Some Aspects of Indian Culture

Author(s): A S Gopani, Nagin J Shah, Dalsukh Malvania
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 14

Ājivaka sect-A new interpretation
Aupapātika, Sūtrakstanga, Bhagavati and Sthânānga, in which the Ajivika creed has been incidentally discussed, do not mention any person as the founder of the sect before Gośālaka. So, in my opinion, Nanda Vaccha, Kisa Samk icca were perhaps the contemporaries of Mahavira and represented two sub-varieties of the Ajivika Sect. The word Ājivika was used contemptuously for the inferior by the superior order of the monks. With the latter, the spiritual life was an end by itself while with the former it was observed only as a means with which to eke out their livelihood. I do not mean to say that they were intellectually less gifted; on the contrary my inference is that they were endowed with superb powers of the brain. What they lacked in was "character". Gośālaka also possessed the knowledge of Aștānganimitta.5 Whenever they practised penances they did so with a worldly point of view. In other words they resembled today's Jatis and Bāvās who do not hesitate to employ any base means such as mantra, tantra, medicine, etc., to earn their livelihood and win popular favour, So, in short, there was a well-organized religious sect styled Ajivika in the days of Mahāvira, whose connected account is lost to us. Nanda Vaccha, Kisa Samkicca and Gośālaka Mankhaliputra, whose references we find in Buddhistic and Jain literatures? represented some of the earlier and different schools of the Ājivika sect, and these three were the contemporaries of Mahavira. It is true that we have not so much knowledge of the schools of Nanda Vaccha and Kisa Sarkicca as we have of that of the Gośālaka school. So it was not out of respect or faith for the Jaina school but on account of material consideration that Gośälaka approached and attached himself to Mabāvīra who was revered in those days and even worshipped. This worldly demonstration was the secret reason of Gośālaka's forged friendship with Mahāvira. It was predestined that he was to prove traitor. He wanted to be the Mahāvīra minus monkhood. Nor would it be true to infer that Mahāvīra did not know this imposture. Mahāvira had the capacity to see Gośālaka right through and he did see. By not granting the latter's request at the first time Mahāvira gave him to understand that he had seen his game and at the same time he wanted to give him sufficient scope to cultivate a genuine passion for the Jaina creed and philosophy. Later, at the second time when Gośālaka made a request, it was soon granted. This time also Mahavira did know that Gośālaka was not a real convert. But as is habitual with spiritual leaders, he was full, above all, of the milk of human kindness and would not despise opposition. He took him into his fold out of sheer sympathy and he provided temporarily an opportunity to Gogālaka to believe that he had befooled Mahavira. This incident is a sure sign of Mahāvīra's glorious catholicity of mind and purity of purpose, as well as of the roguish stuff of which Gogalaka was made. Now let us proceed with the details of the incident : when and how Gośālaka tried to worm into Mahāvira's friendship and shape his opinion in his favour.
As we saw before, Gośālaka had offered himself to become Mahāvįra's pupil but the latter at first had refused. 8 Afterwards Mahavira went to a neighbouring suburb called Kollāga. Gośālaka searched for him but he could not get him, whereupon he himself got his beard, m. ustaches and head shaved, wore monk's dress and went to