§15.1.69λέγεται δὲ καὶ ταῦτα παρὰ τῶν συγγραφέων, ὅτι σέβονται μὲν τὸν ὄμβριον Δία Ἰνδοὶ καὶ τὸν Γάγγην ποταμὸν καὶ τοὺς ἐγχωρίους δαίμονας.
And these things also are said by the historians: that the Indians worship rainy Zeus and the Ganges River and the local deities.
ὅταν δὲ βασιλεὺς λούῃ τὴν τρίχα, μεγάλην ἑορτὴν ἄγουσι καὶ μεγάλα δῶρα πέμπουσι τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πλοῦτον ἕκαστος ἐπιδεικνύμενος κατὰ ἅμιλλαν.
And whenever the king washes his hair, they celebrate a great festival and send great gifts, each displaying his own wealth in rivalry.
τῶν τε μυρμήκων τινὰς καὶ πτερωτοὺς λέγουσι τῶν χρυσωρύχων· ψήγματά τε χρυσοῦ καταφέρειν τοὺς ποταμούς, καθάπερ τοὺς Ἰβηρικούς·
And they say that some of the gold-mining ants are also winged; and that the rivers, just like the Iberian ones, bring down particles of gold.
ἐν δὲ ταῖς κατὰ τὰς ἑορτὰς πομπαῖς πολλοὶ μὲν ἐλέφαντες πέμπονται χρυσῷ κεκοσμημένοι καὶ ἀργύρῳ, πολλὰ δὲ τέθριππα καὶ βοϊκὰ ζεύγη· εἶθʼ ἡ στρατιὰ κεκοσμημένη· καὶ χρυσώματα δὲ τῶν μεγάλων λεβήτων καὶ κρατήρων ὀργυιαίων· καὶ τοῦ Ἰνδικοῦ χαλκοῦ τράπεζαί τε καὶ θρόνοι καὶ ἐκπώματα καὶ λουτῆρες, λιθοκόλλητα τὰ πλεῖστα σμαράγδοις καὶ βηρύλλοις καὶ ἄνθραξιν Ἰνδικοῖς· καὶ ἐσθὴς δὲ ποικίλη χρυσόπαστος, καὶ βόνασοι καὶ παρδάλεις καὶ λέοντες τιθασοὶ καὶ τῶν ποικίλων ὀρνέων καὶ εὐφθόγγων πλῆθος.
In the processions at the festivals, many elephants decorated with gold and silver are sent, and many four-horse chariots and ox-teams; then the army decorated; and gold vessels of large caldrons and mixing-bowls of a fathom wide; and tables, thrones, drinking cups, and bathtubs made of Indian bronze, most of them inlaid with precious stones such as emeralds, beryls, and Indian carbuncles; and also multicolored clothing embroidered with gold, and bonasi, leopards, tame lions, and a multitude of multicolored and sweet-sounding birds.
ὁ δὲ Κλείταρχός φησιν ἁμάξας τετρακύκλους, δένδρα κομιζούσας τῶν μεγαλοφύλλων, ἐξ ὧν ἀπήρτηται γένη τετιθασευμένων ὀρνέων, ὧν εὐφωνότατον μὲν εἴρηκε τὸν ὠρίωνα, λαμπρότατον δὲ κατὰ τὴν ὄψιν καὶ πλείστην ἔχοντα ποικιλίαν τὸν καλούμενον κατρέα· τὴν γὰρ ἰδέαν ταῷ μάλιστα ἐγγίζειν.
But Cleitarchus says that there are four-wheeled wagons carrying trees of large-leaved kinds, from which are suspended breeds of tamed birds, of which he has said the sweetest-singing is the orion, and the most brilliant in appearance and having the greatest variety of color is the one called catreus; for its form comes closest to a peacock.
τὴν δὲ λοιπὴν εἰκονογραφίαν παρʼ ἐκείνου ληπτέον.
The rest of the description must be taken from him.
§15.1.70φιλοσόφους τε τοῖς Βραχμᾶσιν ἀντιδιαιροῦνται Πράμνας, ἐριστικούς τινας καὶ ἐλεγκτικούς· τοὺς δὲ Βραχμᾶνας φυσιολογίαν καὶ ἀστρονομίαν ἀσκεῖν, γελωμένους ὑπʼ ἐκείνων ὡς ἀλαζόνας καὶ ἀνοήτους.
