Answer

In Jain tradition, the 24 Tirthankaras of the present Avasarpiṇī kāl did not appear at equal time intervals.

The time gaps are extremely large for the earlier Tirthankaras, and they become much smaller near the end, especially from Lord Pārśvanāth to Lord Mahāvīr.

A commonly accepted traditional sequence gives these approximate gaps:

• 1. Ṛṣabhdev to 2. Ajitnāth: 50 lakh crore sāgaropam
• 2. Ajitnāth to 3. Sambhavnāth: 30 lakh crore sāgaropam
• 3. Sambhavnāth to 4. Abhinandan Swāmī: 10 lakh crore sāgaropam
• 4. Abhinandan Swāmī to 5. Sumatināth: 9 lakh crore sāgaropam
• 5. Sumatināth to 6. Padmaprabhu: 90,000 crore sāgaropam
• 6. Padmaprabhu to 7. Suparśvanāth: 9,000 crore sāgaropam
• 7. Suparśvanāth to 8. Chandraprabhu: 900 crore sāgaropam
• 8. Chandraprabhu to 9. Suvidhināth / Puṣpadanta: 90 crore sāgaropam
• 9. Suvidhināth to 10. Śītalnāth: 9 crore sāgaropam
• 10. Śītalnāth to 11. Śreyānsnāth: 1 crore sāgaropam
• 11. Śreyānsnāth to 12. Vāsupūjya: 54 lakh sāgaropam
• 12. Vāsupūjya to 13. Vimalnāth: 30 lakh sāgaropam
• 13. Vimalnāth to 14. Anantnāth: 9 lakh sāgaropam
• 14. Anantnāth to 15. Dharmanāth: 4 lakh sāgaropam
• 15. Dharmanāth to 16. Shāntināth: 3 lakh sāgaropam
• 16. Shāntināth to 17. Kunthunāth: 95,000 years
• 17. Kunthunāth to 18. Arahnāth: 84,000 years
• 18. Arahnāth to 19. Mallināth: 1,000 crore years
• 19. Mallināth to 20. Munisuvrat Swāmī: 54 lakh years
• 20. Munisuvrat Swāmī to 21. Nāmināth: 6 lakh years
• 21. Nāmināth to 22. Nemināth: 5 lakh years
• 22. Nemināth to 23. Pārśvanāth: about 84,000 years
• 23. Pārśvanāth to 24. Mahāvīr Swāmī: about 250 years

Explanation

In Jain cosmology, time moves in vast cycles. The 24 Tirthankaras appear during specific phases of the declining half-cycle called Avasarpiṇī.

The earlier Tirthankaras lived in an age when:

• Human lifespan was extremely long
• Human height was very great
• Spiritual and physical conditions were very different from today

Therefore, the gaps between the early Tirthankaras are described using very large Jain time-units such as sāgaropam, which represents an immeasurably vast period of time.

As time declines, human lifespan and spiritual strength reduce. Therefore, the later Tirthankaras appear closer together in ordinary years.

Important Note

The numbers above are based on traditional Jain cosmology. These are not ordinary historical dates in the modern academic sense. In Jain Dharma, they belong to the sacred understanding of cosmic time.

Also, different Jain traditions and texts may present details with slight variation in wording or calculation, but the main understanding remains the same: the earlier gaps are unimaginably vast, and the later gaps become much shorter.

Takeaway

The 24 Tirthankaras appeared across an immense span of Jain cosmic time. Their lives show that Dharma is revived again and again for the spiritual upliftment of souls, especially when the world needs guidance toward right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.