NATIONAL LAW INSTITUTE

UNIVERSITY,
BHOPAL

Project on

“King Ashoka and the discovery of

his edicts”

HISTORY

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Prof. Uday Pratap Singh Parminder
Singh
2009 BALLB 17

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION……..……………………………………………….3

DISCOVERY OF THE EDICTS……….

…………………………………………………...……4

ASHOKA AND BUDDHISM ….……………………………...………6

MORAL PRECEPTS AND SOCIAL AND ANIMAL WELFARE.

………………………………………...………………..…10

TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE MAJOR ROCK

EDICTS…………………………………...……………...……12

CONCLUSION………………………………………..……………….17

BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………….……..……….. 19

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Introduction

King Asoka, the third monarch of the Indian Mauryan dynasty, has come to be
regarded as one of the most exemplary rulers in world history. The British historian
H.G. Wells has written: "Amidst the tens of thousands of names of monarchs that
crowd the columns of history ... the name of Asoka shines, and shines almost alone, a
star." Although Buddhist literature preserved the legend of this ruler -- the story of a
cruel and ruthless king who converted to Buddhism and thereafter established a reign
of virtue -- definitive historical records of his reign were lacking. Then in the
nineteenth century there came to light a large number of edicts, in India, Nepal,
Pakistan and Afghanistan. These edicts, inscribed on rocks and pillars, proclaim
Asoka's reforms and policies and promulgate his advice to his subjects. The present
rendering of these edicts, based on earlier translations, offers us insights into a
powerful and capable ruler's attempt to establish an empire on the foundation of
righteousness, a reign which makes the moral and spiritual welfare of his subjects its
primary concern.

King Ashoka

“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."

These are the words of an emperor who lived two thousand and three hundred years
ago. We see in history how even mere chieftains grew arrogant and used their powers
selfishly and unjustly. But the emperor who said the above words ruled over the
greater part of India. He had the power of life and death over millions of his subjects.

Ashoka was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya who was the first ruler of the
Mauryan Empire. He ruled for about twenty four years, and then, seeking peace of
mind, handed over the reigns of his empire to his son, Bindusara. This Bindusara was
the father of Ashoka. Emperor Bindusara had won the title ‘Amitraghatha’ which
means ‘one who strikes those who are unfriendly’. He had annexed the area between

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the east coast and the west coast in south India and extended his empire. He ruled
over this empire for twenty-five years and died in 272 B.C. Ashoka was crowned king

of Magadha after the death of his father. There is a story that Ashoka had all his
brothers killed for the sake of the kingdom. There is no historical basis for this story.
Ashoka has spoken affectionately about his brothers in his rock inscriptions.

Ashoka was a very intelligent statesman. He ruled over Magadha wisely and ably.
The council of ministers and officers of state were obedient, dutiful and able.
Therefore peace and plenty brightened the land.

The Kalinga war was a life altering experience for Asoka. After conquering Kalinga,
his heart was broken with grief and shame. He felt unhappy over the victory, which he
had won at the cost of so much suffering. At this time Ashoka was at the height of his
power; he was the head of a vast empire; he had no equal in wealth or armed strength.
And yet the Kalinga war, which was his first war, also became his last war. Ashoka
swore that he would never again take to arms and that he would never again commit
such a crime against humanity. And it proved to be the oath of a man of iron would.
This metamorphosis won him the noblest victory of all- Dharma. The teaching of
Buddha brought peace to Ashoka who was haunted by memories of the agony he had
seen in Kalinga.
Buddha's message of nonviolence, kind-ness and love of mankind appealed to the
unhappy Ashoka. A disciple of Buddha- Upagupta initiated him into Buddhism. From
that day Ashoka's heart became the home of compassion, right living, love and
nonviolence. He gave up hunting and eating meat. He put an end to the killing of
animals for the royal kitchen. Realizing that it was not enough if he lived a righteous
life, he proclaimed that all his subjects also should live a life of righteousness.
Two years after the Kalinga war, Asoka went on a pilgrimage which started with his
visit to Sambodhi, place where Gautama Buddha breathed last. He visited other holy
places too, his purpose being to meet Brahmins and Shramans and give them gifts and
to preach and discuss Dhamma.
But he wasn’t content with just this, he did not want the message of Dhamma to be
stagnant, therefore, he got the laws of Dharma engraved on rocks and stone pillars
both inside and outside the country. These inscriptions related to Dhamma, social
ethics and moral living. Ashoka himself has proclaimed that his desire was that his

