Βιβλιοθήκη ἱστορική 17.107

17.107.1

ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς περὶ τούτων διακούσας τοῖς μὲν ἡγουμένοις τοῦ στόλου παρήγγειλεν ἐπὶ τὸν Εὐφράτην καταπλεῦσαι, αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως πολλὴν χώραν διελθὼν συνῆψε τοῖς Σουσιανοῖς ὅροις. περὶ δὲ τοὺς καιροὺς τούτους Κάρανος ὁ Ἰνδός, ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ μεγάλην ἔχων προκοπὴν καὶ τιμώμενος ὑπʼ Ἀλεξάνδρου, παράδοξον ἐποιήσατο τὴν τοῦ βίου καταστροφήν.

When the king had heard their story to the end, he ordered the leaders of the expedition to sail up to the mouth of the Euphrates. At the head of his army he traversed himself a great stretch of country, and arrived on the borders of Sousiana. About that time Kalanos, the Indian who had made great progress in philosophy, and was held in honour and esteem by Alexander, brought his life to an end in a most singular manner; for when he was three years over three score and ten, and up till then had never known what illness was, he resolved to depart this life as one who had received the full measure of happiness alike from nature and from fortune. He was now, however, afflicted with a malady which became daily more and more burdensome, and he therefore requested the king to prepare for him a great funeral pyre, and to order his servants to set fire to it as soon as he should ascend it. Alexander at first tried to divert him from his purpose, but when he found that all his remonstrances were unavailing, he consented to do him the service asked. Orders were accordingly given for doing the work, and when the pyre was ready the whole army attended to witness the extraordinary spectacle. Then Kalanos, following the rules prescribed by his philosophy, stepped with unflinching courage on to the summit of the pyre, and perished in the flames which consumed it. Some of the spectators condemned the man for his madness, others for the vanity shown in his act of hardihood, while some admired his high spirit and contempt of death. The king honoured him with a sumptuous funeral, and then proceeded to Sousa, where he married Stateira, the elder of the two daughters of Darius.

17.107.2

βεβιωκὼς γὰρ ἔτη τρία πρὸς τοῖς ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἀπείρατος γεγονὼς ἀρρωστίας ἔκρινεν ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τοῦ ζῆν μεταστῆσαι ὡς τὸ τέλειον τῆς εὐδαιμονίας παρά τε τῆς φύσεως καὶ τῆς τύχης ἀπειληφώς.

17.107.3

καταπειραθεὶς δʼ ὑπʼ ἀρρωστίας καὶ καθʼ ἡμέραν αἰεὶ μᾶλλον βαρυνόμενος ἠξίωσε τὸν βασιλέα πυρὰν αὐτῷ μεγάλην κατασκευάσαι καὶ προσαναβάντος ἐπὶ ταύτην αὐτοῦ προστάξαι τοῖς ὑπηρέταις πῦρ ἐνεῖναι.

17.107.4

ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος τὸ μὲν πρῶτον αὐτὸν ἀποτρέπειν ἐπειρᾶτο ταύτης τῆς ἐπιβολῆς, ὡς δʼ οὐχ ὑπήκουσεν, ὡμολόγησε συντελέσειν περὶ ὧν ἠξιωκὼς ἦν. διαγγελθείσης δὲ τῆς πράξεως ἡ μὲν πυρὰ κατεσκευάσθη, τὸ δὲ πλῆθος κατήντησεν ἐπὶ τὴν παράδοξον θέαν.

17.107.5

ὁ δὲ Κάρανος ἀκολουθήσας τοῖς ἰδίοις δόγμασι τεθαρρηκότως ἐπέστη τῇ πυρᾷ καὶ μετὰ ταύτης καταφλεχθεὶς ἐτελεύτησεν. τῶν δὲ παρόντων οἱ μὲν μανίαν αὐτοῦ κατέγνωσαν, οἱ δὲ κενοδοξίαν ἐπὶ καρτερίᾳ, τινὲς δὲ τὴν εὐψυχίαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ θανάτου καταφρόνησιν ἐθαύμασαν.

17.107.6

ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τοῦτον μὲν ἔθαψε πολυτελῶς, αὐτὸς δὲ παρελθὼν εἰς Σοῦσα τὴν μὲν πρεσβυτέραν τῶν Δαρείου θυγατέρων Στάτειραν ἔγημεν, τὴν δὲ νεωτέραν Ἡφαιστίωνι συνῴκισε Δρυπῆτιν. ἔπεισε δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους τῶν φίλων γῆμαι καὶ συνῴκισεν αὐτοῖς τὰς εὐγενεστάτας παρθένους Περσίδας.