Ashoka – The Great Indian Ruler
Ashoka has been among the greatest rulers ever born in the Indian subcontinent. That is the reason behind his being called Ashoka the Great. He is recognised not only in India but all over the world. He is among those rulers who have been referred to as “Chakravartin Samrat” as his Mauryan empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent running from present-day Afghanistan in the west to present-day Bangladesh in the east.
An immense amount of information is available about Ashoka and his reign due to his inscriptions and mentions in Buddhist literature. He is considered the major propagator of Buddhism all around the world and has played a very important role in spreading Buddhism across Asia. He is referred to by the name of “Devanampriya Priyadarshi” in many of his inscriptions which means: the one who loves the Divinity (or loved by the divinity) who looks upon others with love. The script used was generally Brahmi but the usage of Kharashthi is also noticed in some of the inscriptions of the North-Western region of the subcontinent.
Before being the emperor of the kingdom, he acted as the governor of Ujjain which was among the most important provinces of the Mauryan Empire. He also had been part of the war with Taxila while being the Governor.
Early Life
There have been limited mentions of the ancestors of Ashoka in his own inscriptions. According to Buddhist traditions, Bindusara had 16 wives and 101 sons. Ashoka was the second son of Bindusara. His mother, Subhandrangi was the chief queen and daughter of a Brahman from Anga Mahajanapada who was destined to marry a king.
Ashoka was not among the sons, who Bindusara wanted to be the successor. He was disliked by his father for having rough skin and an ugly appearance but still, Ashoka was the one who proved that he was among the ablest ones all the time. Ashoka was appointed as the viceroy of present-day Ujjain, which was among the most important administrative units of the Mauryan dynasty.
Even this fact cannot be ignored that in the time of crisis, when the rebellion was going on in Taxila, Bindusara had chosen Ashoka to get rid of the critical situation with his skills and warfare expertise. Though this step of Bindusara could be seen as a plan in which he wanted Ashoka to fail in Taxila.
Taxila rebellion
As per the instruction received by the king and his father, Ashoka was dispatched to suppress the rebellion in Taxila. Bindusara provided Ashoka with a strong army that comprised cavalry, elephants, chariots, and infantry but at the same time refused to provide any weapons to the army, raging anger of Ashoka against his father. Even after this, circumstances seemed fortunate enough and it is assumed that no full-fledged violence could be seen in suppressing the rebellion in Taxila. When Ashoka reached Taxila, he was welcomed by the common masses who claimed that they had no rage or anger against the king, but the rebellion was only against the evil ministers.
Ashoka’s visit to Taxila is not considered a fully verified event or incident by historians. Ashokavadana has a complete mention of the incident but on the other hand, the contemporary sources don’t verify it. A marble inscription situated near the Taxila is found that mentions a name that begins with the letters "prydr", which is referred to by the scientist as the word – Priyadarshi, a title given to Ashoka.
Claim over Throne
Though Ashoka was the ablest person to claim the throne, his accession to the throne was not undisputed. The reason may be the unwillingness of his father to choose him as the Heir-apparent.
The Buddhist text Mahavamsa states that when Bindusara fell ill, Ashoka returned from Ujjain to Patliputra and gained dominance over the capital. Further, he got his elder brother Susima killed along with 99 of his half-brothers to clear his way toward the throne of one of the largest empires of the subcontinent and to become the Chakravartin Samrat (Universal ruler). Though the killing of 99 brothers is considered exaggerated by historians and researchers. Mahavamsa might have mentioned it to paint him as immoral before his conversion to Buddhism.
Another reason for Ashoka’s accession to the throne might be that Susima, Bindusara's oldest son, allegedly whacked a bald minister on the head once in amusement, according to Ashokavadana. The minister was afraid Susima may punish him when he took the kingdom. He prompted 500 ministers to assist Ashoka in his claim to the throne when the time came since Ashoka was foretold to become a Chakravartin. Soon, fortunate events happened with Ashoka. Taxila rebelled again and Bindusara sent Susima to compress the rebellion. On the other hand, Bindusara felt seriously ill, and Ashoka was called by Ujjain to manage the administration. The ministers advised him to temporarily place Ashoka on the throne until Susmia returned from Taxila. Even after Bindusara refused to do so, Ashoka claimed that the throne was rightfully his, and the gods had decided his fate to become the king. As Bindusara died, he entitled himself to be the king. As Susima returned to the capital, Radhagupta, Ashoka's recently appointed prime minister, deceived Susima into a pit of charcoal when he arrived back in the city. Susima had a torturous demise.
Ashoka’s reign (before Buddhist influence)
Sri Lankan and North Indian traditions state that Ashoka was a cruel and violent king. Ashoka was initially known as "Kamashoka" because he spent a lot of time engaging in enjoyable activities (kama); he was then referred to as "Chandashoka" ("Ashoka the fierce") because he committed some evil deeds; and finally, after converting to Buddhism, he became known as Dhammashoka ("Ashoka the righteous").