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message should reach the people of all lands and enable them to follow and propagate
the Dharma for the welfare of the world. Such inscriptions can be seen even today
both in India and outside. In India they have been discovered in Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and at Siddapura of
Chitradurga District, Koppala and Maski in Raichur District of Karnataka. Outside
India they have been found in Peshawar District in Pakistan as well as near Khadahar
in Afghanistan and on the borders of Nepal.
To this day they are like lights of wisdom. The laws of Dharma are like the seeds of
virtue sown in the hearts of the people. They are steps leading to salvation.
Asoka appointed officers called 'Dharma - Mahamatras' in order to spread these ideas
among the people. It was the duty of the Dharma - Mahamatras to also see that the
money meant for religious purposes was spent properly. They toured the empire and
visited the courts of justice also. They set right the errors in the conduct of affairs and
in the awards of punishments. Such officers do not seem to have been appointed
anywhere else in the history of the world.

Ashoka worked hard especially for the spread of education in his land. Nalanda is
famous in history; it was the center of education and the University of Magadha. It is
said that Ashoka founded it. During his time trade with foreign countries was carried
on by sea routes. He encouraged agriculture, trade and industries. There were canals
to help irrigation. All the money paid into the government treasury was spent for the
welfare of the people.

Asoka has big roads laid to help the growth of business and industries. For the benefit
of travellers he had trees planted on both sides of the roads. Wells were dug and
guesthouses and rest houses were put up. There was free medical aid both for men and
for animals. Asoka is among the first in the world who built hospitals for the
treatment of animals. He got medicinal plants and a variety of fruit-bearing trees from
several places and planted them where they were not found. In one inscription he has
expressed the wish that even the forest dwellers in his empire should live happily.

He worked hard without rest and taught the people to live a life of truthfulness,
Dharma, Justice and morality. There was happiness and peace. There were social
gatherings at which people of all castes and creeds gathered and enjoyed themselves
without feeling of high and low.

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Not much is known about the last ten years of his life and about his death. Some say,
'The emperor got disgusted in life and therefore he went on a pilgrimage as a Buddhist
monk with his teacher, for the peace of his mind. At last he reached Taxila and stayed
there. Ashoka, the beloved of Gods and men, left the earth at the age of seventy-two.

Discovery of the Edicts

With the rediscovery and translation of Indian literature by European scholars in the
19th century, it was not just the religion and philosophy of Buddhism that came to
light, but also its many legendary histories and biographies. Amongst this class of
literature, one name that came to be noticed was that of Asoka, a good king who was
supposed to have ruled India in the distant past. Stories about this king, similar in
outline but differing greatly in details, were found in the Divyavadana, the
Asokavadana, the Mahavamsa and several other works. They told of an exceptionally
cruel and ruthless prince who had many of his brothers killed in order to seize the
throne, who was dramatically converted to Buddhism and who ruled wisely and justly
for the rest of his life.

But in 1837, James Prinsep succeeded in deciphering an ancient inscription on a

large stone pillar in Delhi. Several other pillars and rocks with similar inscriptions had
been known for some time and had attracted the curiosity of scholars. Prinsep's
inscription proved to be a series of edicts issued by a king calling himself "Beloved-
of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi." In the following decades, more and more edicts by this
same king were discovered and with increasingly accurate decipherment of their
language, a more complete picture of this man and his deeds began to emerge.
Gradually, it dawned on scholars that the King Piyadasi of the edicts might be the
King Asoka so often praised in Buddhist legends. However, it was not until 1915,
when another edict actually mentioning the name Asoka was discovered, that the
identification was confirmed. Having been forgotten for nearly 700 years, one of the
greatest men in history became known to the world once again.

The Ashokan rock texts add up to about 5000 words, none of which contain any
criticisms of any foreign country, any tribe, any clan or any person. The basis of all of

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Ashoka's edicts was that there was no greater god than truth, nothing surpasses truth
{Satyameva Jayate). Never once did he invoke the name of any god, Hindu or
otherwise, in his edicts.

