[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Foreign](https://indike.org/pramana/inf) › [Greek](https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr) › [Hellenistic (323–31 BCE)](https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr.hellenistic) › [Ἰνδικά](https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr.hellenistic.megasthenes) › 1.4 # Ἰνδικά 1.4 Ἰνδικά 1.4 - **Language:** Ancient Greek ### [1.4](https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr.hellenistic.megasthenes.1.4) Ἔχει δὲ καὶ ποταμοὺς ἡ χώρα τῶν Ἰνδῶν πολλοὺς καὶ μεγάλους πλωτοὺς, οἳ τὰς πηγὰρ ἔχοντες ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι τοῖς πρὸς τὰς ἄρκτους κεκλιμένοις φέρονται διὰ τῆς πεδιάδος, ὧν οὐκ ὀλίγοι συμμίσγοντες ἀλλήλοις ἐμβάλλουσιν εἰς ποταμὸν τὸν ὀνομαζόμενον Γάγγην. (12) Οὗτος δὲ τὸ πλάτος γενόμενος σταδίων τριάκοντα φέρεται μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἄρκτου πρὸς μεσημβρίαν, ἐξερεύγεται δὲ εἰς Ὡκεανόν, ἀπολαμβάνων εἰς τὸ πρὸς ἕω μέρος τὸ ἔθνος τὸ τῶν Γανδαριδῶν (Γαγγαριδῶν?), πλείστους ἔχον καὶ μεγίστους ἐλέφαντας. (13) Διὸ καὶ τῆς χώρας ταύτης οὐδεὶς πώποτε βασιλεὺς ἔπηλυς ἐκράτησε, πάντων τῶν ἀλλοεθνῶν φοβουμένων τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὴν ἀλκὴν τῶν θηρίων. Καὶ γὰρ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μακεδὼν ἁπάσης τῆς Ἀσίας κρατήσας μόνους τοὺς Γανδαρίδας οὐκ ἐπολέμησε· καταντήσας γὰρ ἐπὶ τὸν Γάγγην ποταμὸν μετὰ πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Ἰνδοὺς καταπολεμήσας, ὡς ἐπύθετο τοὺς Γανδαρίδας ἔχειν τετρακισχιλίους ἐλέφαντας πολεμικῶς κεκοσμημένους, ἀπέγνω τὴν ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς στρατείαν. (14) Ὁ δὲ παραπλήσιος τῷ Γάγγῃ ποταμὸς, προσαγορευόμενος δὲ Ἰνδὸς, ἄρχεται μὲν ὁμοίως ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρκτων, ἐμβάλλων δὲ εἰς τὸν Ὠκεανὸν ἀφορίζει τὴν Ἰνδικήν· πολλὴν δὲ διεξιὼν πεδιάδα χώραν δέχεται ποταμοὺς οὐκ ὀλίγους πλωτοὺς, ἐπιφανεστάτους δὲ Ὕπανιν καὶ Ὑδάσπην καὶ Ἀκεσῖνον. (15) Χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ἄλλο πλῆθος ποταμῶν παντοδαπῶν διαρρεῖ, καὶ ποιεῖ κατάφυτον πολλοῖς κηπεύμασι καὶ καρποῖς παντοδαποῖς τὴν χώραν. > (37.) India, again, possesses many rivers both large and navigable, which, having their sources in the mountains which stretch along the northern frontier, traverse the level country, and not a few of these, after uniting with each other, fall into the river called the Ganges. Now this river, which at its source is 30 stadia broad, flows from north to south, and empties its waters into the ocean forming the eastern boundary of the Gangaridai, a nation which possesses a vast force of the largest-sized elephants. Owing to this, their country has never been conquered by any foreign king: for all other nations dread the overwhelming number and strength of these animals. \[Thus Alexander the Makedonian, after conquering all Asia, did not make war upon the Gangaridai, as he did on all others; for when he had arrived with all his troops at the river Ganges, and had subdued all the other Indians, he abandoned as hopeless an invasion of the Gangaridai when he learned that they possessed four thousand elephants well trained and equipped for war.\] Another river, about the same size as the Ganges, called the Indus, has its sources, like its rival, in the north, and falling into the ocean forms on its way the boundary of India; in its passage through the vast stretch of level country it receives not a few tributary streams which are navigable, the most notable of them being the Hupanis, the Hudaspes, and the Akesines. > — John Watson McCrindle 1877, Ancient India as Described by Megasthenês and Arrian > Besides these rivers there are a great many others of every description, which permeate the country, and supply water for the nurture of garden vegetables and crops of all sorts. Now to account for the rivers being so numerous, and the supply of water so superabundant, the native philosophers and proficients in natural science advance the following reasons: — They say that the countries which surround India — those of the Skythians and Baktrians, and also of the Aryans — are more elevated than India, so that their waters, agreeably to natural law, flow down together from all sides to the plains beneath, where they gradually saturate the soil with moisture, and generate a multitude of rivers. A peculiarity is found to exist in one of the rivers of India, — that called the Silas, which flows from a fountain bearing the same name. It differs from all other rivers in this respect, — that nothing cast into it will float, but everything, strange to say, sinks down to the bottom. > — John Watson McCrindle 1877, Ancient India as Described by Megasthenês and Arrian - [Previous: 1.3](https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr.hellenistic.megasthenes.1.3) - [Next: 1.5](https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr.hellenistic.megasthenes.1.5) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr.hellenistic.megasthenes.1) ## Translations (2) - [Ancient India as Described by Megasthenês and Arrian](https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr.hellenistic.megasthenes~en-mccrindle.1.p5) — John Watson McCrindle 1877, English - [Latin translation (Müller)](https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr.hellenistic.megasthenes*fhg~la-muller.1.4) — Karl Müller, Latin --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr.hellenistic.megasthenes.1.4](https://indike.org/pramana/inf.gr.hellenistic.megasthenes.1.4) · Pramāṇa