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Dear Nick,Due to JonesGÇÖ mistake it was difficult to explain why the some of the Jataka stories appear in the Bible. There are striking parallels also with some stories of the Arabian Nights. The Jataka stories know Chandragupta by his name Aruna or Orontes (Arunadas) which was the same as Orontobates. King Assaka of Potali in the Assaka Jataka cannot but remind one of king Asoka of Pataliputra. But this Pataliputra was either Pattala or Kahnuj in the North-west. As in the case of the name Diodotus, Assak was a clan-name which could have been used also by Chandragupta. The Shahnama cites Askh as the ruler of Iran after Sikander. This corresponds to Arsaces of the Greeks. Ghirshman writes that the name Arsaces was also at times given as Assak. The Arsacids are also called Arshakuni and Shakuni is said to have been the grandfather of Chandragupta.The Greek authors referred to the revolt of Assakenians near the Rock of Aornos as reported by Sasigupta or Chandragupta. The name Aornos echoes the name Arunadas of Orontobates. As one of the meanings of the word Aruna is the Sun, Aornos could be Heliopolis, capital of Porus.The Jataka describes the distress of king Assaka at the death of his queen consort Ubbari. Was this the daughter of Pixodarus? Ubbari may echo Ubbula near the gulf area which according to Islamic writers was an Indian city. The name of ChandraguptaGÇÖs wife is given in the jain sources as Durdhara which may imply she was a Dardanian probably from the Seistan area. Of course Chandragupta could have had several wives.With best regards,Dr. Pal

Greetings Dr. Pal!Questions: (1) Was Alexander viewed as an inspiration or as a nightmare by Asoka?
(2) What is the viewpoint of contemporary Indian people on Alexander?After seeing the movie "Asoka" (trying to follow its hallucinogenic scene sequences)I have become interested in the Hindi perspective on Alexander. In my opinion, I believe the citizens of India at the time did not look favorably on him, and I empathize.Blessings!
Thalestris-Alexandros

Dear Thalestris-Alexandros,Yes you are quite right. Alexander's campaign did cause much bloodshed and and also misery but I have written that he was not an ordinary invader and in the long run his expedition invigorated Indian society which had become somewhat stagnant. Regarding your first question i.e.
Was Alexander viewed as an inspiration or as a nightmare by Asoka?
I would say that ALexander was hated by the Brahminical(Priestly) rulers and their subjects. This was pointed out by Tarn. On the other hand Buddhists like Taxiles and others welcomed him. The very fact that Calanus, who was Aspines or Asvaghosa accompanied him shows that he was respected in some circles.Regarding your second question What is the viewpoint of contemporary Indian people on Alexander?I have to say that most Indians see him as an intruder. This is because of Jones' bad history which has fuelled parochial and fundamentalist forces. I must admit that over the ages Indians have written history mainly for the pleasure of their kings.I have given a coin-portrait of Asoka in my website http://www.geocities.com/ranajitda which may interest you but my Ashoka is very different from what you have seen in the movie.Regards,Dr. Pal

Dear Thalestris-Alexandros,Yes you are quite right. Alexander's campaign did cause much bloodshed and and also misery but I have written that he was not an ordinary invader and in the long run his expedition invigorated Indian society which had become somewhat stagnant. Regarding your first question i.e.
Was Alexander viewed as an inspiration or as a nightmare by Asoka?
I would say that ALexander was hated by the Brahminical(Priestly) rulers and their subjects. This was pointed out by Tarn. On the other hand Buddhists like Taxiles and others welcomed him. The very fact that Calanus, who was Aspines or Asvaghosa accompanied him shows that he was respected in some circles.Regarding your second question What is the viewpoint of contemporary Indian people on Alexander?I have to say that most Indians see him as an intruder. This is because of Jones' bad history which has fuelled parochial and fundamentalist forces. I must admit that over the ages Indians have written history mainly for the pleasure of their kings.I have given a coin-portrait of Asoka in my website http://www.geocities.com/ranajitda which may interest you but my Ashoka is very different from what you have seen in the movie.Regards,Dr. Pal