Religion / idea · religion
Ajivika
Ajivika was an ascetic religious movement of ancient India, led in the 5th century BCE by Makkhali Gosala, a contemporary and rival of the Buddha and Mahavira. Its followers held a strict determinism, believing that fate (niyati) governs everything. The movement received caves in the Barabar Hills from the Maurya emperor Ashoka but later declined, and its teachings are known only from Buddhist and Jain sources.
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- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ajivika. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ajivika
- MLA
- “Ajivika.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ajivika. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Ajivika.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ajivika.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ajivika’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/ajivika (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