Birth: 304 B.C.

Birthplace: Pataliputra (modern day Patna)

Dynasty: Maurya

Parents: Bindusara and Devi Dharma

Reign: 268 –232 B.C.

Symbol: Lion

Religion: Buddhism

Spouse: Asandhimitra, Devi, Karuvaki, Padmavati, Tishyaraksha

Children: Mahendra, Sanghamitra, Tivala, Kunala, Charumati

Ashoka
was the third ruler of the illustrious Maurya dynasty and was one of
the most powerful kings of the Indian subcontinent in ancient times. His
reign between 273 BC and 232 B.C. was one of the most prosperous
periods in the history of India. Ashoka’s empire consisted most of
India, South Asia and beyond, stretching from present day Afghanistan
and parts of Persia in the west, to Bengal and Assam in the east, and
Mysore in the south. Buddhist literature document Ashoka as a cruel and
ruthless monarch who underwent a change of heart after experiencing a
particularly gruesome war, the Battle of Kalinga. After the war, he
embraced Buddhism and dedicated his life towards dissemination of the
tenets of the religion. He became a benevolent king, driving his
administration to make a just and bountiful environment for his
subjects. Owing to his benevolent nature as a ruler, he was given the
title ‘Devanampriya Priyadarshi’. Ashoka and his glorious rule is
associated with one of the most prosperous time in the history of India
and as a tribute to his non-partisan philosophies, the Dharma Chakra
adorning the Ashok stambh has been made a part of the Indian National
Flag. The emblem of the Republic of India has been adapted from the Lion
Capital of Ashoka.

Early Life

Ashoka
was born to Mauryan King Bindusara and his queen Devi Dharma in 304
B.C. He was the grandson of the great Chandragupta Maurya, the founder
emperor of the Maurya Dynasty. Dharma (alternatively known as
Subhadrangi or Janapadkalyani) was the daughter of a Brahmin priest from
the kindom of Champa, and was assigned relatively low position in the
royal household owing to politics therein. By virtue of his mother’s
position, Ashoka also received a low position among the princes. He had
only one younger sibling, Vithashoka, but, several elder half-brothers.
Right from his childhood days Ashoka showed great promise in the field
of weaponry skills as well as academics. Ashoka’s father Bindusara,
impressed with his skill and knowledge, appointed him as the Governer of
Avanti. Here he met and married Devi, the daughter of a tradesman from
Vidisha. Ashoka and Devi had two children, son Mahendra and daughter
Sanghamitra.

Asoka
quickly grew into an excellent warrior general and an astute statesman.
His command on the Mauryan army started growing day by day. Ashoka’s
elder brothers became jealous of him and they assumed him being favoured
by King Bindusara as his successor to the throne. King Bindusara’s
eldest son Sushima convinced his father to send Ashoka far away from the
capital city of Pataliputra to Takshashila province. The excuse given
was to subdue a revolt by the citizens of Takshashila. However, the
moment Ashoka reached the province, the militias welcomed him with open
arms and the uprising came to an end without any fight. This particular
success of Asoka made his elder brothers, especially Susima, more
insecure.

Accession to the Throne

Susima
started inciting Bindusara against Ashoka, who was then sent into exile
by the emperor. Ashoka went to Kalinga, where he met a fisherwoman
named Kaurwaki. He fell in love with her and later, made Kaurwaki his
second or third wife. Soon, the province of Ujjain started witnessing a
violent uprising. Emperor Bindusara called back Ashoka from exile and
sent him to Ujjain. The prince was injured in the ensuing battle and was
treated by Buddhist monks and nuns. It was in Ujjain that Asoka first
came to know about the life and teachings of Buddha.

In
the following year, Bindusura became seriously ill and was literally on
his deathbed. Sushima was nominated successor by the king but his
autocratic nature made him unfavourable among the ministers. A group of
ministers, led by Radhagupta, called upon Ashoka to assume the crown.
Following Bindusara’s death in 272 B.C., Ashoka attacked Pataliputra,
defeated and killed all his brothers, including Sushima. Among all his
brothers he only spared his younger brother Vithashoka. His coronation
took place four years after his ascent to throne. Buddhist literatures
describe Ashoka as a cruel, ruthless and bad-tempered ruler. He was
named ‘Chanda’ Ashoka meaning Ashoka the Terrible, due to his
disposition at that time. He was attributed with building Ashoka’s Hell,
a torture chamber manned by an executioner to punish offenders.

