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MAHĀVĪRA'S PREDECESSORS
(nemi) of black jewels (arista). Krisna and his brother Baladeva lived at this time, and were cousins of Neminatha's. This Tirthankara was ten bow-shots in height, and his sign was the conch shell. Unlike most of the other Tirthankara, he attained mokşa from Girnar in Käthiāwāḍ.
The twenty-third and twenty-fourth Tirthankara are respectively Pārśvanatha and Mahavira.
The Followers of Mahavira.
MahāThe peculiar temptations with which an ascetic's life vira's are beset are illustrated for us in the life of Gośāla, an unruly disciple early antinomian. He seems to have been the head of Gośāla. a body of unclothed anchorites, a section of the Ajivika monks, and joined forces with Mahavira whilst the latter was still practising austerities before the period of his cnlightenment. Gośāla, Dr. Hoernle suggests in his exhaustive article on the Ajivikas, may either have been moved by a desire to learn the tricks of Mahāvira's trade, or else the strong stern personality of the great ascetic may have had an irresistible attraction for the weaker sensual nature. At any rate, for six years they lived together, but a permanent association was impossible between a man like Mahāvīra and one of Gośāla's tricky, unreliable disposition.
There seems no doubt that they separated owing to some act of unchastity on Gośăla's part, and this had the natural effect of opening Mahavira's eyes to the special temptation besetting wandering mendicants. An added element of bitterness would be caused by the disciple venturing to preach before the master felt himself qualified to do so, for whilst Mahavira waited twelve years before teaching his Way, Gośāla preached after only six.
It was probably owing to Gośala's conduct that Mahāvīra 1 E. R. E., vol. i.
