Ashoka: Biography, History, Religion, India, & Buddhism

Ashoka: Biography, History, Religion, India, and Buddhism A prominent figure in the Star Wars universe, Ahsoka is a former Jedi Knight who played a key role in the Clone Wars and later became a key figure in the Rebel Alliance.

a brief overview of Ahsoka’s significance and journey, including her transformation from a Jedi Padawan to a wise and powerful Force user, as well as her impact on the Star Wars story and fan base.

Ashoka Biography

Historical figures	Ahsoka
Accession	273-72 BC
Coronation	269 BC
Kalinga War	261-60 BC
Grandfather	Chandragupta Maurya
Father	Bindusara
Death	233-32 BC

Introduction

Asoka’s reign represents one of the brightest chapters in human history. His own inscriptions clearly reveal the main stages in the history of his reign and the motives underlying his activities. After serving as viceroy in Ujjain and Taxila, Asoka succeeded Bindusara to the Mauryan throne.

The name of Asoka

The name Asoka (sorrow-free) occurs only once in the Mask Edict inscriptions. He is referred to as Asoka Wardhana in the Puranas. He is mentioned as Asoka Maurya in the Girnar inscription of Rudradaman (150 AD). In the Calcutta-Bhabru inscription, Ashoka is referred to as Piyadasi Baja, i.e., Piyadasi, king of Magadha. In his edicts, Asoka assumed two titles, Devanampiya and Piyadassi (the full Sanskrit form of his title, Devanampriyah Priyadarsi Raja).

Early Life of Asoka

We have only traditional accounts of Asoka’s early life. According to Buddhist accounts, his mother was Janapada Kalyani or Subhadrangi. As a prince, he served as viceroy of Ujjain and Taxila. During his viceroyalty of Ujjaini, he fell in love with the daughter of a merchant named Vidisha, referred to as Devi or Vedisa Mahadevi, whom he married. The other two known queens of Asoka were Karuvaki and Asandhimitra. The second queen, Karuvaki, is mentioned in the queen’s edict inscribed on a pillar at Allahabad, in which her religious and charitable gifts are mentioned.

She is described as the mother of Prince Tivara, the only son of Asoka, who was mentioned by name in the inscriptions.

Accession of Asoka

• (i) The first problem with Asoka’s accession is the year of his coronation. This problem is connected with the four-year interval between the death of Bindusara and the accession of Asoka. Based on Sri Lankan chronicles, some scholars have explained this interval as the result of a war of succession between Asoka and his 100 brothers. The Sri Lankan chronicle Mahavamsa says that he seized the throne by killing 99 of his brothers and sparing only the youngest, namely Tishya. There are also other stories of a similar nature in the Divyavadana that are not quite trustworthy. The alleged war of succession appears to be merely a grotesque invention intended to emphasize the wickedness of Asoka before he embraced Buddhism. Asoka speaks of his brothers and sisters and their families in his edicts, many years after his coronation.
• (ii) Although the so-called war of succession between Asoka and his brothers is not to be believed, there is an unexplained interval between the death of Bindusara in 273–72 B.C. and the coronation of Asoka in 269–68 B.C. Various explanations have been offered to explain this interval, but none of them are fully credible.

Chronology of Asoka

Asoka, in his inscriptions, mentions the events of his reign from the year of his coronation. On this basis, the events of his life in chronological order can be listed as follows:

(i) 273–72 BCE: Death of Bindusara and the accession of Asoka

(ii) 269–68 BCE: Coronation of Asoka.

(iii) 261–60 BCE: Kalinga War, the first recorded event of Asoka’s reign. The 13th Rock Edict clearly states that this event occurred “eight years after his ordination.” This edict also mentions five Hellenic kings, all from the prairies of Asoka.

(iv) 259–58 B.C.: Issue of Minor Rock Edict I have mentioned Asoka’s conversion to the Buddhist faith. In the subsequent Bhabru Edict, the emperor speaks of faith in Gautam Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. Asoka’s visit to Bodh-Gaya introduced the practice of Dhammayatra.

(v) 256–55 BC: Issuance of the Fourteen Rock Edicts From the 6th pillar edict, we learn that Asoka began issuing his major rock edicts in the 13th regnal year.

(vi) 250 BCE: He convened the Third Buddhist Council and sent Buddhist missions to various parts of India and Sri Lanka.

