water for drink, woods for a place of dwelling, air for the growth of all things. For God sells nothing for gold, but bestows all things, giving good minds to those who wish to receive {These things therefore are nothing to me}. 2.38 I am clothed in a garment that my mother bore for me from her birth pangs. I am nourished by air and I gladly see myself {as such}. Why do you compel me to put on a bond for my whole body? To me, freedom from care of all creation is more pleasant and the drink from the river that heals natural thirst is sweeter than honey. And if these loaves are for food, why did you burn them with fire? I do not eat the refuse of fire nor do I take away another's food; let the fire that tasted them consume them. But so that I may not dishonor you who honor wisdom, I accept the oil. 2.39 And having said these things, Dandamis {took the oil} and rising up went around the wood and gathering sticks made a pile and lighting a pyre said: "A Brahman has all things and is nourished by providence". And having sufficiently lit the fire, he poured it on, until he had consumed all the oil, and he raised a hymn to God, saying: "Immortal God, I thank you in all things; for you alone truly reign over all, providing all things richly for your creation for nourishment; and having created this world, you preserve it, awaiting the souls which you sent out there, so that having lived their lives securely you might honor them as a god, but those who have disobeyed the ordinances you might deliver to condemnation; for every righteous judgment is with you and endless life is ready with you; for with eternal goodness you have mercy on all". 2.40 And Alexander, having heard and seen all these things, was greatly amazed and was pierced to the heart by the wise and true words of Dandamis, and he went away, taking back all the gifts he had brought except for the oil, which the fire had consumed. But Dandamis said: 2.41 "We are all {of us} like this, Alexander; but your friend Calanus became for us a bad man, imitating our way of life for a short time, and since he did not happen to be dear to God, leaving us he fled to the Greeks and having seen our mysteries against custom and parading these to profane nations, he then transferred himself into an immortal fire. But you are the master of an evil nation, the Macedonians, before you reviled the Brahmans and ordered them to be destroyed, having been persuaded by false words; which is not fitting for a king and one who cares for nations to rule, to be persuaded by slanderers. 2.42 For we will give an account of our own life to God, when we depart to him; for we are all his works, who lay claim to his righteousness; we despise empty glory, which is found among the foolish. How then can you think our thoughts, living badly and neglecting that which is truly good? But we Brahmans, remembering how we were born, live together with that nature and see how we can live blamelessly; we live in freedom from care, being concerned about nothing; for concern for the material things of life separates the mind of mortals from God; for providence will demand from each of us an account of his own judgment, and we will pay the penalties for its actions. For this reason we rejoice dwelling in deserts and amidst the woods, so that we may turn our mind to everything pleasing to God, so that the idle talk of other men may not distract our souls from the praise of God. 2.43 For blessed is he who needs none {of the superfluous things}, but cares for the glory of the master of all. But empty glory needs all things; for he who wishes to please all must be the slave of all. But we have no need to seek out cities; for a gathering is a plot and a field of much evil. But God has built great houses for us, high mountains and shady woods, from where, eating the fruits of pure nature {the memory of that which is given from God is preserved}, we delight in these things and drinking water from this we are gladdened and we have the sweetest rest on leaves and resting on these we put away our toil. 2.44 How then can you, being slaves of many things, command those who are in all things free? For you are the unruly slaves of your own soul, which desires many and various things

ὕδωρ εἰς ποτόν, ὕλας εἰς τόπον οἰκίας, ἀέρα εἰς αὔξησιν τῶν πάντων. οὐδὲν γὰρ ὁ θεὸς χρυσίῳ πωλεῖ, ἀλλὰ χαρί ζεται τὰ πάντα ἀγαθὰς φρένας διδοὺς τοῖς θέλουσι λαμβάνειν {ταῦτα οὖν ἐμοὶ οὐδέν ἐστιν}. 2.38 ἱμάτιον περιβέβλημαι ὃ ἐξ ὠδίνων ἔχοντά με ἡ μήτηρ ἔτε κεν. ἀέρι τρέφομαι καὶ ἡδέως ἐμαυτὸν {τοιοῦτον} βλέπω. τί ἀναγκάζεις με περιθέσθαι ὅλου τοῦ σώματος δεσμόν; ἐμοὶ ἡδύ τερον ἡ ἀμεριμνία πάσης κτίσεως καὶ μέλιτος γλυκύτερον τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ποτὸν ἰώμενον τὴν κατὰ φύσιν δίψαν. εἰ δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄρτοι οὗτοι εἰς τροφήν εἰσιν, τί αὐτοὺς περιέκαυσας πυρί; οὐκ ἐσθίω ἐγὼ ἀπόβρωμα πυρὸς οὐδ' ἀφαιροῦμαι ἀλλότριον τρο φήν· τὸ γευσάμενον αὐτὰ πῦρ καταδαπανάτω. ἵνα δέ σε μὴ ἀτι μάσω τιμῶντα σοφίαν, δέχομαι τὸ ἔλαιον. 2.39 καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ὁ ∆άνδαμις {ἔλαβε τὸ ἔλαιον} καὶ ἀναστὰς τὴν ὕλην περιῆλθεν καὶ συναγαγὼν ξύλα ἐποίησε σωρὸν καὶ ἀνά ψας πυρὰν εἶπε· "Βραχμὰν πάντα ἔχει καὶ τρέφεται προνοίᾳ". καὶ ἱκανῶς ἀνάψας τὸ πῦρ ἐπέχεεν, ἕως πᾶν ἐδαπάνησε τὸ ἔλαι ον, καὶ ἦρεν ὕμνον τῷ θεῷ λέγων· "ἀθάνατε θεέ, εὐχαριστῶ σοι ἐν παντί· βασιλεύεις γὰρ τῶν ὅλων σὺ μόνος ἀληθῶς παρέχων σου τῷ πλάσματι πάντα πλουσίως εἰς τροφήν· δημιουργήσας δὲ τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον σὺ διατηρεῖς ἀναμένων τὰς ψυχάς, ἃς ἐξαπέστει λας ἐκεῖ, ἵνα πολιτευσαμένας ἀσφαλῶς τιμήσῃς ὡς θεός, τὰς δὲ ἀπειθησάσας τοῖς θεσμοῖς κατακρίσει παραδῷς· πᾶσα γὰρ δικαία κρίσις παρά σοι καὶ ἀπέραντος ζωὴ ἑτοίμη παρά σοι· χρηστότητι γὰρ ἀϊδίῳ τοὺς πάντας ἐλεεῖς". 