With a few exceptions they contain no commemoration of any historical incident.

They were intended not only for the guidance of contemporaries but for the perpetual
guidance of posterity, of future generations of rulers and subject

Asoka's edicts are mainly concerned with the reforms he instituted and the moral
principles he recommended in his attempt to create a just and humane society.
As such, they give us little information about his life, the details of which have to be
culled from other sources. Although the exact dates of Asoka's life are a matter of
dispute among scholars, he was born in about 304 B.C. and became the third king of
the Mauryan dynasty after the death of his father, Bindusara. His given name was
Asoka but he assumed the title Devanampiya Piyadasi which means "Beloved-of-
the-Gods, He Who Looks On With Affection." There seems to have been a two-
year war of succession during which at least one of Asoka's brothers was killed. In
262 B.C., eight years after his coronation, Asoka's armies attacked and conquered
Kalinga, a country that roughly corresponds to the modern state of Orissa. The loss of
life caused by battle, reprisals, deportations and the turmoil that always exists in the
aftermath of war so horrified Asoka that it brought about a complete change in his
personality. It seems that Asoka had been calling himself a Buddhist for at least two
years prior to the Kalinga war, but his commitment to Buddhism was only lukewarm
and perhaps had a political motive behind it. But after the war Asoka dedicated the
rest of his life trying to apply Buddhist principles to the administration of his vast
empire. He had a crucial part to play in helping Buddhism to spread both throughout
India and abroad, and probably built the first major Buddhist monuments. Asoka died
in 232 B.C. in the thirty-eighth year of his reign.

Asoka's edicts are to be found scattered in more than thirty places throughout
India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Most of them are written in Brahmi
script from which all Indian scripts and many of those used in Southeast Asia later
developed. The language used in the edicts found in the eastern part of the sub-
continent is a type of Magadhi, probably the official language of Asoka's court. The
language used in the edicts found in the western part of India is closer to Sanskrit

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although one bilingual edict in Afghanistan is written in Aramaic and Greek. Asoka's
edicts, which comprise the earliest decipherable corpus of written documents from
India, have survived throughout the centuries because they are written on rocks and
stone pillars. These pillars in particular are testimony to the technological and artistic
genius of ancient Indian civilization. Originally, there must have been many of them,
although only ten with inscriptions still survive. Averaging between forty and fifty
feet in height, and weighing up to fifty tons each, all the pillars were quarried at
Chunar, just south of Varanasi and dragged, sometimes hundreds of miles, to where
they were erected. Each pillar was originally capped by a capital, sometimes a
roaring lion, a noble bull or a spirited horse, and the few capitals that survive are
widely recognized as masterpieces of Indian art. Both the pillars and the capitals
exhibit a remarkable mirror-like polish that has survived despite centuries of
exposure to the elements. The location of the rock edicts is governed by the
availability of suitable rocks, but the edicts on pillars are all to be found in very
specific places. Some, like the Lumbini pillar, mark the Buddha's birthplace, while its
inscriptions commemorate Asoka's pilgrimage to that place. Others are to be found in
or near important population centres so that their edicts could be read by as many
people as possible.

There is little doubt that Asoka's edicts were written in his own words rather than
in the stylistic language in which royal edicts or proclamations in the ancient
world were usually written in. Their distinctly personal tone gives us a unique
glimpse into the personality of this complex and remarkable man. Asoka's style tends
to be somewhat repetitious and plodding as if explaining something to one who has
difficulty in understanding. Asoka frequently refers to the good works he has done,
although not in a boastful way, but more, it seems, to convince the reader of his
sincerity. In fact, an anxiousness to be thought of as a sincere person and a good
administrator is present in nearly every edict. Asoka tells his subjects that he looked
upon them as his children, that their welfare is his main concern; he apologizes for the
Kalinga war and reassures the people beyond the borders of his empire that he has no
expansionist intentions towards them. Mixed with this sincerity, there is a definite
puritanical streak in Asoka's character suggested by his disapproval of festivals and of
religious rituals many of which while being of little value were nonetheless harmless.

