History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c17.s3.1

c17.s3.1

Like Utpala, Śīlāṅka, the ninth century¹ commentator to the *Sūtrakṛtāṅga*, seems to have been in some confusion about the Ājīvikas. He had a sound understanding of *niyativāda*,² a cardinal doctrine of the Ājīvikas, which was attributed by the later Jaina commentator Guṇaratna to Pūraṇa,³ who was remembered as a prophet by the Southern Ājīvikas.⁴ On the other hand Śīlāṅka does not associate the *Niyati* doctrine with Gosāla, with Pūraṇa, or with Ājīvikism. He recognizes one significant teaching of later Ājīvikism, the doctrine of *maṇḍala-mokṣa*,⁵ which he correctly attributes to the followers of Gosāla; but besides this he states in another context that the Ājīvikas believe in the doctrine of salvation by good conduct (*vinayavāda*), and he associates them with the Digambara Jainas and with the lesser Jaina schism of the Trairāśikas.