Dictionary of Pali Proper Names v2.c31.52
Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names v2.c31.52
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v2.c31.52
The philosopher's true name¹⁰ seems to have been Maskarin, the Jaina-Prakrit form of which is Maṅkhali and the Pāli form Makkhali. "Maskarin" is explained by Pāṇini¹¹ as "one who carries a bamboo staff" (maskara). A Maskarin is also known as Ekadaṇḍin. According to Patañjali,¹² the name indicates a School of Wanderers who were called Maskarins, not so much because they carried a bamboo staff as because they denied the freedom of the will. The Maskarins were thus fatalists or determinists.