Ashoka The Great
Ashoka, known by his Greek
name Piodasses, also known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor
of the Maurya Dynasty
, who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent
from c. 268 to 232 BCE. A grandson of the Maurya dynasty's founder Chandragupta Maurya
, Ashoka promoted the spread of Buddhism
across ancient Asia
. Considered by many to be one of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka expanded Chandragupta's empire to reign over a realm stretching from present-day Afghanistan
in the west to Bangladesh
in the east. It covered the entire Indian subcontinent
except for parts of present-day Tamil Nadu
, Karnataka
, and Kerala
. The empire's capital was Pataliputra
(in Magadha
, present-day Patna
), with provincial capitals at Taxila
and Ujjain
. |
| Reign | 268 – 232 BCE |
|---|
| Coronation | 268 BCE |
|---|
| Predecessor | Bindusara |
|---|
| Successor | Dasharatha |
|---|
Ashoka waged a destructive war against the state of Kalinga
(modern Odisha
), which he conquered in about 260 BCE. According to an interpretation of his Edicts
, he converted to Buddhism
after witnessing the mass deaths of the Kalinga War
, which he had waged out of a desire for conquest and which reportedly directly resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and 150,000 deportations. He is remembered for erecting the Ashoka pillars
and spreading his Edicts, for sending Buddhist monks
to Sri Lanka
and Central Asia
, and for establishing monuments marking several significant sites in the life of Gautama Buddha.
| Born | 304 BCE
Pataliputra, Mauryan Empire (adjacent to present-day Patna, Bihar, India) |
|---|
| Died | 232 BCE (aged c. 71 – 72)
Pataliputra, modern-day Patna, Bihar, India |
|---|
| Spouses | - Devi (Sri Lankan tradition)
- Karuvaki (own inscriptions)
- Padmavati (North Indian tradition)
- Asandhimitra (Sri Lankan tradition)
- Tishyaraksha (Sri Lankan and North Indian tradition)
|
|---|
| Issue | - Mahendra (Sri Lankan tradition)
- Sanghamitra (Sri Lankan tradition)
- Tivala (own inscriptions)
- Kunala (North Indian tradition)
- Charumati
|
|---|
| Dynasty | Maurya |
|---|
| Father | Bindusara |
|---|
| Mother | Subhadrangi or Dharma |
|---|
| Religion | Buddhism |
|---|
Beyond the Edicts of Ashoka
, biographical information about him relies on legends written centuries later, such as the 2nd-century CE Ashokavadana , and in the Sri Lankan text Mahavamsa . The emblem of the modern Republic of India
is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka
. His Sanskrit
name "Aśoka" means "painless, without sorrow. In his edicts
, he is referred to as Devānāmpriya , and Priyadarśin or Priyadarshi . His fondness for a tree is the reason for his name being connected to the "Ashoka tree" or Saraca indica, and this is referenced in the Ashokavadana.
Reign before Buddhist influence
Both Sri Lankan and north Indian traditions assert that Ashoka was a violent person before his conversion to Buddhism. Taranatha also states that Ashoka was initially called "Kamashoka" because he spent many years in pleasurable pursuits (kama); he was then called "Chandashoka" ("Ashoka the fierce"), because he spent some years performing extremely wicked deeds; and finally, he came to be known as Dhammashoka ("Ashoka the righteous") after his conversion to Buddhism.
The Ashokavadana also calls him "Chandashoka", and describes several of his cruel acts:
- The ministers who had helped him ascend the throne started treating him with contempt after his ascension. To test their loyalty, Ashoka gave them the absurd order of cutting down every flower-and fruit-bearing tree. When they failed to carry out this order, Ashoka personally cut off the heads of 500 ministers.
- One day, during a stroll at a park, Ashoka and his concubines came across a beautiful Ashoka tree. The sight put him in a sensual mood, but the women did not enjoy caressing his rough skin. Sometime later, when Ashoka fell asleep, the resentful women chopped the flowers and the branches of his namesake tree. After Ashoka woke up, he burnt 500 of his concubines to death as a punishment.
- Alarmed by the king's personal involvement in such massacres, the prime minister Radha-gupta proposed hiring an executioner to carry out future mass killings, so as to leave the king unsullied. Girika, a Magadha village boy who boasted that he could execute the whole of Jambudvipa, was hired for the purpose. He came to be known as Chandagirika ("Girika the fierce"), and on his request, Ashoka built a jail in Pataliputra. Called Ashoka's Hell, the jail looked lovely from outside, but inside it, Girika brutally tortured the prisoners.
