In this last letter home by Alexander, he is writing to his minstrel. It is about an ascetic named Mankanaka.
My most trusted ErHu,
I know that since you are just my royal minstrel, you would not think that you would ever receive any letters from the field of battle from your King. But I write you for a few reasons. One, to show you that Alexander has become a changed man since he left for India. I now no longer see things in relations to classes and don't view people as under my authority in the same way that I used to. That has changed. Also, I feel that I have gained an extremely valuable lesson from a story of an ancient Indian ascetic that I feel you could also benefit from. Last week, as the sun was setting, I suddenly felt extremely restless. So I decided that a nice long walk would be the only way to bring back peace. As I was passing by a small pond covered with beautiful lotus flowers, I encountered a small child. This child seemed to be without any parents or anyone to protect him. I was worried and approached him cautiously. Just as I was about to ask him if there was anything I could do for him, a huge gush of wind came from behind me and knocked me to the ground. When I rose and looked up at the boy, he was no longer a boy. He was a skinny guru who appeared to be at least fifty years old. His hair was matted and his beard was long. I asked what in the world was going on and he replied, in what sounded like perfect Greek to me...
Do not fear, little Alexander. My name is Mankanaka. Years ago I almost destroyed the whole world through my own pursuit and my own joy. I always have and always will obtain my sustenance from the wild weeds of the forest. I choose to eat what others have rejected, that which grows quickly and everywhere but is desired by none. I enjoyed that form of sustenance, for it provided me an unimaginable amount of inner strength while appearing to provide no form of outer strength. My mind and spirit were replenished with every bite. But one day, while I was gathering weeds, my thumb was sliced into by a small piece of grass. Instead of blood, the red liquid which flows through the human body, a green liquid began to pour from my veins. I knew nothing of what that meant except that I had been transformed into a new creation. But the mere thought of that filled me with so much joy!
I began to dance without a care in the world. I danced from one end of the earth to another, I danced up to heaven and down to hell. All living and nonliving things became my dancing partners. We were all so focused and dancing, bouncing, jumping and flying that neither I nor anyone else in the world realized what we were doing to ourselves. Trees had jumped out of their roots, rocks had shattered, cracks had emerged throughout the earth, and millions of little creatures had been crushed under the dancing. It was only because Vishnu, the protector, had come and informed me of the consequences that my eyes were able to see what was happening. I could not believe the destruction that I had caused! So much death and suffering, and all because of me!
So from that day on, I vowed to never once dance again. I loved dancing, but I was not saddened at all to take this vow. I made the vow because I loved the world. I wanted to never again bring destruction or unhappiness to it.
I now look at you, Alexander. I see the joys that you have. Women, drink, exotic foods, war, brotherhood. Some may be good, some may be bad. Some of these things could be bringing Dharma to this world, others Adharma. I implore you to take some time to look at those things that are causing the same kind of destruction that my dancing caused in the past. I see your heart, Alexander. I see that it is a newly created heart. I see that you have gone through important changes recently but I still see room for improvement in it. I beg of you to do what I ask. Pursue Dharma, even if it means sacrifices in your own life.
Then he placed his hands together, closed his eyes, and disappeared.
Don't you see what he was saying, ErHu? He never said it outright, but I know what he meant. This campaign that I am waging in India is causing so much destruction. Trees have been uprooted, rocks destroyed. Countless families erased from this world. How can I keep living my life this way when I now know that my current life is not longer seeking glory, it is just removing Dharma from this world...? I know this may sound shocking to you, but I am abandoning my life as king. From this day forward I am now an ascetic. I will live in the woods and pursue peace. My most trusted general Lysander will take over the troops. The battle is now finished and he will lead them home. I apologize for any suffering that this will bring to Greece, but you must know that it pales in comparison to the destruction that has been caused here in India. Give my family my best. Goodbye
A
Back to the Beginning
Forget the Background Already?
Author's Note:
In the original story, Mankanaka was an
ascetic who lived in the forest and only ate plants and weeds from the
forest. One day while he was making a mat, he cut his hand on a blade
of grass and bled green grass juice. After seeing that he no longer
bled blood, he became overjoyed and began dancing. All the world danced
with him and would have been destroyed if Shiva had not come dressed as
hermit and told Mankanaka that his dancing was causing so much
destruction. My story is very similar to that. I still had Mankanaka
eating weeds in the forest and cutting himself and bleeding green. But
I was a little more descriptive as to how powerful his dancing was and
the destruction that it was causing. I also had Vishnu come and tell
Mankanaka that he was destroying the world instead of Shiva. I felt
that Vishnu, being the protector, would have been the one sent to talk
to Mankanaka. According to my understanding of Hindu mythology, Shiva
was more of a destroyer and a transformer than a protector of the
world. I also decided that since this was the last story, I would have
the Guru telling his own story and interacting more directly with
Alexander. In this story I wanted the guru to give Alexander advice
instead of Alexander only interpreting what this story meant in his own
life. And being the last story, I also brought to a close all of the
inner struggles that Alexander had. Now he has decided upon a plan for
his life and will begin to follow it.