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Notes
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profession of a particular class of people, whetber house. holders or mendicants. It appears that the Ājivika sect had a peculiar mode of life, probably such as was abominable in the eyes of other sects; and it was per: haps on this account that Ājivika was a term of reproach with the Baddhists, applicable to maskarin or Ekadiņdika 'seot of ascetios „mokkhali being derived from Sk. maskara, a bamboo-stick and maskarin, the ascetic holding such a stick.
History of the sect-It appears from the records of the Buddbists that the Ājivika seot bad three prominent leaders, Nanda Vacchaka, Kisa Sankicca and Mankhali Gosāla. The sect appears to hare a tolerably large in fluence on the Indian society for considerable time. Asoka made over in the 13th year of his reign, i, o., in 251 B. ., & cave to this sect, as recorded in Barabar Hill Inscription; The seventh Pillar Ediot of Asoka, in 236 B. 0. makes mention of the Ajivika sect in company with Baddhists, Brahmins and Nigganthus, There is another mention of the sect by Dasaratha, Asoka's successor, in 227 B. C. in an inscription on walls of caves in the Nāgārjani Hills. In centuries following the birth of Christ, however, this sect seems to have been confounded with the Acelakas, or the Digambaras, probably because of the 'agreement on certain points between the Ajīvikas and the Digambaras. Varāha Mihira ( about 550 A. D. ) mentions this sect as one of the seven sects of his times and his commentator Bhattotpala (C. 950 A.D.)'identifies it with Ekadandin.