The 5th century Chinese traveller Faxian states that Ashoka personally visited the underworld to study the methods of torture there, and then invented his own methods. The 7th century traveller Xuanzang claims to have seen a pillar marking the site of Ashoka's "Hell".
The Mahavamsa also briefly alludes to Ashoka's cruelty, stating that Ashoka was earlier called Chandashoka because of his evil deeds, but came to be called Dharmashoka because of his pious acts after his conversion to Buddhism. However, unlike the north Indian tradition, the Sri Lankan texts do not mention any specific evil deeds performed by Ashoka, except his killing of 99 of his brothers.
Such descriptions of Ashoka as an evil person before his conversion to Buddhism appear to be a fabrication of the Buddhist authors, who attempted to present the change that Buddhism brought to him as a miracle. In an attempt to dramatise this change, such legends exaggerate Ashoka's past wickedness and his piousness after the conversion.
Kalinga war and conversion to Buddhism
The war
According to Ashoka's Major Rock Edict 13, he conquered Kalinga 8 years after his ascension to the throne. The edict states that during his conquest of Kalinga, 100,000 men and animals were killed in action; many times that number "perished"; and 150,000 men and animals were carried away from Kalinga as captives. Ashoka states that the repentance of these sufferings caused him to devote himself to the practice and propagation of dharma. He proclaims that he now considered the slaughter, death and deportation caused during the conquest of a country painful and deplorable; and that he considered the suffering caused to the religious people and householders even more deplorable.
This edict has been found inscribed at several places, including Erragudi, Girnar, Kalsi, Maneshra, Shahbazgarhi and Kandahar. However, is omitted in Ashoka's inscriptions found in the Kalinga region, where the Rock Edicts 13 and 14 have been replaced by two separate edicts that make no mention of Ashoka's remorse. It is possible that Ashoka did not consider it politically appropriate to make such a confession to the people of Kalinga. Another possibility is the Kalinga war and its consequences, as described in Ashoka's rock edicts, are "more imaginary than real": this description is meant to impress those far removed from the scene, and thus, unable to verify its accuracy.
Ancient sources do not mention any other military activity of Ashoka, although the 16th century writer Taranatha claims that Ashoka conquered the entire Jambudvipa.
First contact with Buddhism
The Dipavamsa states that Ashoka invited several non-Buddhist religious leaders to his palace, and bestowed great gifts upon them in hope that they would be able to answer a question posed by the king. The text does not state what the question was, but mentions that none of the invitees were able to answer it. One day, Ashoka saw a young Buddhist monk called Nigrodha (or Nyagrodha), who was looking for alms on a road in Pataliputra. He was the king's nephew, although the king was not aware of this: he was a posthumous son of Ashoka's eldest brother Sumana, whom Ashoka had killed during the conflict for the throne. Ashoka was impressed by Nigrodha's tranquil and fearless appearance, and asked him to teach him his faith. In response, Nigrodha offered him a sermon on appamada (earnestness). Impressed by the sermon, Ashoka offered Nigrodha 400,000 silver coins and 8 daily portions of rice. The king became a Buddhist upasaka, and started visiting the Kukkutarama shrine at Pataliputra. At the temple, he met the Buddhist monk Moggaliputta Tissa, and became more devoted to the Buddhist faith. The veracity of this story is not certain. This legend about Ashoka's search for a worthy teacher may be aimed at explaining why Ashoka did not adopt Jainism, another major contemporary faith that advocates non-violence and compassion. The legend suggests that Ashoka was not attracted to Buddhism because he was looking for such a faith, rather, for a competent spiritual teacher. The Sri Lankan tradition adds that during his 6th regnal year, Ashoka's son Mahinda became a Buddhist monk, and his daughter became a Buddhist nun.
Several Buddhist establishments existed in various parts of India by the time of Ashoka's ascension. It is not clear which branch of the Buddhist sangha influenced him, but the one at his capital Pataliputra is a good candidate. Another good candidate is the one at Mahabodhi: the Major Rock Edict 8 records his visit to the Bodhi Tree – the place of Buddha's enlightenment at Mahabodhi – after his 10th regnal year, and the minor rock edict issued during his 13th regnal year suggests that he had become a Buddhist around the same time.
Comments
Post a Comment