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Rishibhashit : A Study
33
Niyativad is that school of thought which emphasizes on an preordained system of the world as against the human endeavour. 1 would not like to go into a detailed discussion on this matter but would certainly like to express that the details available about Mankhaligoshal in Jain and Buddhist traditions are biased and critical. They present the personality and philosophical beliefs of Mankhaligoshal in a distorted manner. Probably Rishibhashit is the only work that presents Mankhaliputta as a revered Arhat Rishi and his preachings as valid.
It is true that ideas of Niyativad can also be found in the preachings of Mankhaligoshal available in Rishibhashit; but here the Niyativad of Mankhaliputta is a means to win over creator's ego in a person and give him a detached view point. He explicitly states that the ascetic who wavers, who is influenced, who is disturbed, who is hurt by seeing the transformation of things (matter), can not become protector of self due to the reactions so evoked.
The preachings of Mankhaliputta convey that activites of the world continue in their own regulated order. Even against the wishes of a person, adverse circumstances do prevail. He alone can save himself and others from the four life-consequences (Chaturgati) of this world, who remains uneffected, undisturbed, and unhurt in adverse circumstances, considering them to be nothing but mere transformations of matter. This preaching clarifies that the central theme of his Niyativad is for leading detached life. Same idea is propagated in Bhagvadgita. There also, the preaching of Niyativad is directed toward ending the reward oriented thinking of human beings.
In Mahabharat131 we find preachings of Manki Rishi under the title Manki Gita, I believe that this Manki Rishi of Mahabharat is non else but Mankhaliputta of Rishibhashit. This is because Manki Gita clearly propagates Niyativad. It says that whatever happens is not due to human effort but due to divine will. Luck is everything. Insisting doggedly on human effort when one fails, the divine will could be traced as the cause of failure.
On this basis it can be infered that Mankhaliputta of Rishibhashit, Mankhali-goshal mentioned in Jain canons like Bhagvati-sutra, Makkhaligoshal of Pali Tripitak literature, and Manki Rishi of Mahabharat are one person. In fact with the establishment of sectarian organisation in Jain and Buddhist traditions, efforts were made to distort the life history and preachings of Mankhaliputta-goshal. Literature and inscriptions also prove that Mankhaliputta was a prominent sage of Sraman tradition in
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