History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c12.s6.30

c12.s6.30

Thus we have two synchronisms for the date of Gosāla's death, the first being the tradition of its occurence sixteen and a half years before that of Mahāvīra, and the second that of its taking place during the war between Magadha and Vesālī in the reign of Ajātasattu-Kūṇiya. Of the two the latter seems the more reliable. It is probable that the author of the *Bhagavatī* made use of an authentic Ājīvika tradition, for the occurrence of the great battle and the death of their leader in the same year would make a great impression upon Gosāla's followers, and the memory of the synchronism might well be accurately preserved. On the other hand the tradition of the sixteen and a half years between the deaths of the two teachers is of a type more easily corrupted. The author of the *Bhagavatī* seems to have had a predilection for certain numbers. For instance the number six occurs in this chapter in various contexts. Thus Gosāla lives with Mahāvīra for six years,³ he performs a six months' penance,⁴ he confers with the six *disācaras*,⁵ he proclaims the six inevitables,⁶ he threatens Mahāvīra with death in six months' time.⁷ A period of sixteen years has already been introduced once into the story, when it is stated that Gosāla spent sixteen years in the pottery at Sāvatthi as leader of the Ājīvika order,¹ and, as will be shown, certain evidence indicates that Mahāvīra did not survive Gosāla by so long a period.² Although this evidence is inconclusive, and although we accept the tradition of the sixteen years between the deaths of the two men as a working hypothesis, the possibility must be recognized that the author of the *Bhagavatī* may have introduced the period of sixteen or sixteen and a half years into his account of Mahāvīra’s prophecy with his former statement in view. It would indeed be an edifying act of cosmic justice if Mahāvīra, threatened with rapid death by Gosāla, were portrayed as surviving his adversary by the length of the latter’s career as a false prophet. In our efforts to fix the date of Gosāla’s death we must therefore give the greatest credence to the synchronism of this event with the war between Magadha and Vesālī, and our first efforts must be towards settling the approximate date of the war.