Alexander the Great was going back from India, and at the very frontiers of India he remembered that his teacher, Aristotle, the father of Western logic, had asked him, ”When you come back from India you will be bringing gifts for everybody; bring just one thing as a gift for me.
Alexander said, ”Just say, and it will be brought to you.”
He said, ”I want to see a sadhu. I have heard so much from travelers about sadhu. It seems they are a different species of humanity; it seems they are far above us. If you can bring a sadhu I will be immensely happy.”
Alexander said, ”This is a small thing. If you had asked me to bring the Himalayas I could have dragged it back to Greece. A sadhu? – no problem.”
And he remembered, although he had collected so much garbage. At the last he remembered, ”My God, I have forgotten to bring a sadhu.” But he was still on the frontiers of India, so he inquired of people, ”Can I find a sadhu nearby?”
They said, ”It is a little difficult if you really want an authentic sadhu; otherwise, this country is full of sadhu.”
Alexander said, ”I want an absolutely authentic sadhu, because I cannot offer to my teacher a phony fellow. Wherever you tell us I will go.”
They said, ”You don’t have to go too far. Just a few miles back you may have passed by the side of a river where an old sadhu lives. He lives naked, and as far as we know in this part of the country there is no one who has a higher consciousness, more blissfulness, than this old sadhu.
Alexander sent two of his generals first because he thought it was below his dignity to go and ask the sadhu. Those two generals went, and the sadhu was standing naked by the side of the river. They told him, ”Alexander the Great wants you to be the royal guest. Everything you need, all the luxuries possible will be made available to you for your whole life, but you have to come with us to Greece.”
The sadhu looked at them and said, ”You seem to be utter idiots. A man who calls himselfAlexander the Great must be just an egoist, and a sadhu cannot accept the invitation of any egoist. I can come running to somebody who is humble, even without an invitation. Just go back and tell your Alexander the Great what I have told you.”
Although they were great generals of Alexander, they started shaking, became nervous. The old man was so strong; his voice just pierced like arrows in their hearts. They came back and they told Alexander that that man was difficult.
Alexander said, ”How difficult? I have never met any difficulty in my life. I am the world conqueror. I will see myself; I am coming, just lead the way.”
On the way those two generals trial to persuade him: ”It is better to leave this man alone. He seems to be very strange; he says that the person who calls himself ‘the great’ is simply ignorant, does not know anything, and he says, ‘I would have come to anyone uninvited if there was simplicity, innocence, love, humbleness, but power cannot move me a single inch.’”
Alexander said, ”You don’t be worried. He does not know me and he does not know my sword.” He pulled out his sword as he reached the sadhu, just to make him afraid. He was thinking the sadhu would become afraid, but he started laughing.
Alexander looked very embarrassed. What to do…? The sadhu said, ”Yes, that’s perfectly okay. You can cut off my head. Cut it! – I am ordering you.”
Alexander said, ”Nobody orders me!”
The old man said, ”You are strange. What do you want of me?”
Alexander said, ”I want you to come with me to Greece. You will be my royal guest.”
He said, ”I used to be a king myself. I dropped my kingdom, I dropped all my possessions in search of something which is immortal – and I have found it. That’s why I ordered you to cut off my head.
Why are you feeling so shaky? You are a world conqueror; I am a poor sadhu with nothing.” Alexander said, ”Don’t make me mad by your statements. I am a dangerous man; I can really cut off your head.”
He said, ”I am more dangerous than you. When the head falls on the ground, you will be seeing it from the outside, I will be seeing it from the inside. You cannot kill me. I have reached the point where there is no birth and no death; that’s why I say you cannot move me a single inch. All your power is just impotent.”
