Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Ancient India

Ambedkar begins by analyzing the rise of Buddhism as a revolutionary movement that challenged the traditional Vedic and Brahmanical orthodoxy. He credits Buddhism under the leadership of Gautama Buddha with promoting principles of equality social justice and the rejection of the caste system. This movement which encouraged individual freedom and democratization of religious practices was a significant departure from the hierarchical and exclusionary structures of the time. However Ambedkar argues that the counter-revolutionary forces within Hinduism led by Brahmanical traditions worked to undermine the gains made by Buddhism. He traces the gradual revival of Brahmanism and the re-establishment of caste-based society through the rise of figures like Emperor Ashoka’s successors and the eventual domination of Hinduism as the dominant religion. Ambedkar highlights how these counter-revolutionary movements sought to co-opt Buddhism’s popular elements such as the focus on social equality and incorporated them into the broader Hindu social order to maintain the caste system.