Six years of hardship With his five companions, Gautama went to a forest near the village of Uruvela. Here, several holy men were living 26 in extreme poverty and tormenting themselves with severe exercises. They believed that if they put their bodies through torment they would understand the truth. Some slept on beds of nails. Some stood on their heads. They all ate so little they were just skin and bones. Gautama found a quiet spot on the banks of a nearby river. There he practised the most severe hardship. He slept on a bed of thorns. He ate only one grain of wheat and one sesame seed a day. At times, he would eat nothing at all. His body wasted away until there was only a layer of thin skin covering his bones. Birds made nests in his matted hair and layers of dust covered his dried-up body. Gautama sat completely still, not even brushing away insects.