History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c25.s4.12

c25.s4.12

We would not by this analysis maintain that the rise and decline of religious systems and sects are mere reflections of social conditions. They are, however, manifestations of human need. If they can no longer fully satisfy the needs of their adherents they will stagnate and die. But a religion is long in dying. It may obtain a new lease of life by a restatement of old verities in a more modern form, or by the introduction of new elements of belief. It may retain an attenuated and local existence long after it has outlived its period of general usefulness. And even when it is dead, some of its features may survive in a disguised form, incorporated into other systems, or maintained as folklore or superstition. Thus for a while Ājīvikism met the needs of a large body of adherents, but soon began to lose its vitality; it survived long in one region of India, incorporating new features into its doctrine; and it does not seem to have vanished without leaving some faint traces upon later Indian religion.