(vii) 249–48 BC Pilgrimage to Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha (Inscription on the Rummindei Pillar): Erecting a memorial column

(viii) 242-41: Issuance of the Seven Pillar Edicts in the 27th (Edict I, IV, V, and VI Pillars) and 28th (Edict VII Pillar) of his reign The Pillar VII Edict is the last one issued by Asoka.

(ix) 233–32: Death of Asoka

Ashoka’s Kalinga War

• (i) The earliest event of Asoka’s reign that we find recorded in his inscriptions is the conquest of Kalinga (Orissa), which proved to be the turning point in his life. Asoka conquered Kalinga eight years after his coronation—that is, in the ninth year of his reign. After this conquest, Asoka stopped indulging in offensive wars. Why Asoka chose to conquer Kalinga instead of invading the Chola and Pandya lands to the south is not clear. Arguably situated between the Mauryan dominions of Bengal and Andhra, independent Kalinga was “a thorn in the political body of the Mauryan Empire” and, as such, could pose a threat to his dominions. Moreover, the kingdoms of South India had very friendly relations with the Mauryan Empire. The conquest of Kalinga was important to the Mauryan Empire both strategically and economically. It stood in the way of southern routes from the Ganges valley and was also a powerful maritime area that could become a suitable source of revenue for the Mauryan Empire. After the conquest of Kalinga, further conquest of territory was almost unnecessary for Asoka.
• (ii) The 13th Rock Edict vividly describes the horrors and miseries of this war and the deep pangs of conscience it caused Asoca. “One hundred and fifty thousand people were deported, one hundred thousand were killed, and many times that number perished. “On the conquest of Kalinga, the Beloved of the Gods felt remorse, for when an independent country is conquered, the killing, death, and deportation of the people is exceedingly grievous to the Beloved of the Gods and weighs heavily on his mind.” After the conquest of Kalinga, Asoka realized the true gravity of the war and wrote: “If today a hundredth or a thousandth of those people who were killed, died, or deported when Kalinga was annexed suffered similarly, it would be hard.” to the mind of the beloved gods.”
• (iii) The Kalinga War had a profound impact on Asoka’s public policy and personality. After this war, he decided not to wage another war and also ordered his sons and grandsons to “never wage such a war”. In the 13th Rock Edict, Asoka declares that true victory is not by arms but by piety and virtue (Dharma Vijaya). After the conquest of Kalinga, Asoka devoted his life to the moral and material welfare of the people and reformulated his public policy accordingly. The violence of war, seen in all its nakedness, made Asoka adopt non-violence and peace as the credo of his life. He came to change his religion and embrace Buddhism. The Kalinga War was the last political event of his reign.

Asoka as a Buddhist

Asoka became a convert to Buddhism probably in the ninth year of his coronation, i.e., a year after the conquest of Kalinga.

According to the Sri Lankan chronicle Mahavamsa, Asoka converted Nigrodha, a boy monk who was only seven years old, to Buddhism and then came into contact with Moggaliputta Tissa, who presided over the Third Buddhist Council convened by Asoka.

The Mahavamsa relates that after this council, Asoka sent Buddhist missions to various parts of India and Sri Lanka, where he sent his son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra for the propagation of Buddhism. Historically, Buddhism first reached outside India during the reign of Asoka. After his conversion to Buddhism, other members of his family also embraced Buddhism. From Buddhist sources, we learn that Asoka’s brother Tissa, his son, daughter, and queen Karuvaki also became converts to Buddhism.

The famous Queen’s (small or pillar) Edict describes the sacred gifts made by his second queen, Karuvaki, to the Buddhist Samgha. Asoka had a relationship with the Buddhist Samgha and was a great royal patron. In this context, he tried to firmly establish the unity of the Buddhist Samgha. In his Lesser Rock Edicts, he repeatedly warned that “whoever, monk or nun, breaks the Samgha will be expelled from the Samgha after being clothed in white clothes.” After converting to Buddhism, he went on pilgrimages to various Buddhist holy places and built several stupas and viharas.

