ASHOKA, A UNIQUE RULER
The most famous Mauryan ruler was Ashoka. He was the first ruler who tried to take his message to the people through inscriptions. Most of Ashoka’s inscriptions were in Prakrit and were written in the Brahmi script.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
ASHOKA’S KALINGA WAR AND INSCRIPTION
Kalinga is the ancient name of coastal Orissa. Ashoka fought a war to conquer Kalinga. However, he was so horrified when he saw the violence and bloodshed that he decided not to fight any more wars. He is the only king in the history of the world who gave up conquest after winning a war.
The places where inscriptions of Ashoka have been found are marked with red dots. These were included within the empire.
Ashoka’s inscription describing the Kalinga war
This is what Ashoka declared in one of his inscriptions:
“Eight years after becoming king I conquered Kalinga.
About a lakh and a half of people were captured. And more than a lakh of people were killed.
This filled me with sorrow. Why?
Whenever an independent land is conquered, lakhs of people die, and many are taken, prisoner. Brahmins and monks also die.
People who are kind to their relatives and friends, to their slaves and servants, die, or lose their loved ones.
That is why I am sad and have decided to observe dhamma and to teach others about it as well.
I believe that winning people over through dhamma is much better than conquering them through force.
I am inscribing this message for the future so that my son and grandson after me should not think about war.
Instead, they should try to think about how to spread dhamma.”
(‘Dhamma’ is the Prakrit word for the Sanskrit term ‘Dharma’).
Activity:
1. How did the Kalinga war bring about a change in Ashoka’s attitude towards war?
2. Name the countries where Ashokan inscriptions have been found. Which Indian states were outside the empire?
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
WHAT WAS ASHOKAS’S DHAMMA
Ashoka’s dhamma did not involve the worship of a god, or performance of a sacrifice. He felt that just as a father tries to teach his children, he had a duty to instruct his subjects. He was also inspired by the teachings of the Buddha (Chapter 6(NEW QUESTIONS AND IDEAS)).
There were a number of problems that troubled him. People in the empire followed different religions, and this sometimes led to conflict. Animals were sacrificed. Slaves and servants were ill-treated. Besides, there were quarrels in families and amongst neighbours. Ashoka felt it was his duty to solve these problems. So, he appointed officials, known as the dhamma mahamatta who went from place to place teaching people about dhamma. Besides, Ashoka got his messages inscribed on rocks and pillars, instructing his officials to read his message to those who could not read it themselves.
Ashoka also sent messengers to spread ideas about dhamma to other lands, such as Syria, Egypt, Greece, and Sri Lanka. He built roads, dug wells, and built rest houses. Besides, he arranged for medical treatment for both human beings and animals.
Activity:
Syria, Egypt, Greece, and Sri Lanka. Try and identify these on Map.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
ASHOKA’S MESSAGES
“People perform a variety of rituals when they fall ill when their children get married when children are born, or when they go on a journey.
These rituals are not useful.
If instead, people observe other practices, this would be more fruitful. What are these other practices?
These are: being gentle with slaves and servants. Respecting one’s elders.
Treating all creatures with compassion. Giving gifts to brahmins and monks.”
“It is both wrong to praise one’s own religion or criticise another’s.
Each one should respect the other’s religion.
If one praises one’s own religion while criticising another’s, one is actually doing greater harm to one’s own religion.
Therefore, one should try to understand the main ideas of another’s religion, and respect it.”
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, wrote: “His edicts (instructions) still speak to us in a language we can understand and we can still learn much from them.”
Activity:
Identify the parts of Ashoka’s message that you think is relevant today.
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK