| |
can force me'... because the way Alexander asked him to go was aggressive. He said 'either you come with me or I will kill you!' Dandamis said 'It is better you kill me, be finished with it -- I am not coming. Nobody can force me to do anything and death has no point as far as I am concerned; I died long ago.' And then he said 'Why are you waiting? Pull out your sword and cut off my head. You will see it falling on the ground and I will also see it. And you will hear my laughter. After my head has fallen you will hear my laughter!'
Alexander could not kill him. For the first time he had come across a man who was simply amazing, what he was saying. And he said 'I am sorry. I should not have said it to you in such an aggressive way, this is just my habit because everybody has always followed my orders. But now I understand, there are people who cannot be forced. But can you please send some of your disciples with me?'
Dandamis said 'That's alright.' He called a disciple, his name was Kalyan, Kalyan Swami was his name. He said 'Kalyan, you go with this fool.' Kalyan said 'Okay, master. Anyway I have to go.' Alexander could not understand what this talk was all about -- Kalyan had said 'Anyway I have to go.' Only later on did he understand, because on the way Kalyan Swami died. When he died he said 'Now do you understand? Do you understand or not? I told my master "Anyway I have to go, so it doesn't matter.' He has sent a dead man with you! (laughter) He befooled you!'
Alexander said 'But you Hindus believe in the immortality of the soul -- don't you think you will not die?' He said 'No, I will not die, and I will see you in Babylon and he died without explaining what he meant by 'I will see you in Babylon.' Alexander understood it only because he died in Babylon; when he was moving back to his home, on the way, in Babylon, he died. One of his advisers reminded him: 'That man was right! He said "I will see you in Babylon."'
These people are cheerful people. Now Dandamis played a trick on Alexander -- sending a disciple who was already going to die within a few months. Then the disciple played a trick on him; he said 'I will see you in Babylon.'
|
|
|