Holy war (~ 300 BC)

[Guest guest]

Holy war (~ 300 BC)

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Was the concept of holy-war (jihad) present in Northwest India

in much earlier times than what is told in the media?

What is the Sanskrit word and/or Greek word equivalent

to modern jihad? - N. Ganesan

 

P. Green, Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C. A historical

biography, 1991, p. 425

 

"It took the king another five months to reach the head

of the Indus delta. During that period he fought a whole

series of bloody battles against various independent rajahs

who blocked his advance, or rose in revolt once he had passed

on. Again, the record of sheer slaughter is appalling. Diodorus

(17.102.5) does not exaggerate when he says that Alexander 'spread

the terror of his name throughout the entire region', with

fire, destruction, and wholesale enslavement. The ultra-fierce

resistence he encountered was due in large part to holy-war

propaganda spread by the Brahmin priests. As before, Alexander's

only answer to ideological opposition was sheer terrorism.

Many Brahmins who fell into his hands were hanged as a

deterrent. One, on being asked why he had instigated a certain

leader to revolt, replied: 'Because I wished him to live with

honour or die with honour.' Here the king badly misjudged his

opponents. Resistence, far from being crushed by his string-arm

methods, took on a new lease of life: before 300 B.C. every

Macedonian garrison in the land of the Five Rivers had been

wiped out."

[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, naga_ganesan@h... wrote:

>

> Holy war (~ 300 BC)

> --------------------

>

> Was the concept of holy-war (jihad) present in Northwest India

> in much earlier times than what is told in the media?

> What is the Sanskrit word and/or Greek word equivalent

> to modern jihad?

 

sadhana?

 

What about Gita as a relic of holy war.

 

-Ven. Tantra