susama-dusama period prevail at
Devakuru and Uttarakuru, Hari and Ramyaka and Haimavata and
Hairanyavata ksetras. Conditions of the fourth period i.e.
susamā·dusamā, always prevail over Videha ksetra. (See
Trilokasāra, v: 882). In five Mleccha khandas of Bharata and
Airāvata ksetras each, and srenis of Vidyādharas at Vijayārdha,
the variation takes place just as from the beginning to the end
of the fourth period (see Trilokasāra, v. 883).
Thus it is evident that the dimensions
of ksetras and qualities like age, height etc. of human beings
and tiryanca (subhuman) living beings in the ksetras decrease
during Avasarpini and the same increase during Utsarpini.
Sometimes an ocean becomes dry land and a mountain a ksetra in
the region of Āryakhanda. Annihilation also takes place in
Āryakhanda. No variation takes place in any other place except
Āryakhanda. Any universal rivers,
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44
Jaina Geography
parvatas,
oceans and Jina temples do not exist in Āryakhanda. Universal
Gangā river along with its family of 14000 streams passes
through Mleccha khandas and not Āryakhanda (see Tiloya Pannattī,
first part, p. 17 I).
Size of Āryakhanda
Bharata
ksetra is stretched over 526-6/19 yojanas, 1/190 the part of
Jambūdvipa. Vijayārdha parvata havinga stretch of 50 yojanas
passes through it in the east-western direction. Thus the
southern half of Bharata ksetra is extended over 238-3/19
[=(526-6/19- 50) x1/2] Length of Padma sarovara (lake) at
Himavān parvata is 1000 yojanas and Gangā and Sindhu rivers each
flow 500 yojanas over this parvata before they turn towards the
southern direction. Thus the east-western length of Āryakhanda
is 2000 (= 1000+500+500) yojanas. Thus the area of Āryakhanda
becomes equal to 476000 (238 X
2000) square yojanas.
At the
centre of Āryakhanda, there exists Ayodhya, capital, 119 yojanas
south of which exists the vedi of Lavanasamudra, at the same
distance north of which lies the vedi of Vijayārdha parvata and
1000 yojanas east and west of which lie the west vedīs of Gangā
and Sindhu rivers respectively. Thus Āryakhanda is enclosed by
Lavanasamudra in the, south, Vijayārdha in the north, Ganga
river in the east and Sindhu river in the' west. The whole of
the present world is contained into this Āryakhanda.
Consequently parvatas like Sumeru, Himavān etc., ksetras like
Haimavata, Hari etc., rivers like Gangā etc. and water tanks
like Padma etc. as contained in Jambūdvīpa, are all situated out
of Āryakhanda.
The
contents of Āryakhanda are described as under:
In the
beginning of the present era, Lord Rsabhadeva allowed lndra to
create countries, towns and villages and lord Rsabhadeva himself
established the varnas (o.kZ)
(castes) viz. Ksatriya, Vaiśya and Śudra, as described in Ādi
Purāna. Some of the villages, towns and countries created at
that time are seen these days also, e.g. Sukośala, Avantī,
Pundra, Undra, Aśmaka, Ramyaka, Kuru, Kaśī, Kalinga, Anga, Banga,
Suhma, Samudraka, Kaśmīra, Uśīnara, Ānarta, Vatsa, Pancāla,
Mālava, Daśarna, Kaccha, Magadha, Vidarbha, Kuru, Jāngala,
Karāhata, Mahārastra, Saurāśtra, Ābhira, Konkana, Vanavāsa,
Andhra, Karnātaka, Kauśala, Cola, Kerala, Dārū, Abhisāra,
Sauvira, Sūrasena, Aprāntaka, Videha, Sindhu, Gāndhara, Yavana,
Cedi, Pallava, Kamboja, Āratta, Bālhika,
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Āryakhana Cycles of AVasarpini
and Utsarpini 45
Turuska, Śaka and Kekaya and many
other countries as well (see Ādi Purāna, p. 360)
As a courtesy to pay obeisance to
Lord, there came Indra along with other devas and he managed
to create the Sources of livelihood for the living beings. At
an auspicious moment, he first created a Jina temple at the
middle of Ayodhya town and then one Jina temple in four
directions each. After this, he created countries like Kauśala
etc., towns like Ayodhya etc. and villages etc. along with
their forests and proper demarcations respectively.