After he ascended to the throne, the ministers who had assisted him began to despise him. Ashoka gave them the ludicrous directive to chop down every tree that bore flowers and fruit to test their allegiance. Ashoka personally severed the skulls of 500 ministers when they disobeyed his decree.
According to the 5th-century Chinese explorer Faxian, Ashoka personally visited the underworld to research the ways used to torture people there before coming up with his own. These claims that Ashoka was wicked before becoming a Buddhist appear to be fabrications by Buddhist authors who wanted to portray the change that Buddhism brought about in Ashoka as a miracle. Such traditions overstate Ashoka's prior evil and his post-conversion piety to dramatise this shift.
Kalinga War
According to Ashoka's edicts, he conquered Kalinga in his Eighth regnal year (about 260 BCE) after a bloody battle, and the devastation the battle produced drove him to turn away from violence. This claim is not included in his inscriptions that have been discovered in the Kalinga region, perhaps because Ashoka felt it would be politically inappropriate to confess his regrets in front of Kalinga's residents or because the claims made in the edicts are not entirely true and are intended to impress people from other areas.
The Kingdom of Kalinga, which was located on the coast south of Pataliputra, benefited greatly from commerce. The Mauryan Empire encircled Kalinga, and trade between the two policies certainly contributed to their economic success. Unknown factors led to the Kalinga campaign, but in 260 BCE, Ashoka attacked the kingdom and massacred 100,000 people, expelled 150,000 more, and left thousands of others to perish from disease and starvation.
The edicts of Ashoka imply that he began to lean more and more toward Buddhism a few years after the Kalinga War. The Kalinga War is not mentioned at all in the Buddhist tales, which instead claim that Ashoka became a Buddhist either because he was dissatisfied with the leaders of the other faiths or because he saw miracles performed by Buddhist leaders.
According to Ashoka, his desire to atone for these hardships led him to dedicate his life to the dharma's practice and spread. He declares that he now finds the killing, death, and expulsion that occur during a nation's conquest to be painful and abhorrent and that he finds the agony inflicted on the religious and domestic populations to be even more abhorrent.
Influence towards Buddhism
It is commonly believed that Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism was instantaneous, but it may have been a gradual embrace of the Buddha's teachings, which he may or may not have already known. It is certainly conceivable that Ashoka was aware of the Buddha's teaching before Kalinga but chose not to internalise it or let it influence his actions in any manner. This similar pattern has been observed in many people, both well-known monarchs and generals and those whose names will never be recognised, who profess allegiance to one religion while routinely disregarding its most fundamental tenets.
After accepting Buddhism, Ashoka set out on a road of peace and governed with fairness and charity. Whereas he had previously hunted, he now went on pilgrimage, and he established vegetarianism whereas the royal kitchen had previously slaughtered hundreds of animals for feasts. He addressed their perceived wrongs, was always accessible to his subjects, and supported the rules that benefited everyone, not just the affluent and upper class.
Ashoka’s reign (after Buddhist influence)
Even if Ashoka had personally regretted the Kalinga campaign and experienced a genuine change of heart, he would not have been able to reverse his earlier deportation policy or return Kalinga to its inhabitants because doing so would have given the impression that he was weak and might have incited other nations or foreign powers to engage in aggressive behaviour. What needed to be done was done, and the king went on, having learned from his error, he vowed to improve both as a person and as a ruler.
According to the Ashokavadana, Ashoka amassed seven of Buddha's eight relics. In cities with a population of at least 100,000, he commanded the erection of 84,000 stupas.
According to Ashoka's rock carvings, he began spreading the dhamma, made a journey to the Bodhi Tree, and engaged in social welfare work between his eighth and ninth years as king. The creation of medical treatment facilities for people and animals, the planting of medicinal herbs, the drilling of wells, and the planting of trees beside the highways were all examples of welfare initiatives. Additionally, these actions were carried out in the bordering kingdoms.
By the 12th year of his reign, Ashoka had begun to enshrine decrees to spread the dhamma. He had established the position of the dhamma-maha matta by the next year.
The notion of dhamma was developed as a result of Ashoka's reaction to conflict and the Kalinga catastrophe. Dhamma is derived from the Hindu idea of dhamma (duty), which refers to one's obligation or life's purpose. However, Buddha used dhamma to refer to cosmic law and that which should be observed. This notion is included in Ashoka's dhamma, which also enlarges it to include universal friendliness and beneficence to all.
Death and Aftermath
After an almost 40-year reign, Ashoka passed away. The Mauryan Empire was built and expanded during his rule, although it would not last even 50 years after his passing. His decrees, etched on imposing pillars, fell to the ground, and were buried by the sands, his name was soon forgotten, and his stupas grew overgrown. Inscription on the Sanchi stupa in an unknown script that British scholar and orientalist James Prinsep eventually came to understand as referencing a king by the name of Devanampiya Piyadassi who, as far as Prinsep knew, was referenced nowhere else was found when European scholars first started studying Indian history in the 19th century.
It is generally accepted that Dasharath Maurya, the grandson of Ashoka the Great, succeeded him as the imperial ruler of India. Several of the empire's provinces broke away from the central authority under Dasharatha's tenure, and he presided over a decaying imperium.
