Answer

In Jain Dharma, the next Chovisi means the next set of 24 Tirthankars who will appear in the future time-cycle.

It is not “decided” by people, gods, or any committee. It happens according to the natural law of the universe and the karmic qualifications of the souls who become Tirthankars.

People know about the next Chovisi through Jain scriptures and traditional teachings, which preserve the knowledge revealed by Kevalis, Ganadhars, Acharyas, and the Jain tradition.

Explanation

In Jain cosmology, time moves in endless cycles:

• Utsarpini — ascending half-cycle
• Avasarpini — descending half-cycle

In each half-cycle, in Bharat Kshetra and Airavat Kshetra, 24 Tirthankars appear. These 24 are called a Chovisi.

A soul becomes a Tirthankar because it has bound a very special karma called Tirthankar-nam-karma. This is earned through extremely pure spiritual qualities, compassion for all living beings, deep right faith, and the wish to establish the fourfold Jain Sangh.

So the next Chovisi is not selected externally. The souls who will become Tirthankars have already bound the required karma in accordance with Jain doctrine.

How do people know?

Jain tradition teaches about past, present, and future Tirthankars through scriptural and traditional sources. Such knowledge ultimately comes from:

• Kevaljnanis — omniscient beings
• Tirthankars’ teachings
• Ganadhars, who organized the teachings
• Acharyas and Jain scriptures, which preserved the tradition

Since ordinary people do not have omniscience, they rely on the teachings preserved in Jain Agams, Purans, and accepted Jain tradition.

Spiritual Understanding

The important point is not only to know the names of future Tirthankars, but to understand the message behind it:

• The universe is beginningless and endless.
• Dharma rises and declines in cycles.
• Tirthankars appear to re-establish the path of liberation.
• Any soul, through supreme purity and right conduct, can eventually attain liberation.

A Tirthankar is not created by God. Jain Dharma does not believe in a creator God who appoints Tirthankars. A Tirthankar is a perfected soul who has earned that state through its own spiritual effort and karma.

Takeaway

The next Chovisi is determined by the eternal laws of karma and time-cycle, not by human decision. People know about it through the Jain scriptural tradition, which preserves the knowledge revealed by omniscient beings.