HOW FAR AWAY IS 3RD ERA OF UTSARPINI
In Jain time‑cycle (kālchakra), your question “How far away is 3rd era of Utsarpini?” means:
- Right now, in Bhārat Kṣetra (our world-region), we are in the 5th era (Duṣamā / Dukhama) of the Avasarpini half‑cycle (descending time). ( jainknowledge.com)
- After this will come the 6th era of Avasarpini, also 21,000 years long and even more miserable. ( jainknowledge.com)
- Only after the 6th era ends, a new Utsarpini half‑cycle starts, beginning with its 1st, then 2nd, and then 3rd era of Utsarpini. ( jainknowledge.com)
Can we give an exact number of years?
No. In Jain cosmology:
- The 5th and 6th eras are each 21,000 years long (in Bhārat Kṣetra). ( jainknowledge.com)
- But the 1st and 2nd eras of Utsarpini (and also some of Avasarpini) are of “asankhyāta” / “sāgaropama” duration – astronomically huge, practically countless. Their lengths are symbolic and beyond normal counting. ( jainknowledge.com)
So:
- First we must finish:
- Remaining part of current 5th era - Whole 6th era of Avasarpini
- Then the entire 1st era of Utsarpini (countless years)
- Then the entire 2nd era of Utsarpini (again countless)
- Only after all that does the 3rd era of Utsarpini begin.
Because those first two Utsarpini eras are of inconceivably long length, Jain texts make it clear: The 3rd era of Utsarpini is unimaginably far in the future – not something that can be put in normal years like “after X million years.”
If you’d like a simple overview of Utsarpini, Avasarpini and their six eras, you can read more here