Alexander was a ruthless conqueror. He wanted to win over the whole world. He
had come from Greece, where his teacher was the great philosopher Aristotle.
When Alexander left on his mission, his teacher had told him to bring back
from India something he would not get anywhere else—spirituality. So,
Alexander knew that India was not rich just on the outside but also on the inside.
When he reached the frontiers of India, he was defeated by Chanakya and his
strategies. This came as a shock for the king who had never before lost a battle.
His army was demoralized and, unable to face the unfamiliar Indian conditions,
Alexander had to turn back.
The interesting part is that Chanakya had the full power not only to defeat
Alexander but also to kill him. But he chose to avoid it. After all, Chanakya’s
objective was victory, not the death of his enemy.
On his way back to Greece, Alexander died. However, two things were
always on Chanakya’s mind: First, even if Alexander was dead, his army could
come back to attack again. Second, Alexander came from Greece, another great
civilization of that time. Chanakya did not want to miss out on an opportunity to
learn from them. So, he tried to come up with a strategy to solve both matters
simultaneously.
The general of Alexander’s army was Seleucus. Chanakya got his student and
king Chandragupta married to Seleucus’s daughter, Helen. By doing this, he
achieved the results he wanted. The enemy would now never think of another
attack. After all, the queen was one of them.
Next, Chanakya knew that when a lady marries into a house, she brings not
just herself but also her culture along. She can transform her husband’s house
with this knowledge.
And so we see that Chanakya had a soft spot for the Greeks. He did not want
to kill the enemy, but the enmity itself.
He used the same principle while defeating Dhanananda, the last king of the
Nanda dynasty. Dhanananda was a tyrant. He had even killed Chanakya’s father,
who used to advise him on good governance. Unfortunately, Dhanananda
showed no signs of reforming.
Chanakya changed tack, and with the help of his students, led by
Chandragupta, defeated Dhanananda. Chanakya could have easily killed him.
But, like he did with Alexander, he left him alive. Dhanananda was exiled to the
forest. There was, however, a difference.forest. There was, however, a difference.
While Alexander died a natural death, Dhanananda was still alive. There was
a good chance that he would come back and attack. It would not have been
difficult for the ousted king to gather support in his kingdom.
A person asked Chanakya, ‘Acharya, you have let Dhanananda go; what if he
comes back to destroy us?’
With a crooked smile, Chanakya answered, ‘One should let the enemy go in
such a way that he never comes back.’ And after a pause, he continued, ‘But
never trust the enemy. Forgive but do not forget. My spies are keeping an eye on
him even in the forest. Everything that Dhanananda does is under my control.’
This was another side of Chanakya: soft-hearted and focused at the same time.
This, also, is aanvikshiki.