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16
Some Aspects of Indian Culture
Sreņika was perhaps a superb elephant of its kind. This as well as the tempest and the war that took place in Gośālaka's days were perhaps historical. The elephant seems to have proved an apple of discord and a cause for war between Kuņika, 88. the eldest son of Sreņika, and Cetaka who took the side of two younger sons. In this war large stones were made use of as weapons as the names suggests. Reference to these two Finals clearly indicates that Gośālaka either died after the occurrence of these events or at the most was a contemporary of Sreņika, Kupika, Mahavira and Cetaka. HOERNLE fixes 484 B.C.25 as the date of Mahavira's nirvana ( while Muni KALYANAVIJAYJI has proved the traditional date to be true86, and according to the Bhagavatisūtra, Gośālaka died sixteen years before Mahāvira, that is to say, before about 500 B.C.
When Gojālaka discharged the heating power against Malāvira, it was made to re-enter Gośālaka's body.- its original habitat-by the cooling power of Mahavira. This re-entry of his own force effected by the opposite force started burning sensation in Gošalaka's body, to be relieved from which he resorted to various irreligious and objectionable means such as drinking with the result that he sang and danced like a mad man. Or it may be that Mahavira's exposing him turned him mad and out of madness he resorted to these foolish praotices. Curiously enough he repeatedly paid his respects by folding his hands to Halabala who was his pupil and a follower. These things done even by an ordinary man would have betrayed him to be a mad man; what to talk of Gošalaka, then, who was one of the shrewd and formidable opponents of Mahavira ? These things thus had all the fear and disadvantage of being misinterpreted. More over, it was also not the case that this escaped the notice of Gogalaka who was all the more in a hurry to hide the real motive behind these things and to pass them as religious excellences. Gośālaka has tried, though feebly, to furnish religious background and to give religious interpretation to his conduct which was doubtlessly and definitely despicable,
The term carama literally means 'final', 'last' and is applied to a thing which is topping all other things of its kind. Thus the drink he drank, the song he sang, the dance he danced and the respects he gave to Halāhala were all final, superb, he meant to say. No one has performed and shall ever perform such things. They are the standard things or spontaneous conduct of an inspired spiritual leader. They are innocent practices of the last Tirthamkara of this aeon of decrease. He has asserted his being the last Tirthamkara as the last of the eight finals. Most skilfully and indirectly he preache that no one should perform such things for the simple reason that these are finals and were destined as such to be performed only by him. Thus while justifying his breach of gentlemanly conduct, he keeps no room in his system for such a disgraceful demeanour. Really speaking he drank to cool the hot sensation and he knew it, but he justified it on the ground that such a conduct was inevitable in the case of the last Tirthamkasa who he was. To sum up, what he means to say is that what he did was natural and predestined but at the same time was final. He includes in these Eight Finals the Secanaka elephant, th: Stone War and the Tempest simply to secure public
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