Answer

An ara is one of the six divisions of time in Jain cosmology. Each half of the time cycle—Utsarpiṇī or Avasarpiṇī—has six aras.

Explanation

In Jain tradition, the durations of the six aras are described as:

• 1st ara – very long, measured in crore-crore sāgaropama
• 2nd ara – very long, but shorter than the first
• 3rd ara – shorter still
• 4th ara – shorter again
• 5th ara – 21,000 years
• 6th ara – 21,000 years

So, the first four aras are extremely vast cosmic periods, while the last two are known as the shorter human-age periods.

Spiritual Understanding

The idea of ara reminds us that life and time move through natural cycles of rise and decline. In Jain Dharma, this teaches us:

• not to become attached to temporary conditions
• to value spiritual practice in every era
• to understand that truth and discipline remain important even when the world changes

Takeaway

An ara is a time period in Jain cosmology. There are six aras in each half-cycle, and their durations range from immensely vast cosmic spans to 21,000 years in the later two aras.