Asoka’s policy of religious tolerance

Although a devout Buddhist, Asoka was tolerant of religious matters and believed in the fundamental unity of all religions. Asoka himself says in the Seventh Rock Edict, “All sects desire self-control and purity of mind”. In the twelfth rock edict, he more clearly states his policy of religious tolerance: “Beloved of the gods, King Piyadassi, he honors all sects, both ascetics and laymen, with gifts and various forms of recognition.” Again, “whoever honors his own sect or disparages the sect of another, wholly out of devotion to his own, to show it in a favorable light, injures his sect still more seriously.”

In the Edict of Pillar VI, he states, “I give my attention to all communities because the followers of all denominations are honored by me.

However, showing them personal respect is, in my opinion, the main one.” What he clearly desires is the growth of the essential, Sara Vadhi, among all religions. He seems to have carefully studied the doctrines of all religious sects and concluded that there is an essential unity in all religions because they all aim at self-control and purification of the heart and inculcate the same moral virtues and the same moral practices.

Asoka’s Dhamma

• (a) After the Kalinga war, the greatest ideal and aim before Asoka was the propagation of the Dhamma, for the fulfillment of which he labored tirelessly. Dhamma, as explained in Asoka’s Edicts, is not a religion or a religious system but a “moral law”, a “common code of conduct,” or an “ethical order” that is the common meeting place of all religions. In Pillar Edict-II, Asoka himself asks the question: Dhamma is good. And what is Dhamma (Dhamma Sadhu Kiyam Chu Dhamma Ti)? He then enumerates two basic attributes or components of the Dhamma: fewer evils or sins (Apansinave) and many good deeds (Bahu Kayane).
• Then, in the present and other edicts, he enumerates the Asinavas or sins, such as anger or fury, cruelty, wrath, pride, and envy, to be avoided, and many good deeds (Bahu Kayane)—kindness, generosity, and truthfulness; meekness; self-control; purity of heart; attachment to morality; inner and outer purity, etc.—which must be earnestly pursued. The above two attributes constitute the ‘Doctrinal’ or negative (Asinavas) and positive (Bahu Kayane) aspects of Asoka’s Dhamma.
• (b) But how do you follow these qualities in life? In this context, Asoka in Rock Edict XIII and many other edicts describe a Code of Duties, or practical Dhamma, containing the following:
  • (i) Susrusa: obedience to mother and father, elders, teachers, and other decent sons.
  • (ii) Apichite: respect for teachers.
  • (iii) Sam Pratipatti: proper treatment of ascetics, brahmins and śramanas, relatives, slaves, servants and dependents, the poor and wretched, friends, acquaintances, and associates.
  • (iv) Danam: liberality towards ascetics, friends, comrades, relatives, and old people.
  • (v) Anarambho Prananam: refraining from killing living beings
  • (vi) Avihimsa Bhutan: not harming all living creatures.
  • (vii) Apa-vinyasa apa-Bhandari cha: spending little and accumulating little wealth or moderation in spending and saving (Rock Edict III)
  • (viii) Madhavam: gentleness in the case of all living creatures.
  • (ix) Satyam: truthfulness (Minor Rock Edict II, Pillar Edicts II, and VII).
  • (x) Dhamma-rati: attachment to morality.
  • (xi) Bhava-Shuddhi: purity of heart.

• (c) The Dhamma of the Edicts is not merely an action guide. It is characterized by several characteristic doctrines and philosophical attitudes that underline the originality of Asoka’s ideas of moral reform. In a multi-religious country like India, tolerance was insisted upon as an absolute duty. Asoka sought to inculcate moral law (Dhamma) as the governing principle and force in every sphere of life and to spiritualize politics and all human activities. The Dhamma thus presented in these edicts is but another name for the moral or virtuous life and takes its stand at the common meeting place of all religions. It is not sectarian in any sense but is entirely cosmopolitan, capable of universal application and acceptance as the essence of all religions. He thus laid the foundation of a universal religion and was probably the first to do so in history.
• (d) Why did Asoka enunciate the principles of Dhamma and promote them so zealously? After the Kalinga War, Asoka considered Dhamma Vijaya, a victory based on piety and morality, to be the real victory. In Pillar Edict-1, he summarizes his intentions by saying that he wants the maintenance, administration, happiness, and protection of the people to be regulated by the Dhamma. He further emphasized the paternal conception of the monarchy: “All men are my children, and just as I desire that my children obtain prosperity and happiness, both in this world and in the next, I desire the same for all men.” Asoka’s Dhamma tended to strengthen social solidarity or social relations, whether between parents and children, elderly and young friends, or different ideological sects. It was intended as an ethical concept relating to the individual in the context of his society.

