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Being defeated by his own Tejoleśya, Gośālaka addressed Bhagawan Mahavira thus: "Kashyapa, after being afflicted and conquered by this Tejolesya, which I achieved as fruit of my tapa, you will meet your death within a period of six months in a Chadmastha state (till soul attains Kevala Jnana, its state is called Chadmastha)".
The Lord replied: "Gosalaka, being vanquished by your own Lesya and suffering from bilious fever, you will die in a Chadmastha state after seven nights. As far as I am concerned, I shall move about as Jina-Tirthankara for sixteen years more".
The news of this incident spread in Śrāvasti in a
short while. It became the sole topic of discussion on the streets and cross-roads of the city. People were saying: "Outside the city, in Kosthaka Caitya, two Jinas are censuring and vilifying each other. One says the other will die first, and vice versa. Who is right and who wrong"? The wise and the respected persons would say: "Bhaga wān Mahavira speaks the truth and Gośalaka utters falsehood".
Bhagawan Mahāvīra sent for the Nirgranthas and addressed them thus: Just as a heap of straw, wood, leaves, etc. is destroyed after being burnt by fire, in the same manner, Gosalaka has lost his mystical force by using Tejolesya to kill me. You may now gladly refute his doctrine to his face, ask him to give detailed explanations for it, have religious confrontation with him, and silence him by question, reasoning, analysis and explanation."
Gosalaka was silenced by the Nirgranthas by questions and answers of different types. He became infuriated but could not cause the slightest harm to the Nirgranthas. Many Ajivaka Sthaviras felt dissatisfied and left the Sangha of Gosalaka. They came to the Sangha of Bhagawan Mahavira and engaged themselves in devotion.
The Eight Ultimates
Having failed in his objectives, Gośālaka came out of Kosthaka Caitya. Like an insane person, he was looking into all the four directions. Heaving deep sighs, pulling out hair from his beard, scratching the neck, waving both arms and
| SR No. | 022804 |
| Book Title | Agama And Tripitaka Comparative Study |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Nagaraj Muni |
| Publisher | Today and Tomorrows Printers and Publishers |
| Publication Year | 1986 |
| Total Pages | 804 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 19 MB |