When Alexander Met Dandamis
This account captures the philosophical encounter between Alexander the Great and an Indian sage, Dandamis, who embodied the ascetic and spiritual ideals of the Brahmins.
The Brahmins lived austere lives, subsisting solely on fruits and wild herbs that the earth spontaneously produced. They drank only water, wandered through the forests, and rested on beds of leaves. Their philosophy rejected materialism and extolled the virtues of simplicity, self-sufficiency, and inner peace.
Kalanos, a sage who accompanied Alexander, was condemned by his fellow Bragmanes. He was accused of abandoning his principles, succumbing to material temptations, and betraying the values of their philosophy. The Brahmins declared him unworthy of their company, describing him as a man “ruined by his love of wealth” who had forsaken the hope of a blessed afterlife.
In contrast, Dandamis, a revered Brahmin, exemplified their ideals. When Alexander sent Onesikrates to summon Dandamis to his court, offering rich gifts and threatening death for refusal, Dandamis remained unshaken. Reclining on his bed of leaves, he calmly replied:
“God, the supreme king, is never the author of insolent wrong. He alone is the creator of light, peace, and life, and the receiver of souls freed by death. Alexander is not God, for he too must taste death. What Alexander offers is utterly useless to me. My possessions — leaves for my bed, blooming plants for food, and water for drink — are sufficient for my needs.”
Dandamis rejected material wealth, asserting that possessions cause sorrow and sleeplessness. He embraced the simplicity of nature, declaring that the earth, like a mother, provides all that is necessary. He dismissed Alexander’s threats, saying:
“Should Alexander cut off my head, he cannot destroy my soul, which will ascend to God, leaving this body like a worn garment upon the earth. Let Alexander terrify those who love gold and fear death. For the Bragmanes, who neither desire wealth nor dread death, such threats are powerless.”
When Alexander heard Onesikrates’ account, he admired Dandamis deeply, acknowledging the sage’s strength and independence. Alexander recognized him as a philosophical adversary whose wisdom surpassed his own worldly conquests.
Here is the complete account of what Dandamis said :
“God, the supreme king, is never the author of insolent wrong, but is the creator of light, of peace, of life, of water, of the body of man, and of souls, and these He receives when death sets them free, being in no way subject to evil desire. He alone is the God of my homage, who abhors slaughter and instigates no wars. But Alexander is not God, since he must taste of death; and how can such as he be the world’s master, who has not yet reached the further shore of the river Tiberoboas, and has not yet seated himself on a throne of universal dominion? Moreover, Alexander has neither as yet entered living into Hades, nor does he know the course of the sun through the central regions of the earth, while the nations on its boundaries have not so much as heard his name.
If his present dominions are not capacious enough for his desire, let him cross the Ganges river, and he will find a region able to sustain men if the country on our side be too narrow to hold him. Know this, however, that what Alexander offers me, and the gifts he promises, are all things to me utterly useless; but the things which I prize, and find of real use and worth, are these leaves which are my house, these blooming plants which supply me with dainty food, and the water which is my drink, while all other possessions and things, which are amassed with anxious care, are wont to prove ruinous to those who amass them, and cause only sorrow and vexation, with which every poor mortal is fully fraught.
But as for me, I lie upon the forest leaves, and, having nothing which requires guarding, close my eyes in tranquil slumber; whereas had I gold to guard, that would banish sleep. The earth supplies me with everything, even as a mother her child with milk. I go wherever I please, and there are no cares with which I am forced to cumber myself, against my will.
Should Alexander cut off my head, he cannot also destroy my soul. My head alone, now silent, will remain, but the soul will go away to its Master, leaving the body like a torn garment upon the earth, whence also it was taken. I then, becoming spirit, shall ascend to my God, who enclosed us in flesh, and left us upon the earth to prove whether when here below we shall live obedient to His ordinances, and who also will require of us, when we depart hence to His presence, an account of our life, since He is judge of all proud wrong-doing; for the groans of the oppressed become the punishments of the oppressors.
Let Alexander, then, terrify with these threats those who wish for gold and for wealth, and who dread death, for against us these weapons are both alike powerless, since the Brahmins neither love gold nor fear death. Go, then, and tell Alexander this: ‘Dandamis has no need of aught that is yours, and therefore will not go to you, but if you want anything from Dandamis, come you to him.’”
McCrindle, J. W. (1877). Ancient India as Described by Megasthenes and Arrian. Thacker, Spink & Co.
(Taken from Palladius, de Bragmanibus, and Calanus Libellus Gnomologus, 1668 edition. Time period: Alexander’s invasion of India, c. 326 BCE)