Measures for the Propagation of Asoka’s Dhamma

Asoka took several measures to propagate the Dhamma throughout his empire. He adopted the Dhamma doctrines as the governing principles of his personal life and public policy. Among the significant measures he has taken in this regard are:

• (i) Issuance of Dhamma Lipis, or Dhamma-Stambha, in the form of Rock and Pillar Edicts describing the attributes of Dhamma
• (ii) Appointment of Dhamma-Mahamatras
• (iii) Dhamma-yatras, royal journeys to propagate the Dhamma.
• (iv) Dhamma-mangala, public service activities. by the spirit of the Dhamma;
• (v) Preaching the Dhamma by precepts and persuasions
• (vi) Administrative arrangements consistent with Dhamma principles

Social measures and administrative reforms introduced by Asoka

From the 14 major rock edicts and pillar edicts of Asoka, we learn about the social measures and administrative reforms introduced by Asoka. Some of the measures and administrative reforms introduced by Asoka are given below, with references to relevant epigraphs wherever necessary –

• (i) Prohibition of Samaya festivals or entertainments; the slaughter of animals for the royal kitchen except for two peacocks and a deer (Rock Edict I).
• (ii) Establishment of five-year circuits or divisional tours by officers for missionary and administrative work (Rock Edict III).
• (iii) Appointing Dhamma Mahamatras for propagating the Dhamma for redressing wrongs and public wrongs and organizing charitable donations among one’s own subjects and among foreigners (Rock Edict V).
• (iv) Appointment of Stri-Adhyaksha-Mahamatras for the welfare of women and propagation of Dhamma among them.
• (v) The institution of pious royal tours for preaching the Dhamma and distributing charitable gifts to ascetics, the elderly, and the disabled.
• (vi) Regulations restraining the slaughter and mutilation of animals and birds, such as parrots, wharves, ruddy ducks, swans, pigeons, bats, turtles, bony fish, deer, domesticated animals, and all quadrupeds that are useless and not eaten. The slaughter, capture, branding, and castration of certain animals were also prohibited on certain fixed days of the month (Pillar V). Prohibition of the sacrificial killing of animals in the capital (Rock Edict I)
• (vii) Premature release of prisoners on humane considerations for the anniversaries of Asoka’s coronation (Pillar V)
• (viii) Granting a three-day reprieve to those sentenced to death to give them a last chance to repent for their sins, donate money, or fast for a “better rebirth in the next life”.
• (ix) Judicial reforms relating to fair justice, uniformity of trial, and punishment Measures to check abuse of justice
• (x) Public works, opening hospitals for people and animals, botanical gardens for the cultivation of medicinal plants, including “herbs, roots, and fruits”, digging wells, and planting trees on roads for the comfort of travelers and animals (Rock Edict II).
• (xi) Public works program, which included the planting of shade-producing banyan trees and mango groves on the roads, digging of wells on each half of the roads, construction of rest houses, provision of water huts for the use of human beings and animals, etc. (Pillar Edict VII).

Administrative terms and officials mentioned in the Asoka edicts

In Asoka’s edicts, we find a brief glimpse of the Mauryan administration, including the administrative divisions and officials of the empire. Asoka had to continue the administrative system he had inherited from his father and grandfather, but he introduced some administrative innovations and added some new officials, like the Dhamma-Mahamatras. The following is a brief account of his administration based on his inscriptions.

(a) Centers of Regional Administration

• (i) Pataliputra (Patna) was the capital, as it was in the time of Asoka’s grandfather, Chandragupta. Kosambi (near Al-Allahabad, USA), Ujjaini (Madhya Pradesh), Suvatnigeria (possibly modern Jonnagiri in the neighborhood of Yerragudi, Andhra Pradesh), with Isila (Siddhapura) as a subordinate division, and Tosali (Dhauli) and Samapa (near Jaugada) in Kalinga (Orissa) were important centers of provincial administration, which are expressly mentioned. There could have been others. In the Junagarh Rock Inscription of Rudradaman, dated 150 CE, one Yavanaraja Tushaspa is said to have represented Asoka’s authority in Saurashtra.
• (ii) The viceroys of Tosali and Ujjaini are called Kumaras in separate Kalinga edicts, and Aryaputa (Aryaputra) is the term by which the viceroy of Suvarnagiri is addressed in the Brah-Brah-magiri-Siddhapura edicts. Tosali, Suvarnagiri, Ujjaini, and Takshasila were each under a prince of the royal family.

