§15.1.66νέαρχος δὲ περὶ τῶν σοφιστῶν οὕτω λέγει· τοὺς μὲν Βραχμᾶνας πολιτεύεσθαι καὶ παρακολουθεῖν τοῖς βασιλεῦσι συμβούλους, τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους σκοπεῖν τὰ περὶ τὴν φύσιν, τούτων δʼ εἶναι καὶ Κάλανον· συμφιλοσοφεῖν δʼ αὐτοῖς καὶ γυναῖκας, τὰς δὲ διαίτας ἁπάντων σκληράς.
Nearchus speaks thus concerning the sophists: that the Brachmanes engage in public affairs and attend the kings as counselors, while the others study the things concerning nature, and among these latter is Kalanos; and that women also philosophize with them, and the modes of life of all are harsh.
περὶ δὲ τῶν κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους νομίμων τοιαῦτα ἀποφαίνεται· τοὺς μὲν νόμους ἀγράφους εἶναι, τοὺς μὲν κοινοὺς τοὺς δʼ ἰδίους, ἀήθειαν ἔχοντας πρὸς τοὺς τῶν ἄλλων, οἷον τὸ τὰς παρθένους ἆθλον παρά τισι προκεῖσθαι τῷ πυγμὴν νικήσαντι ὥστʼ ἀπροίκους συνεῖναι· παρʼ ἄλλοις δὲ κατὰ συγγένειαν κοινῇ τοὺς καρποὺς ἐργασαμένους, ἐπὰν συγκομίσωσιν, αἴρεσθαι φορτίον ἕκαστον εἰς διατροφὴν τοῦ ἔτους, τὸν δʼ ἄλλον ἐμπιπράναι τοῦ ἔχειν εἰσαῦθις ἐργάζεσθαι καὶ μὴ ἀργὸν εἶναι.
Concerning the customs of the other peoples, he declares such things: that the laws are unwritten, some being common and others peculiar, having a strangeness compared to those of other peoples; for example, that among some the maidens are set forth as a prize for the one who wins in boxing, so that they cohabit without dowries; and among others, having cultivated the crops in common according to kinship, when they harvest them, each takes a load for the sustenance of the year, but they burn the rest, in order to have reason to work again and not to be idle.
ὁπλισμὸν δʼ εἶναι τόξον καὶ οἰστοὺς τριπήχεις, ἢ σαύνιον, καὶ πέλτην καὶ μάχαιραν πλατεῖαν τρίπηχυν· ἀντὶ δὲ χαλινῶν φιμοῖς χρῆσθαι κημῶν μικρὸν διαφέρουσιν· ἥλοις δὲ τὰ χείλη διαπεπάρθαι.
Their armor consists of a bow and arrows three cubits long, or a javelin, and a light shield and a broad sword of three cubits; and instead of bridles they use muzzles differing little from nose-bands; and their lips are pierced with nails.
§15.1.67τὴν δὲ φιλοτεχνίαν τῶν Ἰνδῶν ἐμφανίζων σπόγγους φησὶν ἰδόντας παρὰ τοῖς Μακεδόσι μιμήσασθαι, τρίχας καὶ σχοινία λεπτὰ καὶ ἁρπεδόνας διαρράψαντας εἰς ἔρια, καὶ μετὰ τὸ πιλῆσαι τὰ μὲν ἐξελκύσαντας τὰ δὲ βάψαντας χροιαῖς· στλεγγιδοποιούς τε καὶ ληκυθοποιοὺς ταχὺ γενέσθαι πολλούς· ἐπιστολὰς δὲ γράφειν ἐν σινδόσι λίαν κεκροτημέναις, τῶν ἄλλων γράμμασιν αὐτοὺς μὴ χρῆσθαι φαμένων· χαλκῷ δὲ χρῆσθαι χυτῷ, τῷ δʼ ἐλατῷ μή· τὴν δʼ αἰτίαν οὐκ εἶπε, καίτοι τὴν ἀτοπίαν εἰπὼν τὴν παρακολουθοῦσαν, ὅτι θραύεται κεράμου δίκην τὰ σκεύη πεσόντα.
Showing the ingenuity of the Indians, he says that having seen sponges among the Macedonians they imitated them, by sewing hair and fine cords and threads into wool, and after felting it, drawing some out and dyeing others with colors; and that many soon became makers of strigils and oil-flasks; and that they write letters on very well-beaten linen cloths, although the others say that they do not use written characters; and that they use cast bronze, but not beaten bronze; and he did not state the reason, although he did state the strange consequence that follows, namely, that the vessels break like pottery when they fall.
τῶν δὲ περὶ τῆς Ἰνδικῆς λεγομένων καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐστίν, ὅτι ἀντὶ τοῦ προσκυνεῖν προσεύχεσθαι τοῖς βασιλεῦσι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ καὶ ὑπεροχῇ νόμος.
Among the things said about India is also this, that it is the custom to pray to the kings and to all who are in authority and preeminence, instead of prostrating themselves.
φέρει δὲ καὶ λιθείαν ἡ χώρα πολυτελῆ κρυστάλλων καὶ ἀνθράκων παντοίων, καθάπερ τῶν μαργαριτῶν.
And the country also bears expensive stones, crystals and all kinds of carbuncles, just like pearls.
§15.1.68τῆς δʼ ἀνομολογίας τῶν συγγραφέων ἔστω παράδειγμα καὶ ὁ περὶ τοῦ Καλάνου λόγος·
As an example of the disagreement among the historians, let also the story about Kalanos be taken.
