History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c15.s5.19

c15.s5.19

found themselves with more food than they required, and gave their surplus to those ascetics who accepted leavings (vighās’-āda). An Ājīvika who had been thus fed by the bhikkhus was later overheard by one of them telling a fellow Ājīvika of the food which he had obtained from the “shaven-headed householder” (muṇḍa-gahapatika), Gotama. The bhikkhus reported the matter to their master, who forbade the distribution of surplus food to mendicants of other orders in future.¹