Jain scriptures describe time as eternal and cyclical, not linear. The big idea is the Kalchakra (cycle of time), which has two halves that repeat forever:

• Utsarpiṇi (ascending/progressing half)
• Avasarpiṇi (descending/declining half)

Each half is split into six eras (arās), with conditions such as life span, strength, religion, and happiness changing in a regular pattern. We are said to be in the current era of the descending half (avarśpiṇī - the avasarpiṇī phase), some sources specify which Ara we are in and how long the phase will last. The concept is shared across Jain traditions, though the exact details or phrasing can differ between Digambar and Śvetāmbara texts. The essential message remains: time is cyclical, and virtue and decline alternate in a long, patterned sequence that repeats.

Key ideas you’ll find described in Jain cosmology:

• Kalchakra: the wheel of time.
• Two halves: utsarpiṇī (rise) and avasarpiṇī (fall).
• Each half contains six aras with progressively changing conditions.
• The current era is in avasarpiṇī, with a long arc of time still to run before the next cycle begins.

You can read more about Jain time cycles here