Makkhali Gosāla, often described as a charismatic ascetic and contemporary of Mahāvīra and the Buddha, spearheaded the Ajivika movement around the mid-6th century BCE in the kingdom of Magadha (modern Bihar). By and large, tradition pins the origin of Ajivika to roughly 500 BCE, when Gosāla broke away from the wandering-sage culture to champion a form of strict determinism—every event, down to the tiniest leaf falling, unfolds according to an impersonal cosmic script.

Gosāla’s teachings hit like a bolt out of the blue, challenging the more flexible karmic views of early Buddhism and Jainism. He insisted that free will was an illusion, each soul locked into a predetermined course stretching over countless lifetimes. Followers, clad in simple garments and devoted to austere practices, saw their path as already written—no twists, no turns, just the unfolding of fate.

Fast-forward to today, the Ajivika outlook resonates in modern debates on artificial intelligence and genetic predestination. Just as algorithms predict trends in social media, ancient determinism raises questions about choice and destiny. Though the sect itself faded by the 2nd century CE, its legacy endures—proof that even long-extinct philosophies can cast a long shadow over how people think about fate and freedom.