(b) Officers

Officers of various types are also mentioned in the edicts:

• (i) Mahamahamatras and other officers of this category, such as Dhamma-Mahamatras, Amta-Mahamatras, and Stri-Adhyaksha-Mahamatras.
• (ii) Rajukas and Rathikas
• (iii) Pradesikas or Pradestras
• (iv) Yuktas
• (v) Prativedakas
• (vi) Pulisas
• (vii) Vachabhumikas
• (viii) Nagala-Viyohalakas (Nagar Vjavaharik).

(i) Mahamatras

The terms Mahamatra and Dhammamahamatra denoted a certain high rank in the hierarchy of officials. They were stationed in every major city and district of the empire. Inscriptions mention the Mahamatras of Pataliputra, Kausambi, Tosali, Samapa, Suvarnagiri, and Isila. Duties that were transferred to each were implied by more specific titles.

The office of Dhamma Mahamatras was created by Asoka thirteen years after his coronation, as stated in Rock Edict V, which details their duties. The seventh pillar, the edict, sheds further light on their duties. The Mahamatras were to establish and promote the Dhamma among all sects in the country and promote the happiness of people devoted to the Dhamma.

They reviewed all sentences handed down by the courts and commuted or pardoned them after taking into account the specific circumstances of each case. Throwing further light on their activities, the Seventh Pillar Edict mentions that they were also ordered to “look after the activities of the Buddhist Sangha and various other sects”.

The Santa Mahamatras, who were the guardians of the Marches stationed on the frontiers, preached the Dhamma among the tribes on the frontiers and elsewhere. Ithijhaka-Mahamatras (Stri-Adhyaksha-Mahamatras): the designation suggests that they had control over women, but the actual details of their duties are not available.

(ii) Rajukas

The Rajuks are mentioned in Rock Edict III and Pillar Edicts I and IV. Pillar Edict IV mentions the Rajukas as officers “employing more than a hundred thousand men and charged with the duty of promoting the welfare of the Janapadas”, to whom Asoka granted independence in awarding honors and punishments. The reference to the awarding of punishments suggests that the Rajuks performed judicial duties. Asking them to perform their duties confidently and fearlessly, Asoka wished that the care of these officers resembled that of an “intelligent nurse over the child in her charge”.

(iii) Yuktas

The Yukts mentioned in Rock Edict III seem to have been subordinate officials charged with secretarial work and counting.

(iv) Prativedakas

The Prativedakas, mentioned in Rock Edict VI and other edicts, were special correspondents of the king or central government and had direct access to the king.

(v) Pulisas

Pulisas functioned in a similar manner to modern public relations officers. They were familiar with public opinion, which they submitted to the king.

(vi) Vachabhumikas

The Vachabhumiks were the inspectors of the cowpens charged with overseeing the cattle wealth.

(vii) Nagala-Viyohalakas

In the Kalinga Edict, certain Mahamatras were designated as Nagala-Viyohalakas or Nagar Vjaavaharikas. They were appointed in Tosala and Samapa, and perhaps in other large cities elsewhere. They administered justice in the cities.

Conclusion

Asoka was one of the greatest monarchs in human history, whose reign represents one of those “rare and lightning epochs” in the “annals of nations.”

His greatness lay in his early and clear realization of the values ​​of human life, and in the fact that he strove throughout his life to rouse India to heed the call of moral life which she realized through him. His eminence lay in the practical and detailed application of the principles he propagated. He is a unique example of a supreme and active humanist on the throne. His Rock Edict VI emphasizes man’s responsibility to his fellow man. One war was enough to turn his mind forever against the use of arms and to convince him that the real victory was the victory of love and piety (Dhammavijaya).

He promoted mutual goodwill and respect between different religious sects and extended his patronage to different sects. Asoka had great courage to preach a system of morality and ethics that can be considered the common property of mankind. Asoka’s message was: “A message of peace on earth and goodwill among men. The glory and honor of a king lie not in the physical extent of his dominion, but in his moral progress, he can help his people achieve this ideal.”

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