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Chapter 13 - Truth is not divisible
The eighteenth time when Mohammed Gauri was defeated, all his armies were killed, and he was hiding in a cave and thinking, What to do now? And there he saw a spider making its net. Sitting there, he had nothing else to do, so he watched the spider. It fell again and again. It fell exactly eighteen times, but the nineteenth time it succeeded in making a net, and that gave the idea to Mohammed Gauri: "At least one time more I should make the effort. If this spider was not discouraged after eighteen failures, why should I be?"
He again gathered his army, and the nineteenth time he conquered Prithviraj. Prithviraj had become old, and having fought his whole life, his armies were tattered, ruined. He was taken prisoner, handcuffed, chained -- which was absolutely against the Eastern way of life.
When another king, Poras, was defeated by Alexander the Great, and was brought before him, chained, Alexander asked him, "How should you be treated?"
Poras said, "Is that a question to be asked? An emperor should be treated like an emperor."
There was a great silence for a moment in the court of Alexander. It was very appropriate for Poras to say this, because his defeat was not really a defeat; his defeat was through the utter cunningness of Alexander. Alexander had sent his wife to meet Poras -- he was waiting on the other side of the river. It was the time when, in India, sisters would tie a small thread around the wrist of their brothers -- and it was called rakshabandhan, a bondage, a promise that "You will defend me."
When Alexander's wife came she was received just like a queen should be received. Poras himself came to receive her, and asked, "Why have you come? You could have informed me
-- I could have come to your camp."
That was part of the Eastern tradition: by the time sun was down, people would go into each other's camp -- the enemy's camp -- just to discuss how the day
went, who died, what happened. It was almost like a football game -- nobody took it that seriously.
But the woman said, "I have come because I don't have a brother. And I heard about this tradition here, so I want to make you my brother."
And Poras said, "It is a coincidence; I don't have a sister."
So she tied the thread and took the promise of Poras that "Whatever happens in the war, remember, Alexander is my husband; he is your brother-in-law, and you should not want me to be a widow. Just remember that."
There came a moment when Alexander's horse died as Poras attacked the horse with his spear, and Alexander fell on the ground. Poras jumped down with his spear, and the spear was just going to pierce Alexander's chest when Poras saw his own wrist with the thread. He stopped.
Alexander said, "Why have you stopped? This is the opportunity -- you can kill me."
Poras said, "I have given a promise. I can give my kingdom, but I cannot break my promise. Your wife is my sister, and she has reminded me that I would not like her to be a widow." And he turned back.
Even this kind of man was treated by Alexander as if he were a murderer. And Alexander asked Poras,
"How should you be treated?" Osho - The Hidden Splendor 139
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