After
he became the empperor, Ashoka launched brutal assaults to expand his
empire, which lasted for around eight years. Although the Maurya Empire
that he inherited was quite sizable, he expanded the borders
exponentially. His kingdom stretched from Iran-Afghanistan borders in
the West to Burma in the east. He annexed the whole of Southern India
except Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka). The only kingdom outside his grasp
was Kalinga which is the modern day Orissa.

The Battle of Kalinga and Submission to Buddhism

Ashoka
launched an assault to conquer Kalinga during 265 B.C. and the battle
of Kalinga became a turning point in his life. Ashoka personally led the
conquest and secured victory. On his orders, the whole of province was
plundered, cities were destroyed and thousands of people were killed.

The
morning after the victory he went out to survey the states of things
and encountered nothing except burnt houses and scattered corpses.
Having brought face to face with the consequences of war, for the first
time he felt overwhelmed with the brutality of his actions. He saw
flashes of the destruction that his conquest had wrought even after
returning to Pataliputra. He experienced an utter crisis of faith during
this period and sought penance for his past deeds. He vowed never to
practice violence again and devoted himself completely to Buddhism. He
followed the directives of Brahmin Buddhist gurus Radhaswami and
Manjushri and started propagating Buddhist principles throughout his
kingdom. Thus Chandashoka morphed into Dharmashoka or the pious Ashoka.

Administration of Ashoka

The
administration of Ashoka after his spiritual transformation was focused
solely on the well-being of his subjects. The emperor was at the helm
of the administration following the established model put forward by
Mauryan Kings before Ashoka. He was closely assisted in his
administrative duties by his younger brother, Vithashoka and a group of
trusted ministers, whom Ashoka consulted before adopting any new
administrative policy. The most important members of this advisory
council included the Yuvaraj (Crown Prince), the Mahamantri (Prime
Minister), the Senapati (general), and the Purohita (priest). Asoka’s
reign saw introduction of a large number of benevolent policies as
compared to his predecessors. He adopted a paternalistic view on
administration and proclaimed “All men are my Children”, as evident from
the Kalinga edict. He also expressed his indebtedness to his subjects
for bestowing with their love and respect, and that he considered it his
duty to serve for their greater good.

His
kingdom was divided into Pradesha or provinces which were subdivided
into Vishyas or subdivisions and Janapadas, which were further
subdivided into villages.The five chief provinces under Ashoka’s reign
were the Uttarapatha(Northern Province) with its capital at Taxila;
Avantiratha (western province) with its headquarters at Ujjain;
Prachyapatha (eastern province) with its centre at Toshali and the
Dakshinapatha (southern province) with its capital as Suvarnagiri. The
central province, Magadha with its capital at Pataliputra was the
administrative centre of the empire. Each province was granted partial
autonomy at the hand of a crown prince who was responsible for
controlling the overall law enforcement, but the emperor himself
retained much of the financial and administrative controls. These
provincial heads were altered from time to time to prevent any one of
them exerting power over a long period of time. He appointed several
Pativedakas or reporters, who would report to him the general and public
affairs, leading the king to take necessary steps.

Although
Ashoka built his empire on the principles of non-violence, he followed
the instructions outlined in the Arthashastra for the characters of the
Perfect King. He introduced legal reforms like Danda Samahara and
Vyavahara Samahara, clearly pointing out to his subjects the way of life
that is to be led by them. The overall judicial and administration were
overseen by Amatyas or civil servants whose functions were clearly
delineated by the Emperor. The Akshapataladhyaksha was in charge of
currency and accounts of the entire administration. The Akaradhyaksha
was in-charge of mining and other metallurgical endeavours. The
Sulkadhyaksa was in charge of collecting the taxes. The Panyadhyaksha
was controller of commerce. The Sitadhyaksha was in charge of
agriculture. The emperor employed a network of spies who offered him
tactical advantages in diplomatic matters. The administration conducted
regular census along with other information as caste and occupation.

