Puruśa and Prakrti

1. In the movement of the social cycle, one class is always dominant.

The Shúdra Age was in the distant past when there was no well-knit social order.

• In those days, all people survived by their manual labour.

Then came the age of clan leaders – the age of the strong and the brave – which we may call the Kśatriya Age.

This was followed by the age of intellectuals, which we may call the Vipra Age.

Finally came the age of capitalists, the Vaeshya Age.

When the warriors and intellectuals are reduced to manual labour as a result of exploitation during the Vaeshya Age, shúdra revolution occurs.

The shúdras have neither a well-knit social order nor sufficient intellect to govern society.

Hence, the post-capitalist administration passes into the hands of those who provide the leadership in the shúdra revolution. These people are brave and courageous, so they begin the second Kśatriya Age.

In this way the Shúdra, Kśatriya, Vipra and Vaeshya Ages move in succession, followed by revolution. Then, the second cyclic order begins.

Thus, the rotation of the samája cakra [social cycle] continues.

2. Located in the nucleus of the social cycle, sadvipras control the social cycle.

Sadvipras are staunch moralists and sincere spiritualists who want to put an end to immorality and exploitation by the application of force.

They do not belong to the periphery of the social cycle. This is because they are to control society while remaining firmly established in the nucleus of the social cycle.

The social cycle will rotate.

Due to their dominance, the following might degenerate into rapacious exploiters instead of functioning as benevolent administrators:

• the warriors in the Kśatriya Age
• the intellectuals in the Vipra Age
• the capitalists in the Vaeshya Age

The sacred duty of the sadvipras shall be to protect the righteous and the exploited and subdue the wicked and the exploiters through the application of force.

3. Accelerating the movement of the social cycle by the application of force is called “evolution”

When warriors degenerate into exploiters, sadvipras will establish the Vipra Age by subduing the exploiting warriors.

The advent of the Vipra Age occurs through a natural process, but is expedited by the application of force.

A change of ages in this way may be called kránti [“evolution”].

The only difference between evolution and svábhávika parivarttana [natural change] is that in evolution, the movement of the social cycle is accelerated by the application of force.

5-4. Accelerating the movement of the social cycle by the application of tremendous force is called “revolution”

A change is called viplava [“revolution”]:

• when a particular age is replaced by the successive age within a short time, or
• when the application of tremendous force is necessary to destroy the entrenched hegemony of a particular age, then such

5-5. Reversing the movement of the social cycle by the application of force is called “counter-evolution”

If any age reverts to the preceding one by the application of force, such a change is called vikránti [“counter-evolution”].

For instance, the establishment of the Kśatriya Age after the Vipra Age is counter-evolution. This counter-evolution is extremely short-lived.

That is, within a very short time this age is again replaced by the next age or the one after it.

In other words, if the Kśatriya Age suddenly supersedes the Vipra Age through counter-evolution, then the Kśatriya Age will not last long. Within a short time either the Vipra Age, or as a natural concomitant the Vaeshya Age, will follow.

5-6. Reversing the movement of the social cycle by the application of tremendous force is called “counter-revolution”

Likewise, if within a very short time the social cycle is turned backwards by the application of tremendous force, such a change is called prativiplava [“counter-revolution”]. Counter-revolution is even more short-lived than counter-evolution.

7. A complete rotation of the social cycle is called “peripheric evolution”

One complete rotation of the social cycle, concluding with shúdra revolution, is called parikránti [“peripheric evolution”].