And as philosophers they distinguish the Pramnae in contrast to the Brachmanes, who are argumentative and refutative; and they say that the Brachmanes practice natural philosophy and astronomy, but are laughed at by the former as braggarts and fools.
τούτων δὲ τοὺς μὲν ὀρεινοὺς καλεῖσθαι τοὺς δὲ γυμνήτας τοὺς δὲ πολιτικοὺς καὶ προσχωρίους·
And of these, some are called Mountainous, some Naked, and others Civil and Neighboring.
τοὺς μὲν ὀρεινοὺς δοραῖς ἐλάφων χρῆσθαι, πήρας δʼ ἔχειν ῥιζῶν καὶ φαρμάκων μεστάς, προσποιουμένους ἰατρικὴν μετὰ γοητείας καὶ ἐπῳδῶν καὶ περιάπτων.
The Mountainous use deer skins, and have pouches full of roots and drugs, pretending to practice medicine with sorcery, incantations, and amulets.
τοὺς δὲ γυμνήτας κατὰ τοὔνομα γυμνοὺς διαζῆν, ὑπαιθρίους τὸ πλέον, καρτερίαν ἀσκοῦντας ἣν ἔφαμεν πρότερον μέχρι ἑπτὰ καὶ τριάκοντα· γυναῖκας δὲ συνεῖναι μὴ μιγνυμένας αὐτοῖς·
The Naked, according to their name, live naked, mostly in the open air, practicing the endurance which we mentioned before until thirty-seven years of age; and women associate with them but do not cohabit with them.
τούτους δὲ θαυμάζεσθαι §15.1.71διαφερόντως.
And these are admired exceedingly.
τοὺς δὲ πολιτικοὺς σινδονίτας κατὰ πόλιν ζῆν ἢ καὶ κατʼ ἀγρούς, καθημμένους νεβρίδας ἢ δορκάδων δοράς·
But the Civil live in the city, wearing linen, or also in the fields, clad in fawn-skins or gazelle-skins.
ὡς δʼ εἰπεῖν, Ἰνδοὺς ἐσθῆτι λευκῇ χρῆσθαι καὶ σινδόσι λευκαῖς καὶ καρπάσοις, ὑπεναντίως τοῖς εἰποῦσιν εὐανθέστατα αὐτοὺς ἀμπέχεσθαι φορήματα· κομᾶν δὲ καὶ πωγωνοτροφεῖν πάντας, ἀναπλεκομένους δὲ μιτροῦσθαι τὰς κόμας.
To speak generally, the Indians use white clothing, white linen and cotton garments, contrary to those who say that they wear most brightly colored garments; and they all wear long hair and grow beards, but they plait their hair and bind it with headbands.
§15.1.72Ἀρτεμίδωρος δὲ τὸν Γάγγην φησὶν ἐκ τῶν Ἠμωδῶν ὀρῶν καταφερόμενον πρὸς νότον, ἐπειδὰν κατὰ τὴν Γάγγην γένηται πόλιν, ἐπιστρέφειν πρὸς ἕω μέχρι Παλιβόθρων καὶ τῆς εἰς τὴν θάλατταν ἐκβολῆς· τῶν δὲ συρρεόντων εἰς αὐτὸν * Οἰδάνην τινὰ καλεῖ· τρέφειν δὲ καὶ κροκοδείλους καὶ δελφῖνας·
And Artemidorus says that the Ganges, flowing down from the Emodi mountains towards the south, when it reaches the city of Gange, turns towards the east as far as Palibothra and its outlet into the sea; and of the rivers flowing into it, he calls one Oidanes; and he says that it also breeds crocodiles and dolphins.
λέγει δὲ καὶ ἄλλα τινά, συγκεχυμένως δὲ καὶ ἀργῶς, ὧν οὐ φροντιστέον.
He says also some other things, but in a confused and careless manner, which need not be regarded.
προσθείη δʼ ἄν τις τούτοις καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Δαμασκηνοῦ Νικολάου.
One might add to these also the accounts of Nicolaus of Damascus.