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Asoka and Buddhism

It is also very clear that Buddhism was the most influential force in Asoka's life
and that he hoped his subjects likewise would adopt his religion. He went on
pilgrimages to Lumbini and Bodh Gaya, sent teaching monks to various regions in
India and beyond its borders, and he was familiar enough with the sacred texts to
recommend some of them to the monastic community. It is also very clear that Asoka
saw the reforms he instituted as being a part of his duties as a Buddhist. The
association of Asoka’s name with Buddhist sources led to his edicts being interpreted
almost as Buddhist documents. Undoubtedly, Asoka was a Buddhist and much of the
ideology of Dhamma which he enunciated was inspired by Buddhism. But to equate it
totally with Buddhism and to suggest that Asoka was propagating Buddhism as the
State religion is to read more into edicts than was intended by the monarch. While he
was an enthusiastic Buddhist, he was not partisan towards his own religion or
intolerant of other religions. He seems to have genuinely hoped to be able to
encourage everyone to practice his or her own religion with the same conviction that
he practiced his.

A careful analysis of the inscriptions reveals that they were of 2 categories; some
were addressed specifically to the Buddhist church or Sangha and were concerned
with entirely with matters relating to the Sangha. The majority of the inscriptions
however addressed to the public at large and deal with questions of wider interest.

Scholars have suggested that because the edicts say nothing about the philosophical
aspects of Buddhism, Asoka had a simplistic and naive understanding of the
Dhamma. This view does not take into account the fact that the purpose of the edicts
was not to expound the truths of Buddhism, but to inform the people of Asoka's
reforms and to encourage them to be more generous, kind and moral. This being
the case, there was no reason for Asoka to discuss Buddhist philosophy. Asoka
emerges from his edicts as an able administrator, an intelligent human being and as a
devoted Buddhist, and we could expect him to take as keen an interest in Buddhist
philosophy as he did in Buddhist practice. Although the Buddha had been dead for
almost 300 years it would appear that Ashoka's rock inscription's contained the first

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Buddhist teachings committed to writing, although there is no mention either by name
or instantiation of the Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, the Chain of Causation,
or the word or idea of Nirvana. Heaven is mentioned 3 times but ultimate peace not
even once.

Moral precepts and Social and animal welfare

The contents of Asoka's edicts make it clear that all the legends about his wise and
humane rule are more than justified and qualify him to be ranked as one of the
greatest rulers. In his edicts, he spoke of what might be called state morality, and
private or individual morality. The first was what he based his administration
upon and what he hoped would lead to a more just, more spiritually inclined
society, while the second was what he recommended and encouraged individuals
to practice. Both these types of morality were imbued with the Buddhist values of
compassion, moderation, tolerance and respect for all life. The Asokan state gave up
the predatory foreign policy that had characterized the Mauryan empire up till
then and replaced it with a policy of peaceful co-existence. The judicial system
was reformed in order to make it more fair, less harsh and less open to abuse,
while those sentenced to death were given a stay of execution to prepare appeals and
regular amnesties were given to prisoners. State resources were used for useful
public works like the importation and cultivation of medical herbs, the building
of rest houses, the digging of wells at regular intervals along main roads and the
planting of fruit and shade trees. To ensue that these reforms and projects were
carried out, Asoka made himself more accessible to his subjects by going on
frequent inspection tours and he expected his district officers to follow his
example. To the same end, he gave orders that important state business or petitions
were never to be kept from him no matter what he was doing at the time. The state
had a responsibility not just to protect and promote the welfare of its people but
also its wildlife. Hunting certain species of wild animals was banned, forest and
wildlife reserves were established and cruelty to domestic and wild animals was
prohibited. The protection of all religions, their promotion and the fostering of
harmony between them, was also seen as one of the duties of the state. It even
seems that something like a Department of Religious Affairs was established with

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officers called Dhamma Mahamatras whose job it was to look after the affairs of
various religious bodies and to encourage the practice of religion.

The individual morality that Asoka hoped to foster included respect (susrusa)
towards parents, elders, teachers, friends, servants, ascetics and brahmins --
behavior that accords with the advice given to Sigala by the Buddha. He encouraged
generosity (dana) to the poor (kapana valaka), to ascetics and brahmins, and to
friends and relatives. Not surprisingly, Asoka encouraged harmlessness towards all
life (avihisa bhutanam). In conformity with the Buddha's advice in the Anguttara
Nikaya, II:282, he also considered moderation in spending and moderation in
saving to be good (apa vyayata apa bhadata). Treating people properly (samya
pratipati), he suggested, was much more important than performing ceremonies that
were supposed to bring good luck. Because it helped promote tolerance and mutual
respect, Asoka desired that people should be well-learned (bahu sruta) in the
good doctrines (kalanagama) of other people's religions.

