History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c10.s1.t3.7

c10.s1.t3.7

We are left with the passages ascribed to Pūraṇa, Makkhali, and Pakudha. The doctrines of all three, and the names of two of these teachers are connected with later Ājīvikism. The authenticity of the ascription of niyativāda to Makkhali Gosāla may be confirmed by reference to the Jaina scriptures, wherein Gosāla Maṅkhaliputta propounds a very similar doctrine.⁴ Pakudha’s fantastic atomism and his Parmenidean doctrine of immobility, which follows logically from Makkhali’s determinism, are integral parts of the teaching of the Dravidian Ājīvikas as described in Tamil texts.⁵ Pūraṇa is mentioned by name and apparently held in high respect by these later Ājīvikas,⁶ and his antinomian ethics are quite consistent with Makkhali’s metaphysics.