History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c11.s9.9

c11.s9.9

The *Bhagavatī Sūtra* gives us no further information about Makkhali Gosāla's activities until the twenty-fourth year of his career as an ascetic,¹ when he had made his headquarters at Sāvatthi in the workshop of the potter-woman Hālāhalā, and was surrounded by many disciples. At this time, according to the *Bhagavatī* account, he was visited by six *disācaras*, in consultation with whom he codified the Ājīvika scriptures; and his denunciation by Mahāvīra and subsequent death took place soon after this. Thus of the total of twenty-four years of Gosāla’s life as an ascetic six were spent with Mahāvīra at Paṇiyabhūmī, and sixteen as a religious leader at Sāvatthi. The two years intervening between these two periods were no doubt filled by the journey to Kummāragāma,² the six months’ penance,³ and preliminary wanderings before making Sāvatthi his headquarters.