The Humbling Of Alexander Of Macedonia By The Wise Men Of India

By Author: Chaitanya Kumari
Total Articles: 186
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In the West, their history might consider Alexander of Macedonia a great emperor who conquered almost the entire world. However, there is another aspect to the story of Alexander, which is related to his invasion of India. Alexander was humbled not by any monarch, but by simple wise men of a small kingdom. These wise men were ascetics and sages having profound knowledge of Indian philosophy and dharma.

To begin with, it is important to emphasize that the concepts of philosophy were not unknown to Alexander. Actually, Alexander enjoyed debating with wise people and was looking forward to doing the same in India.

On reaching India, he asked for the wisest men of the land to be called to his Royal court. When the Greek soldiers went to the wisest man of the land called Sage Dandamis and asked him to visit the court of Alexander – the soldiers were in for a surprise.
The Greek soldiers thought the sages would be eager to meet the King. Then they offered monetary rewards, but neither had any effect. The Sage Dandamis and his disciples had the least interest in meeting Alexander. Even, the fear of death had no ...
... impact on Sage Dandamis. The sage said he had come from earth and would go back to the earth to meet his mother if the Greek soldiers killed him.
However, the sage suggested that if King Alexander was interested in meeting them, he should come to the forest to see them. This message was conveyed to King Alexander of Macedonia by the Greek soldiers.
Alexander was shocked by their lack of fear and their interest in meeting him, as he saw himself as the conqueror of the world. This unexpected behavior from the sages compelled him to seek them out in the forest.
Alexander met this group of wise men who were under the vows of asceticism in a forest near Takshasila. There, he interacted with the eldest of the ascetics, Sage Dandamis. When asked to introduce himself, Alexander of Macedonia boasted that his goal was to conquer the entire world.
This made Sage Dandamis roar with laughter, and then say, ‘Why not conquer your impulses instead? That would have spared the misery, death, and misfortune of lakhs of people across the lands you have conquered.
After a lengthy dialogue with the sage and his disciples, Alexander of Macedonia concluded that they were truly people who had experienced genuine freedom.
During the interactions with these holy people who left all worldly things and embraced spirituality, Alexander was simply stunned. The sages were neither lured by the wealth that the king offered nor afraid of the immense power he wielded. They were equanimous. It was the first time in his life that Alexander met people who were unmoved by his presence. The fact that he conquered a significant part of the world was treated as something grossly irrelevant by the ascetics.
The sages fearlessly conveyed that a day will come when the treasures and wealth that the king looted during his conquests will be of no value. When he dies, everything will be left behind, and someone else will enjoy that wealth. This is something over which even Alexander has no control. Similarly, the wise ascetics made Alexander conscious of the fact that everyone is a mortal; this is a fact of life that even he can’t change.
The ascetics had no hesitation in frankly conveying to Alexander that his ambition caused a lot of suffering and hardships for many people. Controlling the senses is much more important than conquering kingdoms. The king was always accustomed to seeing people bowing down without contradicting him in any way. But, the courageous and yet polite approach of the Takshasila sages left him puzzled.
Later, Alexander met another Indian sage named Calanus. The king engaged in an in-depth conversation with him, during which many complex aspects of philosophy were discussed. Unlike Dandamis and his followers, Calanus chose to go to Persia along with the king. Calanus was reprimanded and lost the respect of his fellow saints for joining the court of a King.
Upon arriving in Persia, Calanus fell ill, and his health rapidly deteriorated thereafter. He was unable to find suitable food for his diet. The Greeks suggested he abandon his dietary habits, but Calanus refused.
After some time, Calanus decided to end his life, as he saw no point in remaining alive as a dependent. Alexander tried to persuade the ascetic to revoke his decision, but he couldn’t do so. He requested Alexandar to arrange a pyre of wood so he could give up his life, and the same was arranged. The Indian wiseman Calanus sick and weak but fearlessly walked into that fire and gave up his life. The Greeks were shocked and amazed by his lack of fear of death or the pain of burning alive.
During the course of these interactions, several irrefutable facts of philosophy and dharma were conveyed to Alexander by these wise men.
All the wise men mentioned above did not attribute any significance to Alexander’s so-called ‘greatness.’ It is remarkable that a mighty emperor, whose conquests spanned nearly the entire known world, was metaphorically ‘defeated’ by individuals with no material possessions. These were not warriors or rulers, but saints who lived humble and simple lives. The King was shown the reality, humbled, and brought down from the pedestal where Alexander had mentally positioned himself.

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