Infancy of Human Race as depicted in the Jaina Agamas

Summary

In ‘Infancy of Human Race as depicted in the Jaina Agamas’, J. C. Sikdar reconstructs Jain accounts of early humanity by drawing primarily on the canonical *Ācāraṅga*, *Jñātadharmakathā* and *Ādipurāṇa*. He explains that Jain cosmology divides time into ascending and descending epochs; the article focuses on the initial ages (Susamā‑Susamā and Susamā) when humans lived in a state of natural abundance. In this idyllic era people were born in pairs (yugalic system) without marriage; there were no families, clans, castes or states. Kalpa‑vṛkṣas (wish‑fulfilling trees) provided food, clothing and shelter, eliminating the need for agricultureimage/file:///home/oai/share/jain_journal_1972_10_520028_std.pdf#:~:text=,tool%20to%20view%20the%20page. People lacked houses, transport and artisanship; yet they enjoyed extraordinary longevity and health. There was no religion, no social hierarchy, no exploitation or crime; ignorance of literature and technology kept minds free from greed and conflict. As time progressed and resources diminished, the Susamā‑Duṣamā era began: people ate every other day, their lifespans shortened and they started to develop rudimentary social structures. Eventually the Duṣamā‑Suṣamā and Duṣamā epochs ushered in agriculture, property and divisions, leading to class struggle and moral decline. Sikdar draws parallels between this Jain narrative and modern anthropological theories. He cites Friedrich Engels’ description of early human society as communistic, classless and egalitarian and notes that the Jain concept of the yugalic system resembles primitive pairing systemsimage/file:///home/oai/share/jain_journal_1972_10_520028_std.pdf#:~:text=,tool%20to%20view%20the%20page. The article suggests that Jain scriptures present an ancient ecological consciousness: they depict the reduction of abundance and the emergence of scarcity as consequences of human desires. Sikdar argues that despite the mythological embellishments, the Jain account reflects a sophisticated understanding of social evolution, highlighting the gradual development of family, economy and morality.