Emperor Ashoka The Great
Emperor Ashoka is considered one of the most influential figures in India's history. He was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the great Mauryan empire. He is believed to have lived between 304–232 BC. Popularly
known as Ashoka The Great, he ruled over most of present-day India
during the years 269 - 232 BC. After numerous conquests, including the
powerful Kalinga empire, his kingdom stretched from present-day Pakistan
& Afghanistan in the west, to the present-day Bangladesh and Assam
(Indian state) in the east, and ranged as far south as northern Kerala.
His empire was headquartered in Magadha (modern day state of Bihar).
Ashoka,
his name meaning "painless, without sorrow" in Sanskrit, was born to
King Bindusara and Queen Subhadrangi, the daughter of Champa of
Telangana. He had several elder siblings, all of whom were his
half-brothers from other wives of Bindusāra. From a very young age,
Ashoka received military and warfare training. He was an accomplished
hunter, and according to a legend, he killed a lion with just a wooden
rod. He was a skilled fighter, whose expertise with the sword was well
known. He acquired the reputation of a fierce warrior and a heartless
general.
Bindusara's
death in 273 BC led to a succession war. Bindusara wanted his son
Sushim to succeed him but Ashoka was supported by his father's
ministers. According to one legend, Ashoka became the king by getting
rid of the legitimate heir to the throne, by tricking him into entering a
pit filled with live coals. Another legend states that he killed 99 of
his brothers, sparing only one, named Tissa. Ashoka’s coronation took
place in 269 BC, four years after his succession to the throne.
In
the initial years of his reign, Ashoka is said to have had bad temper
and was wicked by nature. Legend goes that he administered a loyalty
test to his ministers and killed those that failed. He also kept a harem
of hundreds of women and burnt many of them to death when he felt that
they insulted him. He built an elaborate and horrific torture chamber
which earned him the name of Chand Ashoka, meaning Ashoka the Fierce.
Although
the early part of Ashoka's reign was violent and gory, the war with
Kalinga became a key turning point in his life. The kingdom of Kalinga
was situated on the east coast of India (present-day states of southern
Orissa and north coastal Andhra). It prided itself on its sovereignty
and monarchial democracy. This was quite an exception in ancient Bharata
(India) where the prevalent custom was that of an absolute monarchy.
The Kalinga battle was bloody and left more than 100,000 soldiers and
many civilians dead or deported. It is said that when Ashoka was walking
through the grounds of Kalinga after his conquest, rejoicing his
victory, he was moved by the horrific sight of thousands of bodies
strewn across the landscape. The piercing wails of the kith and kin of
the dead made a lasting impression on his mind. He cried out -
What
have I done? Is this a victory or a defeat? Is this justice or
injustice? Is it gallantry or a rout? Is it valor to kill innocent
children and women? Do I do it to widen the empire and for prosperity or
to destroy the other's kingdom and splendor? One has lost her husband,
someone else a father, someone a child, someone an unborn infant. What's
this debris of corpses? Are these marks of victory or defeat? Are these
vultures, crows, eagles the messengers of death or evil?
Mauryan Empire During the Reign of Ashoka
The
brutality of the Kalinga conquest led Ashoka to embrace Buddhism, and
marked the beginning of a peaceful and glorious chapter of his life. He
was so influenced by the teachings of Gautam Buddha that he made
Buddhism his state religion around 260 BC, and preached it within his
domain and worldwide from about 250 BC. It is said that he propagated it
as far as ancient Rome and Egypt. He whole heartedly adopted the
principles of Dhamma (righteousness) namely, ahimsa (nonviolence), love,
truth, tolerance and vegetarianism. He constructed hospitals for
animals, renovated major roads throughout India, attempted to raise the
professional ambition of the common man by building universities for
study, and water transit and irrigation systems for trade and
agriculture. He undertook many philanthropic and developmental
activities for his subjects. After this transformation, Ashoka came to
be known as Dhammashoka, meaning Ashoka, the follower of Dharma.
Ashoka
established many monuments such as stupas, viharas and stambhas
venerating Buddhism. The most famous among them are the Sanchi stupa,
the Ashoka stambha of Sarnath and the Lion Capital with Ashoka Chakra
carved at its center. The Lion capital is a sculpture of four "Indian
lions" standing back to back. It was originally placed atop the Ashoka
stambha at Sarnath, but is now in the Sarnath Museum in Uttar Pradesh.
This Lion Capital has been adopted as the National Emblem of India and
the Ashoka Chakra (wheel of Dharma or Sharmachakra) has been placed onto
the center of the Flag of India. Ashoka played a critical role in
making Buddhism a world religion. As the peace-loving ruler of one of
the world's largest, richest and most powerful multi-ethnic states, he
is considered an exemplary ruler, who tried to put into practice a
secular state ethic of non-violence.
The
source of much of our knowledge of Ashoka is the many inscriptions he
had carved on pillars and rocks throughout the empire. All his
inscriptions have the imperial touch and show compassionate loving. He
addressed his people as his "children". These inscriptions promoted
Buddhist morality and encouraged nonviolence and adherence to Dharma
(duty or proper behavior), and they talk of his fame and conquered lands
as well as the neighboring kingdoms holding up his might. One also gets
some primary information about the Kalinga War and Ashoka's allies plus
some useful knowledge on the civil administration. Ashoka's own words
as known from his Edicts are: "All men are my children. I am like a
father to them. As every father desires the good and the happiness of
his children, I wish that all men should be happy always."
Sanchi Stupa
Ashoka
ruled for an estimated forty years. After his death, the Mauryan
dynasty lasted just fifty more years. Ashoka had many wives and
children, but many of their names are lost to time. Mahindra and
Sanghamitra were twins born by his first wife, Devi, in the city of
Ujjain. He had entrusted to them the job of making his state religion,
Buddhism, more popular across the known and the unknown world. Mahindra
and Sanghamitra went into Sri Lanka and spread Buddhism there.
In
his old age, he seems to have come under the spell of his youngest wife
Tishyaraksha. It is said that she had got his son Kunala, the regent in
Takshashila, blinded by cunning. The official executioners spared
Kunala and he became a wandering singer accompanied by his favourite
wife Kanchanmala. In Pataliputra, Ashoka heard Kunala's song, and
realized that Kunala's misfortune may have been a punishment for some
past sin of the emperor himself. He condemned Tishyaraksha to death,
restoring Kunala to the court. Kunala was succeeded by his son,
Samprati, but his rule did not last long after Ashoka's death.
The
great monarch Ashoka will always be remembered as a wise, compassionate
and philanthropic king. In the history of India he will always be
Samraat Chakravartin Ashoka - the Emperor of Emperors Ashoka.
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