Answer

In Jain cosmology, Mount Meru and the structure of the universe are not destroyed and renewed in a creation–destruction cycle.

According to Jain Dharma, the universe is beginningless and eternal. It was not created by a creator, and it does not end in a total cosmic destruction. Therefore, Mount Meru, Jambūdvīpa, the heavens, hells, and the overall structure of loka are understood as part of an eternal cosmic order.

Explanation

Jainism does teach cycles of time, but these are not cycles where the universe is destroyed and recreated.

Time moves through two great half-cycles:

• Utsarpiṇī – ascending era, where happiness, strength, lifespan, and spiritual capacity gradually increase.
• Avasarpiṇī – descending era, where happiness, strength, lifespan, and spiritual capacity gradually decline.

Each half-cycle has six divisions called ārās. In these time cycles:

• human lifespan changes,
• moral and spiritual conditions rise or decline,
• Tirthankars appear in certain periods,
• religious teaching is established, lost, and re-established.

But this does not mean Mount Meru or the universe is destroyed and then physically renewed.

What Happens to the Discourse?

If by “the discourse” you mean the teaching of the Tirthankar, then Jain tradition teaches that the Dharma taught by a Tirthankar remains available for a period through:

• Ganadhars,
• Āchāryas,
• monks and nuns,
• scriptural tradition,
• the fourfold Jain saṅgha.

Over time, especially as the era declines, people’s memory, discipline, lifespan, and spiritual capacity weaken. Because of this, the direct scriptural knowledge gradually diminishes.

Later, in another suitable time cycle, Tirthankars appear again and re-establish the path of liberation.

So the renewal is not a rebuilding of the universe, but a renewal of Dharma in time.

Spiritual Understanding

Jain Dharma emphasizes that the universe is eternal, but worldly conditions are constantly changing. Even sacred teaching may become less accessible when people lose purity, discipline, and right understanding.

This reminds us that while Dharma is eternal in truth, its living presence in society depends on sincere practice.

Takeaway

Jainism does not teach a final destruction and recreation of Mount Meru or the cosmos. It teaches an eternal universe with endless time cycles, during which Dharma appears, declines, and is re-established by Tirthankars.