ὅτι μὲν γὰρ συνῆλθεν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ καὶ ἀπέθανεν ἑκὼν παρʼ αὐτῷ διὰ πυρὸς ὁμολογοῦσι· τὸν δὲ τρόπον οὐ τὸν αὐτόν φασιν οὐδὲ κατὰ τὰς αὐτὰς αἰτίας, ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν οὕτως εἰρήκασι· συνακολουθῆσαι γὰρ ὡς ἐγκωμιαστὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἔξω τῶν τῆς Ἰνδικῆς ὅρων παρὰ τὸ κοινὸν ἔθος τῶν ἐκεῖ φιλοσόφων· ἐκείνους γὰρ τοῖς αὐτόθι συνεῖναι βασιλεῦσιν ὑφηγουμένους τὰ περὶ τοὺς θεούς, ὡς τοὺς μάγους τοῖς Πέρσαις.
For that he went with Alexander and died voluntarily by fire in his presence they agree; but they do not say it was in the same manner nor for the same reasons, but some have spoken thus: that he followed him beyond the boundaries of India as a panegyrist of the king, contrary to the common custom of the philosophers there; for they remain with the domestic kings, guiding them in matters concerning the gods, as the Magi do with the Persians.
ἐν Πασαργάδαις δὲ νοσήσαντα, τότε πρῶτον αὐτῷ νόσου γενομένης, ἐξαγαγεῖν ἑαυτόν, ἄγοντα ἔτος ἑβδομηκοστὸν καὶ τρίτον, μὴ προσέχοντα ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως δεήσεσι· γενομένης δὲ πυρᾶς καὶ τεθείσης ἐπʼ αὐτῆς χρυσῆς κλίνης, κατακλιθέντα εἰς αὐτήν, ἐγκαλυψάμενον ἐμπρησθῆναι·
But when he fell ill in Pasargadae, this being the first time illness happened to him, he led himself out, being in his seventy-third year, paying no heed to the entreaties of the king; and when a pyre was made and a golden couch was placed upon it, having lain down upon it and covered himself, he was burned.
οἱ δὲ ξύλινον οἶκον γενέσθαι, φυλλάδος δʼ ἐμπλησθέντος καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς στέγης πυρᾶς γενομένης ἐγκλεισθέντα, ὥσπερ ἐκέλευσε, μετὰ τὴν πομπὴν μεθʼ ἧς ἧκε, ῥίψαντα ἑαυτὸν ὡς ἂν δοκὸν συνεμπρησθῆναι τῷ οἴκῳ.
But others say that a wooden house was built, and having been filled with foliage and a pyre having been made on the roof, he was enclosed in it, just as he commanded, after the procession with which he came, and having thrown himself down he was burned together with the house like a beam.
Μεγασθένης δʼ ἐν τοῖς μὲν φιλοσόφοις οὐκ εἶναι δόγμα φησὶν ἑαυτοὺς ἐξάγειν· τοὺς δὲ ποιοῦντας τοῦτο νεανικοὺς κρίνεσθαι, τοὺς μὲν σκληροὺς τῇ φύσει φερομένους ἐπὶ πληγὴν ἢ κρημνόν, τοὺς δʼ ἀπόνους ἐπὶ βυθόν, τοὺς δὲ πολυπόνους ἀπαγχομένους, τοὺς δὲ πυρώδεις εἰς· πῦρ ὠθουμένους·
But Megasthenes says that among the philosophers it is not a doctrine to lead themselves out; and those who do this are judged to be impetuous, those who are harsh by nature rushing to a blow or a cliff, those who cannot bear pain to the deep, those who endure much pain to hanging, and those of a fiery nature being thrust into fire.
οἷος ἦν καὶ ὁ Κάλανος, ἀκόλαστος ἄνθρωπος καὶ ταῖς Ἀλεξάνδρου τραπέζαις δεδουλωμένος· τοῦτον μὲν οὖν ψέγεσθαι, τὸν δὲ Μάνδανιν ἐπαινεῖσθαι, ὃς τῶν τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου ἀγγέλων καλούντων πρὸς τὸν Διὸς υἱὸν πειθομένῳ τε δῶρα ἔσεσθαι ὑπισχνουμένων ἀπειθοῦντι δὲ κόλασιν μήτʼ ἐκεῖνον φαίη Διὸς υἱὸν ὅν γε ἄρχειν μηδὲ πολλοστοῦ μέρους τῆς γῆς, μήτε αὐτῷ δεῖν τῶν παρʼ ἐκείνου δωρεῶν ὧν οὐδεὶς κόρος, μήτε δὲ ἀπειλῆς εἶναι φόβον ᾧ ζῶντι μὲν ἀρκοῦσα εἴη τροφὸς ἡ Ἰνδική, ἀποθανὼν δὲ ἀπαλλάξαιτο τῆς τετρυχωμένης ὑπὸ γήρως σαρκός, μεταστὰς εἰς βελτίω καὶ καθαρώτερον βίον· ὥστʼ ἐπαινέσαι τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον καὶ συγχωρῆσαι.
Such was Kalanos, an undisciplined man and enslaved to the tables of Alexander; he therefore is blamed, but Mandanis is praised, who, when the messengers of Alexander called him to the son of Zeus, promising gifts if he obeyed and threatening punishment if he disobeyed, said that the other was not the son of Zeus, since he ruled not even a tiny fraction of the earth, nor did he himself need gifts from him, of which there is no satiety, nor was there any fear of a threat to one for whom, while living, the Indian land was a sufficient nourisher, and when dead, he would be released from his flesh which had been worn out by old age, having departed into a better and purer life; so that Alexander praised and permitted him.