History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c11.s9.1

c11.s9.1

After his experiences with the sesamum plant and with Vesiyāyaṇa Gosāla seems to have determined to acquire magic power and superhuman insight equal to those of Mahāvīra. He therefore practised penance in the manner which Mahāvīra had laid down, seated facing the sun in the vicinity of a lake, with his hands raised above his head, and eating only one handful of beans every three days.¹ Thus, at the end of six months, he acquired magic power (*saṅkhitta-viula-teyalesse jāe*).