The qualities of heart that are recommended by Asoka in the edicts indicate his deep
spirituality. They include kindness (daya), self-examination (palikhaya),
truthfulness (sace), gratitude (katamnata), purity of heart (bhava sudhi),
enthusiasm (usahena), strong loyalty (dadha bhatita), self-control (sayame) and love
of the Dhamma (Dhamma kamata).

We have no way of knowing how effective Asoka's reforms were or how long they
lasted but we do know that monarchs throughout the ancient Buddhist world were
encouraged to look to his style of government as an ideal to be followed. King Asoka
has to be credited with the first attempt to develop a Buddhist polity. Today, with
widespread disillusionment in prevailing ideologies and the search for a political
philosophy that goes beyond greed (capitalism), hatred (communism) and delusion
(dictatorships led by "infallible" leaders), Asoka's edicts may make a meaningful
contribution to the development of a more spiritually based political system.

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Translation and interpretation of the Major rock edicts

1st Major Rock Edict

The Beloved of the Gods, Piyadassi the king as he is called in his inscriptions
propagates animal welfare that no living is to be killed or sacrificed; nor is the holding
of a festival permitted as there is evil in festivals although the king approves of some.
It goes on to say that formerly in the kitchens of the Beloved of the Gods, the king
Piyadassi, many hundreds of thousands of living animals were killed daily for meat.
But now, at the time of writing this inscription on Dhamma, only three animals were
killed, two peacocks and a deer, and the deer not invariably. Even these three animal
were not killed in future.

2nd Major Rock Edict

This edict talks about the various medical facilities that were made available to the
people. Everywhere in the empire and even in the lands on its frontiers, two medical
services have been provided. These consist of the medical care of man and the care of
animals. Medicinal herbs whether useful to man or to beast, have been brought and
planted wherever they did not grow; similarly, roots and fruit have been brought and
planted wherever they did not grow. Along the roads wells have been dug and trees
planted for the use of men and beasts.

3rd Major Rock Edict

The inscription on this edict reflects the moral precepts that King Asoka preached and
that he sent the yuktas [subordinate officers] with the rajukas [rural administrators]
and the pradesikas [heads of the districts], on tour every five years, in order to instruct
people in the Dhamma as well as for other purposes. They were instructed to record
the teachings to preach to the people and also explain why it is good to be obedient to
one's mother and father, friends and relatives, to be generous to brahmans and
sramanas, it is good not to kill living beings, it is good not only to spend little, but to
own the minimum of property and lead a simple humble life.

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4th Major Rock Edict

This edict basically inscribes the principle of non violence. In the past, the killing and
injuring of living beings, lack of respect towards relatives, brahmans and sramanas
had increased. But King Asoka, through his instruction in Dhamma abstention from
killing and non-injury to living beings, deference to relatives; brahmans and
sramanas, obedience to mother and father, and to elders have all increased as never
before for many centuries. These and many other forms of the practice of Dhamma
have increased and will increase.

The edict also tells the reason why all these teachings are being inscribed on rocks;
for the simple reason that Asoka wanted his sons, his grandsons and his great
grandsons to advance the practice of Dhamma , until the end of the world.

5th Major Rock Edict

Thus talks about Asoka’s administration and his devotion to spread Dhamma. In the
past there were no officers of Dhamma, but later they were appointed to establish
Dhamma, increase the interest in Dhamma, and attend to the welfare and happiness of
those devoted to Dhamma and for the removal of their troubles. They would promote
the welfare of prisoners should they have behaved irresponsibly, or release those that
have children, are afflicted, or are aged. Everywhere throughout the empire the
officers of Dhamma were involved in everything relating to Dhamma.

6th Major Rock Edict

In the past the quick dispatch of business and the receipt of reports did not take place
at all times. But later wherever the king may be, his informants would keep him in
touch with public business. Whether it concerned a donation or a proclamation or
whatever urgent matter is entrusted to the officers, if there was any dispute or
deliberation about it in the Council, it was reported immediately. This shows that the
King was always available to solve the problems of the people and how he promptly
attended to business for the welfare of his people.

