Wow Chankya and Alexander

Originally posted by: inlieu

Ah! I can't wait. Thanks for letting us know, so I will actually watch today's episode! 😃

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Dear Chota_Don ,

The scanning each other from head to foot, of course, and one would have expected it. The scanning was more on Alexander's side, for Chanakya was, for him, a total novelty, whereas Alexander must have been more or less as Chanakya expected him to be. He must have been most interested in Alexander's eyes, and he must have read a lot in them.

However, there were two points that struck me, quite apart from this. One, that after learning from Hephaestion's account of how the messenger could, literally, read Alexander's mind, Alexander was keen to see what kind of man he was. So far it is understandable.

Now a king, on such occasions, usually stands where he is, at the entrance of the tent in this case, and waits for the other person to come up to him and greet him. But Alexander, having taken a single look at Chanakya, starts walking towards him, to meet him halfway, which is an extraordinary gesture for a king to make. It seems, in fact, to be an almost involuntary gesture, as if, once he comes close to Chanakya, Alexander is bewildered at finding himself there: Yeh main kahan aa gaya, is qasid ke paas? Aur kyon?

He tries to recover some lost ground by not acknowledging Chanakya's greeting by more than an infinitesimal nod, and when he addresses him, it is with a tum, 'thus relegating

Chanakya to an inferior status, as an out of the ordinary messenger, but a messenger all the same.

Here comes the second point. Chanakya in effect mocks Alexander for not having been able to place him in a category, if not to identify him an an individual, and says that one who cannot do this cannot be the Shah of Asia. Normally, Alexander, or indeed any other king, would have blown his top at this piece of what looks like blatant impertinence. But he does no such thing.

Instead, he looks at Chanakya with even greater interest than before, intrigued and not a little puzzled. He reacts to Chanakya's sarcastic comment as he did long ago to the sage Diogenes.

This was when Alexander was in Corinth, on his way to Persia. When Diogenes had refused to come and meet him, Alexander had gone himself to where the sage was resting, and had asked if there was anything he could do for him. Diogenes' brusque response was that Alexander should get out of the way and let the sunlight come to him. To his enraged escort, Alexander merely laughed and said" If I were not Alexander, I should wish to be Diogenes!"

It thus seems clear that he has placed Chanakya in the right category, as a philosopher and teacher, and as such unaffected by royal rank and protocol. It remains to be seen if he equates him with Diogenes or with his own teacher, the great Aristotle.

Tonight should be very interesting.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Dear Chota_Don ,

The scanning each other from head to foot, of course, and one would have expected it. The scanning was more on Alexander's side, for Chanakya was, for him, a total novelty, whereas Alexander must have been more or less as Chanakya expected him to be. He must have been most interested in Alexander's eyes, and he must have read a lot in them.

However, there were two points that struck me, quite apart from this. One, that after learning from Hephaestion's account of how the messenger could, literally, read Alexander's mind, Alexander was keen to see what kind of man he was. So far it is understandable.

Now a king, on such occasions, usually stands where he is, at the entrance of the tent in this case, and waits for the other person to come up to him and greet him. But Alexander, having taken a single look at Chanakya, starts walking towards him, to meet him halfway, which is an extraordinary gesture for a king to make. It seems, in fact, to be an almost involuntary gesture, as if, once he comes close to Chanakya, Alexander is bewildered at finding himself there: Yeh main kahan aa gaya, is qasid ke paas? Aur kyon?

He tries to recover some lost ground by not acknowledging Chanakya's greeting by more than an infinitesimal nod, and when he addresses him, it is with a tum, 'thus relegating Chanakya to an inferior status, as an out of the ordinary messenger, but a messenger all the same.

Here comes the second point. Chanakya in effect mocks Alexander for not having been able to place him in a category, if not to identify him an an individual, and says that one who cannot do this cannot be the Shah of Asia. Normally, Alexander, or indeed any other king, would have blown his top at this piece of what looks like blatant impertinence. But he does no such thing.

Instead, he looks at Chanakya with even greater interest than before, intrigued and not a little puzzled. He reacts to Chanakya's sarcastic comment as he did long ago to the sage Diogenes.

This was when Alexander was in Corinth, on his way to Persia. When Diogenes had refused to come and meet him, Alexander had gone himself to where the sage was resting, and had asked if there was anything he could do for him. Diogenes' brusque response was that Alexander should get out of the way and let the sunlight come to him. To his enraged escort, Alexander merely laughed and said" If I were not Alexander, I should wish to be Diogenes!"

It thus seems clear that he has placed Chanakya in the right category, as a philosopher and teacher, and as such unaffected by royal rank and protocol. It remains to be seen if he equates him with Diogenes or with his own teacher, the great Aristotle.

Tonight should be very interesting.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: .CHOTA_DON.

😛 😊 Very Interesting Interpretation of the scene.. 😛 😛 Loved it.. 👏