Religious Policy: Ashoka’s Dhamma

Ashoka
made Buddhism the state religion around 260 B.C. He was perhaps the
first emperor in history of India who tried to establish a Buddhist
polity by implementing the Dasa Raja Dharma or the ten precepts outlined
by Lord Buddha himself as the duty of a perfect ruler. They are
enumerated as:

1.To be liberal and avoid selfishness

2. To maintain a high moral character

3. To be prepared to sacrifice one’s own pleasure for the well-being of the subjects

4. To be honest and maintain absolute integrity

5. To be kind and gentle

6. To lead a simple life for the subjects to emulate

7. To be free from hatred of any kind

8. To exercise non-violence

9. To practice patience

10. To respect public opinion to promote peace and harmony

Based
on these 10 principles preached by Lord Buddha, Ashoka dictated the
practice of Dharma that became the backbone of his philanthropic and
tolerant administration. Dharma was neither a new religion nor a new
political philosophy. It was a way of life, outlined in a code of
conduct and a set of principles that he encouraged his subjects to adopt
to lead a peaceful and prosperous life. He undertook the propagation of
these philosophies through publication of 14 edicts that he spread out
throughout his empire.

Ashoka’s Edicts:

1. No living being were to be slaughtered or sacrificed.

2. Medical care for human as well as animals throughout his Empire

3. Monks to tour the empire every five years teaching the principles of dharma to the common people.

4. One should always respect one’s parents, priests and monks

5. Prisoners to be treated humanely

6.
He encouraged his subjects to report to him their concerns regarding
the welfare of the administration at all times no matter where he is or
what he is doing.

7. He welcomed all religions as they desire self-control and purity of heart.

8. He encouraged his subjects to give to monks, Brahmans and to the needy.

9.
Reverence for the dharma and a proper attitude towards teachers was
considered better than marriage or other worldly celebrations, by the
Emperor.

10. Emperor surmised that glory and fame count for nothing if people do not respect the dharma.

11. He considered giving the dharma to others is the best gift anyone can have.

12.
Whoever praises his own religion, due to excessive devotion, and
condemns others with the thought “Let me glorify my own religion,” only
harms his own religion. Therefore contact (between religions) is good.

13.
Ashoka preached that conquest by the dhamma is superior to conquest by
force but if conquest by force is carried out, it should be ‘forbearance
and light punishment’.

14. The 14 edicts were written so that people might act in accordance with them.

He got these 14 edicts engraved in stone pillars and slabs and had them placed at strategic places around his kingdom.

Role in Dissemination of Buddhism

Throughout
his life, ‘Asoka the Great’ followed the policy of non-violence or
ahimsa. Even the slaughter or mutilation of animals was abolished in his
kingdom. He promoted the concept of vegetarianism. The caste system
ceased to exist in his eyes and he treated all his subjects as equals.
At the same time, each and every person was given the rights to freedom,
tolerance, and equality.

The
third council of Buddhism was held under the patronage of Emperor
Ashoka. He also supported the Vibhajjavada sub-school of the
Sthaviravada sect, now known as the Pali Theravada.

He
sent missionaries to far of places to propagate the ideals of Buddhism
and inspire people to live by the teachings of Lord Buddha. He even
engaged members of the royal family, including his son and daughter,
Mahendra and Sanghamitra, to carry out duties of Buddhist missionaries.
His missionaries went to the below mentioned places - Seleucid Empire
(Middle Asia), Egypt, Macedonia, Cyrene (Libya), and Epirus (Greece and
Albania). He also sent dignitaries all over his empire to propagate his
ideals of Dhamma based on Buddhist philosophy. Some of these are listed
as follows:

Kashmir - Gandhara Majjhantika

Mahisamandala (Mysore) - Mahadeva

Vanavasi (Tamil Nadu) - Rakkhita

Aparantaka (Gujarat and Sindh) - Yona Dhammarakkhita

Maharattha (Maharashtra) - Mahadhammarakkhita

“Country of the Yona” (Bactria/ Seleucid Empire) - Maharakkhita

Himavanta (Nepal) - Majjhima

Suvannabhumi (Thailand/ Myanmar) - Sona and Uttara

Lankadipa (Sri Lanka) - Mahamahinda

Demise

After
ruling over the Indian subcontinent for a period of approximately 40
years, the Great Emperor Asoka left for the holy abode in 232 BC. After
his death, his empire lasted just fifty more years.

Ashoka’s Legacy

Buddhist
Emperor Asoka built thousands of Stupas and Viharas for Buddhist
followers. One of his stupas, the Great Sanchi Stupa, has been declared
as a World Heritage Site by UNECSO. The Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath has a
four-lion capital, which was later adopted as the national emblem of the
modern Indian republic.