Autobiography of a Yogi

by Paramahansa Yogananda

Alexander invited to Taxila a number of Brahmin ascetics noted for their skill in answering philosophical questions with pithy wisdom. An account of the verbal skirmish is given by Plutarch; Alexander himself framed all the questions. “Which be the more numerous, the living or the dead?” “The living, for the dead are not.” “Which breeds the larger animals, the sea or the land?” “The land, for the sea is only a part of land.” “Which is the cleverest of beasts?” “That one with which man is not yet acquainted.” (Man fears the unknown.) “Which existed first, the day or the night?” “The day was first by one day.” This reply caused Alexander to betray surprise; the Brahmin added: “Impossible questions require impossible answers.” “How best may a man make himself beloved?” “A man will be beloved if, possessed with great power, he still does not make himself feared.” “How may a man become a god?” “By doing that which it is impossible for a man to do.” “Which is stronger, life or death?” “Life, because it bears so many evils.”