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History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c12.s3: Gosāla's Delirium

History and Doctrines of the Ājīvikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c12.s3

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Gosāla's Delirium

c12.s3.1

The discomfited Gosāla, once more at his headquarters in Hālāhalā's pottery, appears to have lapsed into a state bordering on delirium. He clutched a mango stone in his hand, drank spirits, sang continuously, danced, did reverence to his patron Hālāhalā,¹ and sprinkled his fevered limbs with the cool muddy water in which the potter's clay had been mixed.²

c12.s3.2

¹ Añjalikammam karemāṇe. There seems no reason to interpret the phrase, as does Hoernle, in a sexual sense. It may imply that Gosāla commanded his followers to revere Hālāhalā after his death.

c12.s3.3

² Bh. Sū. xv, sū. 553, fol. 679.

c12.s3.4

Here the thread of the story is broken by another pronouncement of Mahāvīra to his disciples.³ He declared that the magic heat (teye) which was destroying Gosāla was sufficient to reduce the sixteen great regions (jaṇavayā) to ashes. He further stated that, to hide the shame of his objectionable conduct (vajja), Gosāla would lay down the doctrine of the eight last things (carimāim),⁴ and of the four drinks (pāṇagāim) and the four substitutes for drink (apāṇagāim).⁵

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³ Ibid., sū. 554, fol. 679 ff.

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⁴ V. infra, pp. 68 ff.

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⁵ V. infra, pp. 127 ff.

c12.s3.8

The interpolation of Mahāvīra's prophecy is very significant. The writer of the Bhagavatī seems to have composed this passage with the same motive as he did that on the sesamum plant⁶—to discredit the Ājīvikas by attributing an unworthy origin to points of Ājīvika doctrine. Thus in its details the account may be unreliable; but the essential import of the passage, that Gosāla during his last illness laid down certain new doctrines based on his own actions and on the events of the time,⁷ is by no means incredible, and may be accepted for want of contrary evidence.

c12.s3.9

⁶ V. supra, pp. 47 ff.

c12.s3.10

⁷ V. infra, pp. 68 ff.

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