2.40 ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος ἀκούσας ταῦτα πάντα καὶ ἰδὼν θαυμάσας σφόδρα καὶ κατανυγεὶς ἐπὶ τοῖς σοφοῖς καὶ ἀληθινοῖς λόγοις τοῦ ∆ανδάμεως ἀπῆλθεν ἀποφέρων πάντα, ὅσα ἐνηνόχει δῶρα πλὴν τοῦ ἐλαίου, οὗ ἀνήλωσε τὸ πῦρ. ὁ δὲ ∆άνδαμις εἶπεν· 2.41 "τοιοῦτοί ἐσμεν πάντες {ἡμεῖς}, Ἀλέξανδρε· ὁ δὲ σὸς φί λος Κάλανος ἡμῖν κακὸς ἀνὴρ ἐγένετο πρὸς βραχὺν χρόνον μιμη σάμενος ἡμῶν τὸν βίον καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ ἐτύγχανε θεοφιλής, καταλι πὼν ἡμᾶς ἐδραπέτευσε πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ παρὰ συνήθειαν ἰδὼν ἡμέτερα μυστήρια καὶ ταῦτα βεβήλοις ἐκπομπεύσας ἔθνεσιν ἐντεῦθεν εἰς πῦρ ἀθάνατον μετέστησεν ἑαυτόν. σὺ δὲ εἶ κακοῦ ἔθνους δεσπότης Μακεδόνων, τὸ πρὶν ἐλοιδόρεις Βραγμᾶνας καὶ ἐκέλευες τούτους ἀπόλλυσθαι πεισθεὶς ψευδέσι λόγοις· ὅπερ οὐ πρέπει βασιλεῖ καὶ κηδομένῳ ἐθνῶν ἄρχειν τὸ τοῖς διαβάλλουσι πείθεσθαι. 2.42 ἡμεῖς γὰρ τοῦ ἰδίου βίου θεῷ λόγον δώσομεν, ὅταν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπέλθωμεν· αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ἔργα πάντες οἱ ἀντιποιούμε νοι τῆς αὐτοῦ δικαιοσύνης· καταφρονοῦμεν κενῆς δόξης τῆς παρὰ τοῖς ἄφροσι οὔσης. πῶς οὖν δύνασθε ὑμεῖς τὰ ἡμέτερα φρονεῖν κακῶς ζῶντες καὶ τοῦ ὄντως καλοῦ ἀμελοῦντες; ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ Βραγ μᾶνες μνημονεύοντες πῶς ἐγεννήθημεν, τῇ φύσει ἐκείνῃ συζῶμεν καὶ βλέπομεν, πῶς ἀμέμπτως ζῆν δυνάμεθα· ἐν ἀμεριμνίᾳ διάγο μεν περὶ μηδενὸς φροντίζοντες· φροντὶς γὰρ ὕλης βίου βροτῶν χωρίζει νοῦν ἀπὸ θεοῦ· ἕκαστον γὰρ ἡμῶν ἡ πρόνοια ἐδίας γνώμης ἀπαιτήσει λόγον καὶ τῶν αὐτῆς πράξεων δίκας δώσομεν. διὰ τοῦ το χαίρομεν ἡμεῖς ἐν ἐρημίαις καὶ μέσαις ὕλαις καθεζόμενοι, ἵνα εἰς πᾶν ἀρέσκον τῷ θεῷ ἐφιστάνωμεν τὸν νοῦν, ἵνα μὴ αἱ ἀδολεσχίαι τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν περισπάσωσιν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δοξολογίας. 2.43 μακάριος γάρ ἐστιν ὃς οὐδενὸς {τῶν περισσῶν} δεῖται, δόξης δὲ κηδόμενος τοῦ δεσπότου τῶν ἁπάντων. δόξα δὲ κενὴ πάντων δεῖται· τὸν γὰρ βουλόμενον ἀρέσκειν πᾶσι δοῦλον εἶναι δεῖ πάντων. ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ χρείαν ἔχομεν πόλεις ἐπιζητεῖν· σύνο δος γὰρ ἐπιβουλῆς ἐστι καὶ πολλῆς κακίας γεώργιον. μεγάλους δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς οἴκους ἔκτισεν, ὄρη ὑψηλὰ καὶ ὕλας κατασκί ους, ἔνθεν καθαρᾶς φύσεως {τῆς δεδομένης ἐκ θεοῦ μνήμης σῴζε ται} καρποὺς ἐσθίοντες ἐν τούτοις ἐντρυφῶμεν καὶ ὕδωρ πίνον τες ἀπὸ τούτου εὐφραινόμεθα καὶ ἡδίστην ἀνάπαυσιν ἐπὶ φύλ λοις ἔχομεν καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀναπαυόμενοι τὸν κόπον ἀποτιθέ μεθα. 2.44 πῶς οὖν ὑμεῖς πολλῶν δοῦλοι ὄντες τοῖς ἐν πᾶσιν ἐλευ θέροις ἐπιτάσσειν δύνασθε; ὑμεῖς γὰρ ψυχῆς ἰδίας πολλὰ καὶ ποικίλα ἐπιθυμούσης δοῦλοι ἄτακτοί