Answer

In Digambar Jain tradition, the Wheel of Time is called Kālachakra. It means that time does not move in a straight line; it moves in a cyclic way, like a wheel.

This wheel has two half-cycles:

• Utsarpiṇī — the ascending half, when conditions gradually improve
• Avasarpiṇī — the descending half, when conditions gradually decline

Each half-cycle has six eras, called ārās.

Explanation

In the Digambar view, the universe is eternal, and time keeps repeating in cycles. There is no first beginning and no final end.

The six eras of each half-cycle

In the descending cycle, the six eras are:

1. Sukhama-sukhama — extremely happy age
2. Sukhama — very happy age
3. Sukhama-duḥkhama — mixed age, with more happiness than sorrow
4. Duḥkhama-sukhama — mixed age, with more sorrow than happiness
5. Duḥkhama — sorrowful age
6. Duḥkhama-duḥkhama — extremely sorrowful age

In the ascending cycle, these same conditions occur in reverse order.

Main idea

As the wheel turns:

• human lifespan changes
• physical strength changes
• moral conduct changes
• spiritual conditions change
• the availability of Tīrthaṅkaras and liberated beings changes

So, according to Digambar Jain tradition, the world passes through periods of progress and decline again and again.

Spiritual Understanding

The Wheel of Time teaches several important Jain truths:

• Everything in worldly life is temporary
• Favorable and unfavorable times both pass
• One should not become attached to comfort
• One should not lose hope during decline
• Spiritual effort is needed in every age

This teaching reminds a Jain seeker that liberation depends not on time alone, but on right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.

Takeaway

According to Digambar Jain tradition, the Wheel of Time is a continuous cyclical process of rise and fall. It has two halves and six eras in each half, showing that worldly conditions always change, while the soul’s path toward liberation remains the highest goal.