Prakrit Proper Names (Agamic Index I) v2.c8.s2.722

v2.c8.s2.722

While delivering his sermon at Sāvathi, Mahāvīra incidentally referred to Gosāla who was staying at the pottery of Hālāhalā in the same town. He told the audience that Gosāla who claimed to be a Titthaṃkara was neither Omniscient nor the Founder of an Order. He was simply his disciple. This opinion reached Gosāla's ears. He felt insulted at it and came to Mahāvīra accompanied by all his disciples. A great number of people flocked there to listen to the dispute of the two Titthaṃkaras. Gosāla said : "O Kāsava(8) ! it is wrong to say that I am your disciple, since your disciple Gosāla expired long ago. I am the Founder of an Order and my name is Udāi (1) of the Kumḍiyāyaṇa lineage. I perform pauṭṭa-parihāra and enter into another's (dead) body. At present I have entered into the dead body of Gosāla. This is my seventh change of this sort. I shall live for sixteen years more in this body and then attain emancipation." Titthayara Mahāvīra replied : "O Gosāla ! you are no other than my disciple Gosāla, the son of Maṅkhali. Why are you fabricating false statements to hide your identity?" This made Gosāla more angry. He started abusing Mahāvīra. Savvānubhūi(2) and Suṇakkhatta(3), two disciples of Mahāvīra could not tolerate Gosāla's abusive remarks. When they tried to stop him Gosāla struck them with his supernormal power called tejoleśyā and burnt them to ashes. Then he struck Mahāvīra with the same leśyā, but owing to Mahāvīra's extraordinary influence, it returned from him and recoiling upon Gosāla himself produced a burning sensation in his body. Seeing Titthayara Mahāvīra unperturbed, Gosāla told him that he (Mahāvīra) would suffer from biliary fever and die in six months. Mahāvīra told Gosāla that he (Mahāvīra) would live sixteen years more, but struck by his own tejoleśyā he (Gosāla) would suffer extremely from biliary fever and die in seven days. Gosāla died accordingly.⁸⁸ The Sūtrakṛtāṅga refers to Gosāla rebuking Mahāvīra for not wandering alone but in a group consisting of his disciples.⁸⁹