§15.1.73φησὶ γὰρ οὗτος ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ τῇ ἐπὶ Δάφνῃ παρατυχεῖν τοῖς Ἰνδῶν πρέσβεσιν ἀφιγμένοις παρὰ Καίσαρα τὸν Σεβαστόν· οὓς ἐκ μὲν τῆς ἐπιστολῆς πλείους δηλοῦσθαι, σωθῆναι δὲ τρεῖς μόνους, οὓς ἰδεῖν φησι, τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους ὑπὸ μήκους τῶν ὁδῶν διαφθαρῆναι τὸ πλέον·
For he says that in Antioch by Daphne he happened to meet the ambassadors of the Indians who had arrived to see Caesar Augustus; of whom, though the letter showed they were more numerous, only three survived, whom he says he saw, and the others had perished for the most part because of the length of the journeys.
τὴν δʼ ἐπιστολὴν ἑλληνίζειν ἐν διφθέρᾳ γεγραμμένην, δηλοῦσαν ὅτι Πῶρος εἴη ὁ γράψας, ἑξακοσίων δὲ ἄρχων βασιλέων ὅμως περὶ πολλοῦ ποιοῖτο φίλος εἶναι Καίσαρι, καὶ ἕτοιμος εἴη δίοδόν τε παρέχειν ὅπῃ βούλεται καὶ συμπράττειν ὅσα καλῶς ἔχει.
The letter was written in Greek on parchment, showing that Porus was the writer, and though ruling over six hundred kings, he nevertheless made it of great value to be a friend to Caesar, and was ready to afford a passage wherever he wished and to cooperate in whatever was honorable.
ταῦτα μὲν ἔφη λέγειν τὴν ἐπιστολήν, τὰ δὲ κομισθέντα δῶρα προσενεγκεῖν ὀκτὼ οἰκέτας γυμνούς, ἐν περιζώμασι καταπεπασμένους ἀρώμασιν· εἶναι δὲ τὰ δῶρα τόν τε ἑρμᾶν, ἀπὸ τῶν ὤμων ἀφῃρημένον ἐκ νηπίου τοὺς βραχίονας, ὃν καὶ ἡμεῖς εἴδομεν, καὶ ἐχίδνας μεγάλας καὶ ὄφιν πηχῶν δέκα καὶ χελώνην ποταμίαν τρίπηχυν πέρδικά τε μείζω γυπός.
This he said the letter stated, and that eight naked servants, covered with spices in loincloths, brought the gifts that were carried; and the gifts were the herm, a man whose arms had been cut off from his shoulders from infancy, whom we also saw, and large vipers, and a snake of ten cubits, and a river-tortoise of three cubits, and a partridge larger than a vulture.
συνῆν δέ, ὥς φησι, καὶ ὁ Ἀθήνησι κατακαύσας ἑαυτόν·
And there was also present, as he says, the man who burned himself at Athens.
ποιεῖν δὲ τοῦτο τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ κακοπραγίᾳ ζητοῦντας ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν παρόντων, τοὺς δʼ ἐπʼ εὐπραγίᾳ, καθάπερ τοῦτον· ἅπαντα γὰρ κατὰ γνώμην πράξαντα μέχρι νῦν ἀπιέναι δεῖν, μή τι τῶν ἀβουλήτων χρονίζοντι συμπέσοι· καὶ δὴ καὶ γελῶντα ἁλέσθαι γυμνὸν λίπʼ ἀληλιμμένον ἐν περιζώματι ἐπὶ τὴν πυράν·
And those who do this, some seek release from their present troubles due to misfortune, but others do so due to good fortune, just like this man; for having succeeded in all things according to his mind up to the present, he felt he must depart, lest some unexpected thing might happen to him if he lingered; and indeed, laughing, he leaped naked, anointed with oil and wearing a loincloth, onto the pyre.
ἐπιγεγράφθαι δὲ τῷ τάφῳ
Ζαρμανοχηγὰς Ἰνδὸς ἀπὸ Βαργόσης κατὰ τὰ πάτρια Ἰνδῶν ἔθη ἑαυτὸν ἀπαθανατίσας κεῖται.
And on his tomb was inscribed: "Zarmanochegas, an Indian from Bargosa, having immortalized himself according to the ancestral customs of the Indians, lies here."