History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c11.s6.49

c11.s6.49

We suggest that the inspiration of many of the incidents of this story was obtained from Ājīvika legends about their founder, which were adapted by Jinadāsa to display Gosāla in a ludicrous light. The episode of the broken pot, which strengthened his faith in the power of destiny, reminds us that Buddhaghosa also wrote of the spilling of the contents of a pot at a crucial moment of Gosāla’s career.⁵ We may believe that the Ājīvikas had legends in which Gosāla was said to have called down fire from heaven upon his adversaries by the virtue of his austerities, and that these were utilized by Jinadāsa to provide further episodes of his story.