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