Madhya Pradesh Rajya Shiksha Kendra Bhopal

Textbook
The The V VVictor
V ictor ictory ictor
Alexander the Great had won many battles. His desire was to conquer the
world.
“Proceed to the Golden Bird,” he ordered his brave generals.India was
known as the Golden Bird in the world at that time. With Alexander’s command,
the generals consulted the map and the army turned towards India. It crossed the
mighty Himalayas through the long terrain in the cold, entered the country and
reached the River Sindhu. There was a battle between Alexander’s army and the
army of King Puru of India. King Puru was defeated, and was made captive.
With the first victory in India, Alexander was very happy.
After the days’ battle when Alexander’s army was resting, he mounted his
horse Bucephalus and quietly slipped out of the tent to see more of the Indian
countryside. Alexander moved on the streets and drove his horse on and on. The
houses remained dark, without lights. The women were wailing, children were
crying. Alexander felt no pity. Instead he felt proud of his own victory.
Soon he turned his horse on the other side, towards the jungle. As he
moved further, he noticed a bonfire at a distance. He went closer and found
some Indian Saints performing the yagya (religious ritual) on the bank of the
Sindhu. He stood quietly behind the thick trunk of a tree.
It was winter time. The wind was blowing and it was extremely cold. The
saints wore no clothing on the upper parts of their bodies. Alexander said to himself,
‘Oh, they are poor and they do not have anything to cover their bodies.’ He
felt sorry for the saints, ‘l must do something for these naked fakirs.’ It was night
already. He went back to his tent, woke up his chief general and said, “Bring thick
woollen blankets and woollen clothes immediately. I need them urgently.”
Heaps of thick blankets and woollen clothes were brought. In no time they
were loaded on horses and Alexander himself led them, riding back to the jungle.
The caravan stopped where the saints were performing the yagya. Alexander
2
7