Theos-Talk Archives (May 2008 Message tt00708)

Here is a very interesting story:

mkr
===xxx===
When Alexander invaded India and fought with Porus, he won. When he entered
the state, he saw excellent administration, the whole of the land was tidy,
clean and well maintained, people were living happily. So he asked Porus,
Who was responsible for your administration?' Porus replied: `There was a
brahmin prime minister, who was responsible for all this administration.'
Alexander said, `I would like to talk to him.' Porus answered, `He resigned
because we lost the war, and has gone to his village.' Alexander responded,
`Call him, nevertheless.' So they sent a messenger who came back the next
day with the response, `Tell the king I am no longer in his service. A
brahmin does not go to anyone, therefore I am sorry that I cannot come.' As
this was narrated, Alexander said, `All right, I will go to his village.'

Alexander was taken to the village, where the brahmin was seated under a
tree teaching two children. When Alexander was announced, the man looked up
and said, `Is there something I can do for you?' Alexander asked, `Are you
the man who was the prime minister?' and the answer came, `Yes'; Alexander
then said, `you ran an excellent administration,' and the man responded,
`Thank you'. So Alexander asked him `Will you come with me? I will take you
to Greece, give you a palace, make you the head of all our armies. Come with
me!' the man considered this, looked up at Alexander, and replied, `Sorry, I
want teach these children.' Krishnaji then said, `That's a brahmin --
somebody you can't buy, somebody who doesn't work for a reward. He did what
was right for a brahmin to do: he ran as good an administration as he could.
When he lost the war he took responsibility for the defeat and resigned,
which is the right thing for the brahmins to do. When he was in the village,
he did what he wanted to do, not in subservience to the king, or looking for
some more rewarding job to do. That is the quality of the brahmin.'
===xxx===


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]