Having conquered India, Alexander did not go further. His army, burdened with looted riches, grumbled and demanded return. The way back went through a wild, scorched desert. There was no water; instead, they took with them countless supplies of wine from India. The army's path turned into a drunken procession.
The Indian sage Kalan rode with Alexander. He agreed to leave his homeland and become an adviser to the king. On the way, he fell ill and, in order to get rid of his suffering, decided to burn himself alive.
“The sea otter is stronger than me,” said Alexander. “I fought with kings, and he fights with death.”
Before ascending to the fire, Kalan looked Alexander in the eyes and said:
- We'll meet soon.
The words of the sage turned out to be prophetic. Alexander died without leaving an heir to his boundless kingdom. Friends and military leaders crowded around his bedside. Alexander could hardly speak anymore. He was asked:
-Who are you leaving the kingdom to? He whispered with his lips:
- To the most worthy. He was asked:
—Who will be the gravestone victim? He exhaled:
-You.
The prophecy of the dying Alexander came true. For thirty days his body lay unburied. The commanders fought for power: for twenty years wars did not subside across all lands and seas from Athens to Babylon.
Nobility and deceit
The riches of India haunted many conquerors. One of them was Mahmud Ghaznavi. He attacked India eighteen times and was defeated eighteen times.
When he was defeated once again, he took refuge in a cave like a beaten dog. Sitting there, pondering his situation, he noticed a spider weaving its web.
Mahmoud began to observe his actions. It was raining, the spider tried to attach the web, but it broke and fell down. He fell exactly eighteen times, and on the nineteenth he succeeded.
Mahmud suddenly perked up; it seemed to him that this was a sign of fate. He was already thinking about how he would return ingloriously. Each time he failed. Thousands of his warriors died due to his mismanagement.
Prithvirjay Chauhan, who stood on the border, was the ruler of the border region of India.
Mahmud was a king in his own country, he had no reason to invade India.
Prithvirjay Chauhan defeated Mahmud eighteen times: he was advised to go further and finish off the enemy in his lair. They told him that he would again gather an army and attack unexpectedly, so he had to finish off the enemy.
But Prithvirjay Chauhan was a man of great humanity. He said: “The people living in the country of Mahmud are not our enemies, they are not guilty of anything. My army is not to conquer countries. If he comes again, we will defeat him again.”
...He didn't expect Mahmud to attack immediately after his defeat. The Indian army was disbanded. Mahmud attacked unexpectedly and won.
Prithvirjay was captured and, on the orders of Mahmud, both his eyes were torn out. Such was revenge for defeats.
Prithvirjay was a very handsome man and an unsurpassed archer. Awaiting execution, he and his poet friend, who decided to share his fate, were in prison.
When they were taken to the square to be executed, the poet turned to Mahmud with a request. He said:
— Prithvirjay is an unsurpassed archer. Let him take one last shot before he dies.
Mahmud became interested in how a blind man would shoot, and he ordered a bow and arrow to be brought.
The poet turned to Mahmud and he answered. At that same moment, an arrow fired at Mahmud's voice struck him in the very heart.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru