History and Doctrines of the Ajivikas: A Vanished Indian Religion c15.s6.17

c15.s6.17

The Bhagavatī Sūtra’s account of Gosāla’s death indicates that for most of the period of the ministry of the Ājīvika leader relations between Jaina and Ājīvika were not unfriendly. Ānanda, Mahāvīra’s disciple, to whom the long story of the merchants was told,² seems to have treated Gosāla with great respect before Mahāvīra forbade all association with him. Further evidence that Jaina strictures on Ājīvika morals did not always imply intolerant social relations is given by the story of Saddālaputta, wherein Gosāla is said to have praised Mahāvīra in the usual Jaina terms.³ The Bhagavatī Sūtra⁴ names twelve Ājīvika laymen, including one Ayampala or Ayambula, probably Ayampula of Sāvatthi,⁵ who are held up to the Jainas as models of virtue and non-violence. They are surprisingly described as “worshippers of the arhants and the gods”, or “worshippers of the arhants as gods”,⁶ although Abhayadeva the commentator states that the false arhant Gosāla is here meant. The Buddha declared that he knew of only one Ājīvika to reach heaven,⁷ but the Jaina Aupapātika Sūtra⁸ assures Ājīvika ascetics of various types⁹ of a divinity of twelve sāgarovamāim in duration in the heaven called Accuakappa. The promise is repeated in the Bhagavatī Sūtra.¹⁰ The same rebirth was forecast for Gosāla by Mahāvīra, although in his case it was to be followed by a long succession of births in less pleasant conditions.¹¹