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not be out of place if we give some of them here.
In Bhagavati (15) Mahāvīra himself narrates his relation with Gośäla who became the leader of the Ajivikas. Scholars have their own doubts about this narrative. We may leave aside the question as to who was the teacher and who was the pupil between them. But this much we can say that both of them lived together for several years. Because both of them became the heads of their own orders, we should accept that in their own way they were great spiritual leaders in those days. And so each one of them must have influenced the other. In this story, we come across several informative statements which can be taken as true. Regarding the philosophical views we are not concerned here but it must be said. that this story is considered to be the main source for our knowledge of the doctrines of the Ajivikas as no original Ajivika work is extant. Further we find the mention of the death of Gośäla which took place before that of Mahavira. And it is stated that even after the death of Gośāla Mahāvīra lived for about fourteen years. Both of them met for the first time in Nālandā when Mahāvīra was staying there for his second monsoon. And they were together for six years.
ŚRUTA-SARITA
Buddha and Mahāvīra both in their preachings have denounced the determinism (Niyativada) of Gośäla and accepted the theory of free will and effort. But it remains the open question whether Mahāvīra's acceptance of nakedness betrays the influence of Gośāla.
We have already said something about Mahavira's fearlessness and heroism during his childhood. This tendency is revealed during his ascetic life also. In spite of the danger of a ferocious serpent he deliberately took a particular road and when in meditation he was bitten by that serpent again and again he remained calm and cool and full of compassion towards it. At last he utterred only these words 'now be wise, be wise'. And the serpent repented for his misbehaviour. Such is also the case of the cruel and aggressive Śūlapāņi yakṣa. Mahāvīra stayed in the Yakṣa's abode in spite of warnings given by many persons. For the whole night yaksa perpetrated cruel acts on Mahāvīra who endured them all with his usual equanimity and calmness. At the end the Yakṣa got exhausted. He was not able to break Mahāvīra's meditation. He realised Mahāvira's greatness, fell at his feet and requested him to grant forgiveness for his cruel deeds. Mahāvīra told him that enmity breeds enmity, so it should be uprooted from the heart. In many such incidents and especially in the case of Sangama Mahāvīra showed magnanimity of his mind. As a result of it, he came out victorious defeating the Mära.
After twelve long years of such purifying spiritual discipline at the age of
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