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7th Major Rock Edict

This edicts also reflect some of the moral teachings of Asoka, he said that all men
must seek self control and purity of mind, even though everyone has varying desires,
they should only practice what is required and that even he who is generous but has
no self control and purity of mind id regarded mean.

8th Major Rock Edict

In the past, kings went on pleasure tours, which consisted of hunts and other similar
amusements, but King Asoka would go to the tree of Enlightenment. From that time
arose the practice of tours connected with Dhamma, during which meetings were held
with ascetics and brahmans, gifts were bestowed, meetings were arranged with aged
folk, gold was distributed, instruction in Dhamma was given, and questions on
Dhamma were answered. The king Piyadassi, derived more pleasure from this, than
from any other enjoyments.

9th Major Rock Edict

In this edict, the relevance of ceremonies was discussed. People would practice all
kinds of ceremonies, at times of marriage, illness, birth but the King said that these
ceremonies are useless as they render small results. But the one ceremony which has
great value is that of Dhamma. This ceremony includes, regard for slaves and
servants, respect for teachers, restrained behaviour towards living being and donations
to sramanas and brahmans -- these and similar practices are called the ceremony of
Dhamma. Because the ceremony of dhamma is effective forever, as endless merit
would be produced for the life to come or in the next life.

10th Major Rock Edict

This edict shows the selfless disposition of King Asoka, it says so in the edict that he
desired no fame and glory, the king only wanted glory to the extent that people adopt
Dhamma and follow it. He wanted all men to escape evil inclinations, for a better
after life.

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11th Major Rock Edict

Here, the King Piyadassi talks about the gift of Dhamma and praises it. That is good
behaviour towards slave and servants, obedience to mother and father, generosity
towards friends, acquaintances, and relatives and towards sramanas and brahmans,
and abstention from killing living beings. People should do what’s good and that way
there would be gain in this world and infinite merit.

12th Major Rock Edict

The 12th rock edict reflects the secular outlook of King Asoka, that one should honour
all sects and both ascetics and laymen with gifts and recognition. But that is not as
important as advancement of the doctrine of the sects. One should never disparage
anyone else’s sect even out of honour to it, as by doing so one diminishes the
influence of one’s own sect and harm the other man’s. Instead one should honour the
other man’s sect.

13th Major Rock Edict

The 13th rock edict is probably the most important of all the edicts. It talks about
Asoka’s conversion to Buddhism and the impact that the Kalinga war had on Asoka.

A hundred and fifty thousand people were deported, a hundred thousand were killed
and many times that number perished. On conquering Kalinga Asoka felt remorse.
What was even more deplorable to him was that those who dwelled there, whether
brahmans, sramanas, or those of other sects, or householders who showed obedience
to their superiors, mother and father, their teachers and behaved well and devotedly
towards their friends, acquaintances, colleagues, relatives, slaves, and servants - all
suffered violence, murder, and separation from their loved ones. Even those who were
fortunate to have escaped, suffer from the misfortunes of their friends, acquaintances,
colleagues, and relatives. This participation of all men in suffering, weighed heavily
on Asoka’s mind.

Asoka believed that one who does wrong should be forgiven as far as it is possible to
forgive him. Thereafter, he embraced Dhamma and preached selflessness, generosity
and purity of mind. Asoka considered victory by Dhamma to be the foremost victory.

15
And moreover he gained this victory on all his frontiers to a distance of six hundred
yojanas [i.e. about 1500 miles], where reigns the Greek king named Antiochus, and
beyond the realm of that Antiochus in the lands of the four kings named Ptolemy,
Antigonus, Magas, and Alexander; and in the south over the Colas and Pandyas as far
as Ceylon. Likewise in the imperial territories among the Greeks and the Kambojas,
Nabhakas and Nabhapanktis, Bhojas and Pitinikas, Andhras and Parindas, everywhere
the people follow the Beloved of the Gods' instructions in Dhamma. Even where the
envoys of the Beloved of the Gods had not gone, people heard of his conduct
according to Dhamma, his precepts and his instruction in Dhamma, and they followed
dhamma and continued to follow it.

