Answer

Yes — in Jain tradition, Bhagwan Mahavir Swami’s soul took the birth as Marichi near the end of the 3rd Ara of the present Avasarpiṇī, during Bhagwan Rishabhdev’s time.

From Marichi up to the final birth as Bhagwan Mahavir, the soul passed through 27 bhavs.

But the full exact year-by-year timeline of all 27 bhavs is not normally given as a continuous historical calendar in common Jain tradition. Therefore, I should not create exact dates or exact total arithmetic for every bhav unless it is clearly established in Jain scriptures/tradition.

Key Point About 4th Ara

In Jain cosmology:

• The 4th Ara is called Duṣamā-Suṣamā.
• Its total duration is traditionally described as 1 koḍākoḍī sāgaropama minus 42,000 years.
• Bhagwan Mahavir attained nirvāṇa near the end of the 4th Ara.
• The 5th Ara began shortly after Bhagwan Mahavir’s nirvāṇa.

So yes, the 4th Ara is extremely vast in duration compared with ordinary human historical time.

Marichi to Mahavir Timeline Understanding

The traditional understanding is:

• Marichi’s birth happened in the time of Bhagwan Rishabhdev.
• Bhagwan Rishabhdev appeared in the 3rd Ara and attained nirvāṇa in the early part of the 4th Ara according to Jain cosmological tradition.
• After Marichi, Mahavir Swami’s soul passed through many births across extremely long spans of time.
• The 27th birth was as Vardhaman Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankar of the present Avasarpiṇī.

So, the total span from Marichi to Mahavir covers a very large portion of cosmic time, including the transition from the end of the 3rd Ara into the 4th Ara.

Comparison With Total 4th Ara

The important comparison is:

• The 4th Ara itself lasts for an immeasurably huge duration: 1 koḍākoḍī sāgaropama minus 42,000 years.
• Bhagwan Mahavir’s final birth occurred near the very end of that 4th Ara.
• Therefore, there was enough time within the 4th Ara for the later bhavs of Mahavir Swami’s soul to occur.
• However, Jain tradition does not usually present a simple modern-style table saying: “Bhav 1 took X years, Bhav 2 took Y years, total equals Z years.”

Spiritual Understanding

The story from Marichi to Mahavir shows how long and serious the journey of the soul can be. Even a soul that eventually becomes a Tirthankar may wander through many births due to karma, pride, wrong belief, and attachment.

The main lesson is not just the number of years, but this:

• Right faith matters.
• Ego and false belief can delay liberation for immense time.
• Spiritual progress requires purity, humility, and samyak darshan.
• Even after many births, the soul can rise to the highest state through right effort.

Takeaway

From Marichi in the late 3rd Ara to Mahavir Swami in the final part of the 4th Ara, the span is cosmically enormous. The 4th Ara is vast enough to contain these many bhavs, but an exact year-by-year calculation of all 27 births should not be invented unless directly supported by accepted Jain scriptural tradition.