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Jain units of time range from an infinitesimally small, indivisiblemeasurement of time known as asamayā[1] to innumerable lengths of time measured insagaropama andpalyopama years, including cycles of cosmic time (kalachakras) that repeat general events inJain cosmology. Each cycle is divided into two eras of equal duration described as theavasarpini and theutsarpini. The former is a descending era in which virtue gradually decreases. The latter is an ascending era in which the reverse takes place.[2][3] The present era is stated to be the former.[4]
| Unit | Definition | Value inSI units |
|---|---|---|
| samaya | base unit | — |
| avalika | Innumerablesamaya | ≈ 171.66 μs |
| ghaṭi | 8,388,608avalika | ≈ 1.44 ks (24 min) |
| muhūrta | 16,777,216avalika | ≈ 2.88 ks (48 min) |
| ahorātram (sidereal day) | 30muhūrta | ≈ 86.4 ks (24h) |
| pakṣa (lunar fortnight) | 15 days | ≈ 1,296 ks |
| māsa (month) | 30ahorātram | ≈ 2,592 ks (29.5 days) |
| ṛitu (season) | 2māsa | ≈ 5,184 ks |
| (year) | 6ṛitus | ≈ 31,104 ks (360 days) |
| yuga | 5 years[5] | ≈ 155,520 ks |
| purvaanga | ≈ 8.4 million years | |
| purva | 8.4 millionpurvaanga | ≈ 70.56 trillion years |
| palyopama | Innumerable years | At least 10194 years[note 1] |
| sāgaropama | 10 quadrillionpalyopama | At least 10210 years |
| utsarpiṇī (ascending half-cycle) | 1 quadrillionsāgaropama | At least 10225 years |
| avasarpiṇī (descending half-cycle) | ||
| kalachakra orkalpakāla (time cycle) | 2 quadrillionsāgaropama[6] | At least 2×10225 years |
| Ara | Start (– End) | Length |
|---|---|---|
| suṣama-suṣamā | 1 quadrillionsāgaropama years ago | 400 trillionsāgaropama |
| suṣamā | 600 trillionsāgaropama years ago | 300 trillionsāgaropama |
| suṣama-duṣamā | 300 trillionsāgaropama years ago | 200 trillionsāgaropama |
| duṣama-suṣamā | 100 trillionsāgaropama years ago | 100 trillionsāgaropama minus 42,000 years |
| duṣama | 525 BCE | 21,000 years |
| duṣama-duṣama | 20476 CE – 41476 CE |
Note: In theutsarpiṇī, the sixaras take place in reverse order.[7]
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