Variations of Dimensions of
Parts of Āryakhanda
It is generally accepted that good
qualities of living beings decrease during Avasarpini and
increase during Utsarpini. The question arises as to decide
whether or not there occurs any change in the dimensions of
parvatas, rivers etc. of Āryakhanda during the cycles of
Avasarpini and Utsarpini. It is stated in Tattvarthasūtra of
Umāsvāmi as:
"Bharatairāvatayorvrddhihrāsau
satsamayābhyānamutsarpinya_ vasarpini bhyām." Tattvārtasūtra,
28
HkjrSjkor;ksoZ`f)g;lkS "kV~le;kH;keqRlfiZ.;olfiZ.khH;ke~ A r0
lw0] 3/28.
i.e. During six-fold cycles of
Utsarpinī and Avasarpinī, the phenomenon of increase and
decrease does happen to be in Bharata and Airāvatha ksetras.
Ācārya Vidyānanda in his commentary on Tattvārtha Sūtra says
that the process of increase and decrease in Bharata and
Airāvata ksetras implies symbolically indeed a sense of change
in good qualities of the living beings in these ksetras (see
Tattvārthaślokavārtika, 5th part, p. 346).
"Tātsthyattācchabdyasiddherbharatairāvatayorvrddihrāsayogah
adhikarananirdeśo vā, tatrasthānām hi manusyādīnāmanubhavā-
yuhpramānādikrtau vrddhihrāsau satkālābhyām utsarpinyavasar_
dinībhyam.”
But Umāsvāmi further states as:
"Tābhyāmaparā bhumayoavasthitālh."
Tattvārtha Sūtra, 29. i.e., the bhūmis of ksetras other than
the two (Bharata and Airāvata) remain, unchanged.
Evidently it indicates that the
bhūmis of Bharata and Airāvata do exhibit some change in
dimensions due to the effect of six-time cycles of Avasarpini
and Utsarpini. Vidyānanda, while commenting on the verse "Merupradaksina
nityagatayo sloke (13)" also writes that formation of troughs
and crests on (the surface of) |
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46
Jaina Geography
bhūmis of Bharata and Airāvata
ksetras has been observed with the passage of time. The
minimum stretch of Airāvata Bharata and ksetra remains
526-6/19 yojanas but it can increase to any length at a
higher plane in space due to oblique and slanting creations
in the kstras, logically a big stature body can be
accommodated over a body with less space for disposal. A
person located at the base of a deep well will think that
the day light remains for two hours only when the sun
transits his meridian. But the reality is quite different
for those who live at the surface of the earth containing
the well. It may be stressed upon here that apart from the
literal or apparent meanings, the real sense implied in the
text should be logically made out. The sense implied in the
verse 'Tābhyāmaparā bhūmayo avasthitā clearly indicates that
the bhūis of Bharata and Airāvata kstras are not
non-changeable. But rather the formation of crests and
troughs often takes place there (see Tattvārtha ślokavārtika
5th part, pp. 572-573).
The present concept of change of
bhūmis can help us explain the development of geographical
reasons for the difference of lengths of day and night in
India and America respectively. The gradual formation of the
earth into the oval shape of a Nārangi (orange) can also be
thought of in the light of Jaina theory of variations in
Bharata and Airāvata ksetras in the six types of time change
of cycles of Avasarpini and Utsarpini.
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Note:- In
this book most of the words have been used from the
Prakrit Language and while copying
the same there may be certain
errors in spite of our best efforts.
Any mistake noticed may be brought
to our notice for making
rectifications.
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