When Alexander was about to go to conquer India, his teacher Aristotle told him: “Bring me only one gift from India. Bring me a sannyasin - a person who, for the sake of knowing himself, has renounced worldly life.”
Passing through many lands, Alexander asked people everywhere: “I want to see someone who knows himself. I don’t need seekers, I need someone who has already known.” And each time they answered him: “There, at the foot of the mountains, on the bank of the river, there is an old man who has come to know himself.”
Alexander gave the order to his military commander to bring this man to him with honors. When the detachment arrived in the indicated area, the military leader went to the local elder to ask him about the old man. He replied:
“Yes, there really is a sannyasin here, a great sannyasin.” But you are unlikely to be able to convince him to follow you.
The commander laughed and said:
- Nonsense. If Alexander the Great orders, then this entire city will follow him.
Arriving at the sannyasin, the soldiers saw him standing naked on the river bank. They said:
- Follow us. Alexander the Great himself invites you to be his guest. You will be given great honors, you will have everything you want. Alexander will take you with him to Greece.
In response to this, the sannyasin calmly said:
“No force in this world will force me to follow you.” If your Alexander needs me, let him come here to me himself.
Alexander's messenger was amazed. He had never heard such a commanding tone before. And he did not dare to use force. Returning to Alexander, he said:
“This man treated me arrogantly, and I am afraid that he will do the same to you.”
Alexander raised his head proudly:
“Anyone who does not show me due respect will die.” I'm coming!
But when he arrived at the place, he was overcome with trepidation. The sannyasin was the first to address him:
- So, you are Alexander the Great. I think that anyone who calls himself great is not great and cannot be.
“I didn’t come to argue,” Alexander replied, “I came to invite you.”
The old man smiled:
- I'm free like the wind! You can't invite the wind. It blows on its own. If I feel that I want it, I will come to Greece, but if I don’t want it, no one can force me.
Alexander became furious at these words. He drew his sword and said:
“Old man, if you don’t come with me, I’ll kill you!”
The sannyasin replied:
- You're a little late. I've already killed myself.
Alexander clenched his sword and said:
- Now your head will roll off your shoulders!
The sannyasin replied:
“You can cut off my head, but you cannot kill me, because when you see my head falling to the ground, I will see it falling too.”
Alexander was never able to kill this man. There is a record of this in his diary. This man's name was Datdamesh.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru