History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c11.s4.29

c11.s4.29

The hymn of Maṅki contains Sāṅkhya *guṇa* teaching, and perhaps shows Buddhist influence also, but of the varied influences which it betrays that of Ājīvikism seems most prominent.¹ The name of the hero of the story may well be an anomalous corruption of the Prākrit Maṅkhali or of the Pāli Makkhali. These facts suggest that we have here a garbled reference to the leader of the Ājīvikas. The strange story of the two bulls is possibly a very confused version of a legend about their teacher which was current among the Ājīvikas themselves.