Ajivika

The Ajivika school of philosophy was one of the heterodox traditions of ancient India, contemporary with Buddhism and Jainism. Founded by Makkhali Gosala in the 6th or 5th century BCE, it presented a deterministic worldview. Ajivikas believed that all phenomena, including human destiny, were predetermined by a cosmic principle called *niyati* (fate or destiny). This meant that individual effort or free will had no role in shaping one's life or achieving liberation. Everything was seen as unfolding according to a fixed cosmic plan.

This doctrine of absolute determinism was a key distinction from other contemporary Indian schools, many of which emphasized karma and the possibility of altering one's fate through ethical actions and spiritual practices. The Ajivikas held that individuals would inevitably pass through a cycle of rebirths, experiencing predetermined joys and sorrows, until they reached the end of this cosmic cycle, a state of complete cessation of existence. They did not focus on rituals or ascetic practices as means to attain liberation, as the outcome was already fixed.

Despite its eventual decline, Ajivika was a significant philosophical movement in its time, with a notable following for several centuries. Evidence of their beliefs and practices can be found in ancient Indian texts, though the school itself eventually faded into obscurity, likely absorbed by other traditions or disappearing due to lack of adherents.