History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c12.s4.6

c12.s4.6

The nature of the *hallā*, about which Ayampula’s mind was so troubled, is uncertain. The commentator Abhayadeva confidently defines the *hallā* as “a certain insect, the form of which is like that of the *govālikā* grass”,² and on Gosāla’s reply to Ayampula’s question, Abhayadeva remarks, “it is well known in the world that the form of the *govālikā* grass is that of a bamboo root.”³ The explanation of Abhayadeva is the only one available. But the reader asks whether Ayampula would go to the trouble of visiting Gosāla at night if his inquiry were of a purely entomological nature. The explanation of Abhayadeva may disguise the fact that the commentator himself was unaware of the meaning of this rare word.