Histroy 1 Project Anu PDF
Histroy 1 Project Anu PDF
Histroy 1 Project Anu PDF
SESSION 2018-19
PROJECT- TRIMESTER V
HISTORY – I
Submitted to:-
Submitted by :-
Anushri Bhalavi
2018 (BALLB) 53
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• CONCLUSION
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
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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
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.
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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 was extremely fond of hunting;
according to Vedic legend, he even killed a lion using only a wooden
stick. His older half-brothers feared Ashoka, and convinced his father to
post him as a general to distant frontiers of the Mauryan Empire. Ashoka
proved a competent general, likely much to his brothers' dismay, putting
down a rebellion in the Punjabi city of Taxshila. Aware that his brothers
viewed him as a rival for the throne, Ashoka went into exile for two years
in the neighboring country of Kalinga. While there, he fell in love with a
commoner, a fisher-woman named Kaurwaki. The two later married.
Bindusara recalled his son to Maurya after two years to help quell an
uprising in Ujjain, the former capital of the Avanti Kingdom. Ashoka
succeeded, but was injured in the fighting. Buddhist monks tended to the
wounded prince in secret, so that his eldest brother, the heir-apparent
Susima, would not learn of Ashoka's injuries. Their patient learned the
basic tenets of Buddhism from them. A woman from Vidisha called Devi
also attended Ashoka during this period - he fell in love with her and
married her.
He had annexed the area between 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
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basis for this story. Ashoka has spoken affectionately about his brothers
in his rock inscriptions.
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. Ashoka had led the invasion in person,
and he went out into the capital city of the Kalingas the morning after his
victory to survey the damage. The ruined houses and bloodied corpses
sickened the emperor, and he underwent a religious epiphany. Although
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he had considered himself more or less Buddhist prior to that day, the
carnage at Kalinga led Ashoka to devote himself to Buddhism. He vowed
to practice ahimsa from that day forward. 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. It was also during his time that he was given the name---
‘Chandashok’.
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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
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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.
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.
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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.
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 Ashoka's edicts was that there was no greater
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god than truth, nothing surpasses truth {Satyameva Jayate). Never once
did he invoke the name of any god, Hindu or otherwise, in his edicts.
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
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and abroad, and probably built the first major Buddhist monuments.
Asoka died in 232 B.C. in the thirty-eighth year of his reign.
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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.
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
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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.
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 Buddhist teachings committed to writing,
although there is no mention either by name or instantiation of the Four
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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.
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
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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 officers called Dhamma Mahamatras whose job it was to
look after the affairs of various religious bodies and to encourage the
practice of religion.
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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.
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
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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.
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.
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
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and his great grandsons to advance the practice of Dhamma , until the end
of the world.
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.
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
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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.
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.
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
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extent that people adopt Dhamma and follow it. He wanted all men to
escape evil inclinations, for a better after life.
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.
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.
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.
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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. 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Yet the ideology of Dhamma died with the death of the emperor. As an
attempt to 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:
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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