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Ethics of Responsibility
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his attitude not only with Gośá la but with everyone with whom he had an opportunity to meet. He never preached during this period because he believed that one should not preach before one actualizes in his own life the principles which he exhorts others to follow. Gośála kept company of Mahāvīra for about six years. During the last period of his stay with Mahāvīra he seems to have developed some thinking about his later theory of 'Niyativāda'. He began to doubt Mahāvīra's theory of Karma and finally came to the conclus sion that man's efforts to change his destiny are futile as everything is predestined. According to him soul's journey to salvation would take its own course and time, just as a ball of string would take its own course and time to unroll upto its end. So far as man's exertions are concerned he believed that even they are predestined. He believed in the cycle of births and rebirths and contended that this cycle is bound to go on to its destined course which can not be changed by human efforts. As a result, all the penances were found by him useless. He therefore parted company with Mahavira, proclaimed himself a Tirthankara (prophet) and could gather a large following. It seems that thenceforth, he took to the life of pleasure and ease. His followers were known as Ājivikas whose influence sustained for many years even after his death.
Other Theories -- But Gośāla was not the only person who rejected the theory of karma. There were some philosophers who believed in ‘Kalavada'. 'Kala' means time. They believed that every event fructifies only when its time comes and so human endeavour is fruitless. They gave many examples one of which was that of a fruit-bearing tree which can give fruit only when its time comes. There were others who believed in "Svabhävavāda' who contended that everything progresses and develops according to its own nature (Sva' means own and 'Bhava' means nature ) and that this explains all variations round in this universe. No one, according to them, can change this basic nature of the objects of this universe. There
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