Sekandar marshaled his mighty forces and advanced swiftly until he reached the borders of the Brahmin ascetics, seeking to question those holy hermits about the deeds of ancient times and the hidden truths of existence. Upon learning of the royal army's approach, the Brahmin elders gathered and drafted a letter of profound wisdom, dispatching an envoy who wore nothing but grass roots bound about his waist. In their epistle, they wrote: 'O Great Sovereign, God hath granted thee the wide world. What seekest thou in this realm of poverty, which is but the sanctuary of God's humble worshippers? If thou comest hungering for treasure, surely thy wisdom hath diminished, for we possess nothing save patience and knowledge—and knowledge can neither be stolen nor turned to evil.'
When Sekandar read their message and beheld the austerity of the envoy, he chose peace and harmless tranquility over conquest. He ordered his vast army to halt where they were, proceeding forward accompanied only by his council of Roman philosophers. Learning of his peaceful approach, the mountain ascetics emerged to greet him. They possessed neither treasures nor harvested crops; their skin was bare, their loincloths made of hides, their clothing of leaves, and their sustenance derived solely from wild seeds and mountain fruits. Free from the turmoil of warfare, they roamed the hills in quiet contemplation.
Sekandar questioned them regarding their sustenance, their sleep, and their peace far from battle. The sages replied: 'Man is born naked into the world; he should not pride himself upon fleeting apparel. The earth is our bed, the heavens our coverlet. Why should a conqueror strive so furiously for that which is worthless? When he departs this transient inn, his crown and gold remain behind, and only his deeds accompany him to the dust.'
Sekandar then posed deeper philosophical riddles: 'Is that which is manifest greater, or that which is hidden? Are the living more numerous, or the dead? Is the land greater, or the sea? And who among all living creatures is the most sinful?' The Brahmin sage answered: 'The dead far outnumber the living; the earth contains and holds the waters; and the most sinful creature is Man, whose intellect is blinded by malice and greed. Thou who seekest to swallow the earth and disturb the quiet dust—thy ambition drives thy soul toward hell.'
When Sekandar inquired after the nature of desire, the sage declared: 'Greed and Need are two working demons; one is parched through scarcity, the other sleepless through abundance. Blessed is he whose soul accepts wisdom.' Deeply shaken, Sekandar wept and offered them any treasure from his royal vaults. The Brahmins smiled and asked: 'Then bar for us the doors of old age and death!' Sekandar answered that even kings are powerless before mortality. The sage retorted: 'If thou knowest that death is inescapable, why dost thou endlessly pursue the world and smell its poisonous blossoms? Thy toil remains thine, while thy treasure falls to thy enemies.' Sekandar acknowledged that mortal men are bound by divine decree and celestial destiny. Offering no harm and taking no spoils, the conqueror departed peacefully, directing his march toward the lands of the East.