Kulakara System of Society as depicted in the Jaina Agamas
By J. C. Sikdar
Summary
This article examines the concept of Kulakaras—mythical progenitors who guided humanity through its earliest stages according to Jain scriptures—and compares the Jain account with anthropological theories of social evolution. Jain texts describe fourteen or fifteen Kulakaras who appear during the Age of Avasarpini (descending half-cycle) to educate primordial humans who initially lived in Bhogabhumi, a land of effortless enjoyment. As the natural abundance dwindled and climate changed, people experienced hunger, disease and social disorder. The first Kulakara, Pratisruti, taught them to share; others introduced agriculture, family life, clothing, housing, measurements and defence. Nabhi, the last Kulakara, and his son Rsabha (later the first Tirthankara) marked the transition from Bhogabhumi to Karmabhumi, where humans must work for their sustenance. Rsabha introduced fire, cooking, weaving, pottery, the plough and 100 arts and crafts. The article notes that Kulakara narratives convey an evolutionary view of civilisation: humans gradually learn to harness nature, domesticate animals, cultivate crops, build villages and practise trade. The author juxtaposes this with Friedrich Engels’s stages of savagery, barbarism and civilisation described in “The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State.” According to Engels, the middle stage of savagery is characterised by the use of fire, cooking and simple tools; the upper stage sees the bow and arrow and village life; barbarism begins with pottery and domestication of animals; the upper stage introduces smelting of iron and alphabetic writing. The article argues that the Jain Kulakara system parallels these stages: early Kulakaras correspond to savagery; later ones correspond to barbarism and the dawn of civilisation. Rsabha’s age signifies the upper stage of barbarism, introducing the sword, writing and the iron ploughshare, and culminating in settled agriculture, trade and social organisation. Finally, the article summarises Engels’s definition of savagery (appropriation of natural products), barbarism (domestication and cultivation) and civilisation (processing of natural products through industry and art) and shows how Jain scriptures align with this triadic scheme. The study concludes that despite being mythological, the Kulakara system preserves historical memory of humanity’s progress and reflects universal patterns of cultural evolution.
Conclusion
The author concludes that Jain tradition offers a sophisticated account of social development through the Kulakara system. By mapping this mythic chronology onto Engels’s anthropological framework, the article demonstrates that ancient Indian thinkers recognised stages of technological and social change similar to those identified by modern scholars. The Kulakara legends highlight human ingenuity in responding to environmental challenges and establishing cooperation, law and industry. Understanding these narratives enriches our appreciation of Jain cosmology and its compatibility with scientific perspectives on prehistory. Ultimately, the article suggests that myth and history can illuminate each other.