NO ARIHANT IN THE FIRST TWO ERAS OF UTSARPINI
In Jain time‑cycle (kālacakra), your line:
“NO ARIHANT IN THE FIRST TWO ERAS OF UTSARPINI”
is basically correct in spirit, but let’s state it clearly and properly.
1. Structure of Utsarpiṇī (ascending half‑cycle)
Utsarpiṇī also has six ārās (eras), but in reverse order of happiness:
- 1st: Duṣamā‑duṣamā
- 2nd: Duṣamā
- 3rd: Duṣamā‑suṣamā
- 4th: Suṣamā‑duṣamā
- 5th: Suṣamā
- 6th: Suṣamā‑suṣamā
Spiritual and material conditions slowly improve from 1st to 6th.
2. Appearance of Arihant / Tirthankar in Utsarpiṇī
In every Utsarpiṇī and every Avasarpiṇī there are 24 Tirthankars in the middle four eras, not in the first two.
- In 1st and 2nd eras of Utsarpiṇī
- Only from the 3rd to 6th eras of Utsarpiṇī do the 24 Tirthankars of that half‑cycle take birth and attain keval‑jñān and become Arihant / Siddha.
The same pattern (no Tirthankar in 1st and 2nd; 24 in 3rd–6th) holds in Avasarpiṇī as well; our current 24, including Mahāvīr Bhagwān, belong to the Avasarpiṇī set.
3. Digambar–Śvetāmbara view
On this point, both traditions agree in essence:
- Time is endless and cyclic (Utsarpiṇī and Avasarpiṇī, six ārās each).
- In every half‑cycle, 24 Tirthankars arise, and they do not appear in the first two eras of that half‑cycle.
You can read a simple explanation of Utsarpiṇī and the ārās here