The verses in the Mahānāradakassapa jātaka present Ājīvika teachings because it is the Ājīvika monk whose remarks are found therein. Parallel phrases of the verses are also seen in texts which belong to the Theravādins and Sarvāstivādins. There is a possibility that the verses in the Mahānāradakassapa jātaka record the teachings of later Ājīvikas, which include the doctrines of nihilism （natthikavāda）, annihilation （ucchedavāda）, fatalism （niyativāda）, eternalism （sassatavāda）, and purification by reincarnation.
Many scholars tend to think that the representative Ājīvika is Makkhali Gosāla, and that their teachings center on the doctrines of fatalism and of purification by reincarnation, following Dīgha Nikāya 2, Sāmaññaphala sutta. However, it can be inferred from the teachings of the Ājīvika in the Mahānāradakassapa jātaka that they had gradually incorporated other teachings into their thought.
