The Enigma Of The Universe : Present Age

At present we are in the fifth ārā of avasarpiṇī. This ārā began 3 years and 8½ months after the death of Śramaṇa Bhagavāna Mahāvīra.^[1] The Nirvāṇa of Bhagavāna Mahāvīra took place in B.C. 527. Thus the fifth ārā began in B.C. 524. This ārā will last for 21000 years and it will end in the year 20476 A.D. and sixth ārā named Dushama-Dushamā will begin. The detailed description of conditions prevailing at the beginning of sixth ārā is given in detail in the Jain literature. In one place it is narrated as follows:^[2]