This pleasure obtained through victory by Dhamma was just a slight pleasure, what
mattered to King Asoka were the results which pertained to the next world.

This inscription of Dhamma has been engraved to tell Asoka’s descendants that they
should not think of gaining new conquests and in whatever victories they may gain
should be satisfied with patience and light punishment. They should only consider
conquest by Dhamma to be a true conquest, and delight in Dhamma should be their
whole delight, for this is of value in both this world and the next.

14th Major Rock Edict

This inscription of Dhamma was engraved at the command of the Beloved of the
Gods, the king Piyadassi. It exists in abridged, medium length, and extended versions,
for each clause has not been engraved everywhere. Since the empire is large, much
has been engraved and much has yet to be engraved. There is considerable repetition
because of the beauty of certain topics, and in order that the people may conform to
them. In some places it may be inaccurately engraved, whether by the omission of a
passage or by lack of attention, or by the error of the engraver.

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Conclusion

Asoka addressed his edicts to the entire populace, inscribing them on rock surfaces or
on specially erected and finely polished sandstone pillars, in places where people
were likely to congregate. It has been suggested that the idea of issuing such decrees
was borrowed from the Achaemenian emperors, especially from Darius, but the tone
and content of Asoka's edicts are quite different. Although the pillars, with their
animal capitals, have also been described as imitations of Achaemenian pillars, there
is sufficient originality in style to distinguish them as fine examples of Mauryan
imperial art. (The official emblem of India since 1947 is based on the four-lion capital
of the pillar at Sarnath near VaIanasi.) The carvings contrast strikingly with the
numerous small gray terra-cotta figures found at urban sites, which are clearly
expressions of Mauryan popular art.

It would appear that Asoka aimed at creating an attitude of mind among his subjects
in which social behaviour had the highest relevance.
Asoka defines the main principles of dhamma as nonviolence, tolerance of all sects
and opinions, obedience to parents, respect for the Brahmans and other religious
teachers and priests, liberality toward friends, humane treatment of servants, and
generosity toward all. These suggest a general ethic of behaviour to which no
religious or social group could object. They also could act as a focus of loyalty to
weld together the diverse strands that made up the empire. Interestingly, the Greek
versions of these edicts translate dhamma as eusebeia (piety), and no mention is made
in the inscriptions of the teachings of the Buddha, which would be expected if Asoka
had been propagating Buddhism. His own activities under the impact of dhamma
included attention to the welfare of his subjects, the building of roads and rest houses,
the planting of medicinal herbs, the establishment of centres for tending the sick, a
ban on animal sacrifices, and the curtailing of killing animals for food. He also
instituted a body of officials known as the dhamma-mahamattas, who served the dual
function of propagating the dhamma and keeping the emperor in touch with public
opinion.
Yet the ideology of Dhamma died with the death of the emperor. As an attempt to

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solve the problems of the time, it can hardly be described as a revolutionary doctrine
since it was largely an emphatic reiteration of certain existing principles of ethics. But
credit must be given to the man who had the vision to seek such a solution and the
courage to attempt it.
50 years after the death of Asoka, the Mauryan Empire declined. Some historians
have traced this decline to the policies of Asoka, claiming that the Pro- Buddhist
sympathies led to a Brahmanical Revolt against the Mauryan rulers. Others have
suggested that his adherence to non violence led to a weakening of the military
strength of the empire and laid it open to attacks. But evidence in support of these
theories is far too slight. Other possibilities must also be considered, like the latter
Mauryan rulers may have been weak and ineffectual rulers, unable to hold together
such a vast empire, Furthermore, the pressure of a highly paid bureaucracy and a large
army could not have been sustained over a period of 150 years without a strain on
agricultural economy. Finally, the strongest bond in uniting people into a political
entity- the desire on the part of the people to become a nation was lacking. The
divergencies in the various parts of the sub continent were too great to allow the
formation of a national unit. The doctrine of Dhamma which might have created a
common factor of loyalty failed to do so.

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Bibliography

Books referred:

1. Cultural History of India A.L. Bhashan

Websites referred:

1. http://www.freeindia.org/biographies/ashoka/
2. www.iloveindia.com/history/ancient-india/maurya-dynasty/rock-edicts.html
3. www.katinkahesselink.net/tibet/asoka1.html
4. www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html

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