In Jainism, Avasarpini and Utsarpini are the two endless halves of the cosmic time‑cycle (Kāl‑chakra). They are not “dates” in the normal calendar sense, but unimaginably long phases measured in special Jain units like palyopam and sagaropam.

I’ll explain in very simple points:

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1. What is Avasarpini?

• Avasarpini = descending half of the time‑cycle.
• In this half:

- Happiness, strength, lifespan, spiritual purity, and dharma go from the best to the worst. - Violence, ignorance, diseases, and sorrows gradually increase.

• It is divided into six eras (ārā), each one worse than the previous:

1. Sukhma‑sukhma – only happiness. 2. Sukhma – much happiness, very little sorrow. 3. Sukhma‑dukhma – more happiness, some sorrow. 4. Dukhma‑sukhma – more sorrow, some happiness. 5. Dukhma – mostly sorrow. (We are here now.) 6. Dukhma‑dukhma – only sorrow; religion almost disappears.

According to Jain tradition, right now we are in the 5th era (Dukhma) of Avasarpini in Bharat Kshetra. ( jainknowledge.com)

You can read a simple explanation of this here and some Q&A style explanations here .

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2. What is Utsarpini?

• Utsarpini = ascending half of the time‑cycle.
• In this half:

- Happiness, strength, lifespan, spiritual capacity go from the worst to the best. - Religion, peace, and virtues gradually increase.

• It also has six eras, but in reverse experience (starting from almost total misery and ending in total bliss).

So the pattern is:

> Utsarpini (rising) → Avasarpini (falling) → Utsarpini → Avasarpini → … forever. ( jainknowledge.com)

Both Digambar and Shvetambar accept this same basic framework of two halves and six eras; differences are only in some detailed calculations and chronology, not in the main idea.

You can see a focused explanation on Utsarpini here .

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3. Their “dates” and duration

These are not like “from year X to year Y CE”, but still Jain texts give:

• Each half‑cycle (one Avasarpini or one Utsarpini) in our Bharat Kshetra is said to be of the order of 10 crore‑crore (100 trillion) sagaropam years – and one sagaropam itself is an unimaginably huge span. ( jainknowledge.com)
• The first four eras of each half‑cycle are measured in palyopam/sagaropam (astronomical lengths).
• The last two eras (5th and 6th) are humanly expressible:

- 5th era (Dukhma) = 21,000 years - 6th era (Dukhma‑dukhma) = 21,000 years ( jainknowledge.com)

Where are we “now” in dates?

Traditional Jain accounts (especially popular explanations) usually say:

• We are in the 5th era of Avasarpini.
• This 5th era began a little over 2,500 years ago, around the time after Bhagwan Mahavira’s nirvana (roughly 6th century BCE) and

will last in total 21,000 years. ( jainknowledge.com)

So, in simple words:

• Current half‑cycle: Avasarpini (descending).
• Current era: 5th era (Dukhma, “mostly sorrow”).
• Calendar‑style view: This 5th era started around 6th century BCE and will continue for thousands of years yet; exact CE dates vary among scholars, but Jain cosmology itself speaks in its own vast units, not in our modern calendar.

A clear overview of the whole time‑cycle is here .

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4. Summary in one glance

• Avasarpini

- Descending half of time. - World goes from best → worst. - Six eras; we are in 5th era (Dukhma) now.

• Utsarpini

- Ascending half of time. - World goes from worst → best. - Six eras; will come after the end of this Avasarpini.

• Dates:

- Measured in Jain units (palyopam, sagaropam), not normal years. - Only the last two eras are given as 21,000 years each. - Present 5th era of Avasarpini started a little over 2,500 years ago and still has a very long time left.