Page:Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian.djvu/125

 106 Feagm. XLIV. Strab. XV. 1. 68,— p. 718. Of Kalanos and Mandanis. Megasthen^s, however, says that self-destruc- tion is not a dogma of the philosophers, but that such as commit the act are regarded as foolhardy, those naturally of a severe tem- per stabbing themselves or casting themselves down a precipice, those averse to pain drown- ing themselves, those capable of enduring pain strangling themselves, and those of ardent temperaments throwing themselves into the fire. Kalanos was a man of this stamp. He was ruled by his passions, and became a slave to the table of Alexander. || He is on this account condemned by his countrymen, but Mandanis is applauded because when mes- sengers from Alexander invited him to go to the son of Zeus, with the promise of gifts if he com- plied, and threats of punishment if he refused, he did not go. Alexander, he said, was not the son of Zeus, for he was not so much as master of the larger half of the world. As for himself, II " Kalanos followed the Makedonian army from Tazila, and when afterwards taken ill bamt himself on a foneralpyre in the presence of the whole Makedonian army, without evincing any symptom of pain. His real name, according to Plntarch, was Sphines, and he received the name Kalanos among the Greeks because in saluting persons he used the form KoKe instead of the Greek X^^P^* What Plutarch here calls koKc is probabl3[ the Sanskrit form kalySuna, which is commonly used in addressing a person, and signifies * good; just, or distinguished.' "— Smitn's Classical Dictionary. Digitized by Google