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time, not on a permanent basis. It should be remembered here that this is the partial vow ( anuprata ) prescribed for the lay- men to practice a monk's life. Further a question of lyeing or stealing does not arise here.
Arguments, which were prevalent in those days are recorded in the Bhagavats Sataka.35 Ganadhara named Gautama ( not the Buddha) asked Mahāvira a question about some Ajivikas, the followers of Gosālaka, who had doubt about the Jaina U posatha. They asked them : 'Suppose a Jaina layman observes Uposatha and proceeds to meditation abandoning all his properties including the wives and suppose someone during his absence appropriates his properties and his wives, does that layman become guilty of taking other people's things on his return if he takes fuis properties and wives from the person who had appropriated them ? Māhāvira answered the above question saying that layman uses his own things, and not of others. For the belongings were abandoned for only of limited period, not for all time.
This reference makes it very clear that the impressions which the Buddha and the Ajivikas had of Niganth U posatha were alike. If Gopālaka of the Anguttara Nikaya is the Gośālaka of the Bhagawati Sataka, we can say that the Gopalaka U posatha might have belonged to the Ajivika sect. Because the founder of Ajivikism, Makkhali Gosāla, was formerly a fullower of Nigantha Nātaputta, Several of its doctrines were, therefore, influenced by the doctrines of Jainas. Whatever that may be, one thing is certain, that is, all sects and schools of Samana Cult had the U posatha, though in varying forms, as a common religious institution,
With regard to removing all clothes during the Samayika or Uposatha, Jacobi says, "The description, however, does not quite agree with the posaha rules of the Jainas." He depends on the definition of Posaha according to the Tattvarthasaradi pika as given by Bhandarakar. He says : "Posaha, i.e., to observe a fast or eat once only on the two holy days, one must give up bathing, unguents, ornaments, company of women, odours.
