Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India

Author(s): Pranabananda Jash
Publisher: Munshiram Manoharlal Publisher's Pvt Ltd New Delhi

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Some Aspects of Jainism in Eastern India
genealogical succession of seven Ajivika leaders, together with a list of... successive geographical centres of their activities, "27 including the period of their missionary life. According to the list, Udai Kundiyayaniya, the first of the line, was associated with Rajagṛha and had preached for twenty-two years. This leads the claim of Udai as the founder of Ajivika school in the celebrated Rajagṛha in Bihar. The geographical location surrounded by the natural bulworks was congenial for the naked ascetics to practise their religion undisturbed.
After Udai, Enejjaga who was associated with the town Uddandapura (possibly somewhere in eastern India) had preached for twentyone years The third teachers, Mallarama who spent his missionary life at Campa and taught the principles of the Ajivika religion for twenty years. Mandiya the fourth teacher was connected with Vārāṇasi covering a total period of nineteen years in missionary life. Roha selected the town Alabhiya (Alovi of the Pāli texts), near Śrāvasti, for preaching his religion for eighteen years. The last two were Bharadvaja and his successor Ajjuna Goyamaputta covering seventeen and sixteen years respectively possibly in the region of Śrävasti.
In fact, there are several other Jātaka legends showing evidently the antiquity and prevalence of the Ajivikas before Gośāla.28 Pāņini speaks of the Ajivikas. Of course, the system was not in an organised form in this period. Gośāla moulded it into an organised and metaphysical form and made it popular in the realm of contemporary religious field. And by the time of the Mauryas as we shall see later on it included in the catalogue of the well organised and matured religious systems in India.29
Gośāla is said to have born near Śrāvasti, and left home for some unknown reason and became a homeless wanderer. It appears from the Bhagavati-sutra that Gośāla in his early career accepted the professional life of his father and, at the same time, he developed some sort of repugnance against worldly life. In his first meeting with Mahavira in a weaver's workshop (tantuvayaśālā) at Nālandā, he already attained the third year of asceticism.30 Gośāla was impressed with the power of asceticism of Mahāvīra and requested to allow him to be his pupil; but Mahavira did not at first oblige by initiating Gośāla as his disciple. In his second thought Mahavira accepted Gośala's request at a place called Kollaga near Nālandā.31