| In the context of Ajivikas, consider the following statements: |
| (i) They believed that the thought and deed of an individual were predetermined i.e. decided before birth. |
| (ii) They believed in karma or the possibility of free will |
| (iii) They did not believe in human effort and held that all creatures were helpless against destiny Which of the statements given above is/are correct? |
A) i and iii only
B) i and ii only
C) ii only
D) i, ii and iii
Correct Answer: B
Solution :
[b] Ajivikas: The Ajivakas are said to be sudra sanyasins. The sect was said to be established by Nanda Vachcha, who was followed by Kisa Sankichcha. The third religious chief was Makkali Gosala, who popularized this sect. He denied the theory of 'Karma' and argued that man is subject to the laws of nature, Gosala's followers centered round Sravasti, the capital of Kosala where Gosala preached and died sixteen years before Mahavira. The Ajivikas believed that the thought and deed of an individual were predetermined i.e. decided before birth. They did not believe that there was any specific cause for either the misery of human beings or for their deliverance. They did not believe in human effort and held that all creatures were helpless against destiny. Gosala maintained that all creatures had to face misery and it would end after the completion of fixed cycles. In other words, the Ajivikas believed that transmigration of the human soul was determined by a precise and non-personal cosmic principle called Niyati (destiny of fate) and was completely independent of the person's actions. They are believed to have been strict fatalists, who did not believe in karma or the possibility of freewill.
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