Makkhali Gosala - Early Life

Early Life

According to the Bhagavati Sutra, Gosala was born in the cowshed of a Brahmin named Gobahula, who was a Kosalan determinist, in the village of Saravana, a name meaning 'thicket of reeds'. This may indicate that Gosala was claimed by his followers to have been born or found in a patch of reeds- like a number of figures from Indian mythology- and the report was later distorted and forgotten, and the patch of reeds transformed into the name of a village. His mother's name is given as 'Bhadda', a name used in many Jaina sources to refer to the unknown mother of some mythological figure, while his father's name is given as Mankhali. Gosala's father was said to be employed as a mankha, a somewhat obscure class of mendicant or ascetic that seems to have been occupied with carrying an image of a god or goddess, and with singing religious songs.

The name 'Gosala' literally means 'cow shed', and both the Bhagavati Sutra and Buddhaghosa claim that Gosala was so named because he was born in a cow shed, his parents being unable to find more suitable lodgings in the village of Saravana. The Bhagavati Sutra reports that Gosala went on to follow his father's profession, becoming a mankha. Meanwhile, Buddhaghosa claims that Gosala was born into slavery, and became a naked ascetic after fleeing from his irate master, who managed to grab hold of Gosala's garment and disrobe him as he fled. While it is possible that the broad outlines of Gosala's birth story or early life are correct- that he was born into poverty in a cowshed- it may be equally likely that these versions of his early life were concocted by Buddhist and Jain partisans to bring a rival teacher into disrepute.