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Lord Mahavira
that ihe term kukkuta-mamsa here refers not to meat at all but to the flesh of a certain seed-filled fruit (called bijapuraka-kataha, perhaps Aegle Marmelos, or bel-phal in Hindi) commonly used for medical purposes (to treat dehydration;) such "animal" terminology for a herbal substance is often found, for example, in the Ayurveda. The fact that this term was not suppressed or eliminated from the literature long ago supports their interpretation; those commentators closest in time to the original text must have assumed that there would be no danger of misunderstanding. Indeed, it was not until the 1941 publication of Dharmananda Kosambi's Bhagavan Buddha (in Marathi) that anyone in India) even suggested the possibility of taking kukkuta-mamsa as actual flesh. The controversy raised among Jainas by Kosambi's remarks was of course restricted to the Svetâmbara community; Digambaras, who deny that a kevalin eats anything at all (see below, n. 83), found the entire issue irrelevant.
The controversial passage appears as follows in the BhS: xv (Vaidya ed. p. 34.): tam no khalu aham Siha ... kalam karessam; aham nam annaim solasavassaim jine suhatthi viharissami tam gacchaha nam tumam Siha, Mendhiyagamam nayaram, Revaie gahavainie gihe, tattha nam Revaie ... mamam atthae duve kavoyasarira uvakkhadiya, tehim no attho atthi se anne pâriyâsie majjarakadae kukkudamamsae, tamaharahi, eenam attho ("marjaro" viralabhidhanako vanaspativisesas tena "krtam" bhavitam yat tat tatha, kim tat? ity aha "kukkutamamsakam" bijapurakam kataham, "aharahitti" niravadyatvaditi.") Abhayadevasuri-urtti (quoted in Vaidya ed., p. 66). Digambaras do admit an encounter between the two men shortly after Mahavira's attainment of kevalajnana, but they describe Makkhali Gosala (called Makkadi or Masayari) as a mendicant in the tradition of Parsva who wished to become one of Mahavira's ganadharas. Failing to be chosen, he established his own school for which heresy he is said to have suffered rebirth in the dismal state of the nigodas (see Ch. IV, n. 7): Masayari-purana
risino uppanno Pasanahatitthammi/ siri Virasamavasarane agahiyajhunina ni yatt en al /
....asana munai jinakahi yasuyam sampai dikkâya gahiya Golyamad/vippo veyabbhasi tamha mokkham na nanao// Bhavasangraha: k 76-78. See also: siri Viranahatitthe bahussudo Pasmghaganisiso/ Makkadapuranasahu annanam bhasaye loell Jinamaggabahiram jam taccam samdarisiuna pavamano/ niccanigoye patto satto majjesu vivihesu// Darsanasara: k 2023. See Upadhye 1933: K.P. Jain 1928: 20; Prerni 1956: 202; P.S. Jaini 1976a.
Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics: I. 259-269. 59. Basham 1951:277.
ninhaya dandam panehim tam vosajja kayam anagare/ aha gamakamtae bhagavam te ahiyase abhisameccall nao samgamasise va parae tattha se Mahavirel evam pi tattha Ladhehim aladdapuvvo vi egada gamoll uvasamkamamtam apadinnam gamamtiyam pi appattam/ padinikkhamittu lusimsu etao param palehi tti// hayapuvvo tattha damdena aha va mutthina aha phalenam/ aha leluna kavalenam hamta hamta bahave kamdimsu// mamsuni chinnapuvvaim ottabhiyae egada kayam/ parissahaim lumcimsu ahava pamsuna uvakarimsu// uccaliya nihinimsu aha va asanao khalaimsu/
58.
Encyclo
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