Ashoka The Great
The Rise of Ashoka the Great and the Mauryan Empire
In 326 BC, Alexander The Great crossed the Hindu Kush mountains and entered India. At the Indus River, he demanded Porus and Omphis, two rivals, submit to him. Omphis of Taxila surrendered, Porus resisted, fought Alexander at the Hydaspes River, and lost. While Alexander aimed to conquer India, he chose to retreat to Babylon because of his army’s injuries and rumors of a massive kingdom in the East with immeasurable wealth, legions, and an enormous cavalry with over 250,000 infantry. This was the Nanda Empire in the Magadha region. Alexander’s earlier attack had destabilized northern India.
In 320 BC, Chandragupta Maurya, the first Mauryan emperor, stood tall. According to Brahim sources, he was a Shudra, a peasant; however, Buddhist texts cite him as part of the Kshatriya, the warrior caste. Word spread and Chandragupta heard about Alexander’s conquest, leading him to learn about war, geopolitics, and weaponry. After gaining followers and studying ancient warfare, he attacked Nanda’s capital, Pataliputra, and failed. Chandragupta then opted to strike the Northwest, which Alexander had weakened, and used his control to cut off supplies to the capital, leading to the fall of the Nanda dynasty.
He fought, beat, and allied with Seleucus, the successor of Alexander The Great. Chandragupta was given 500 war elephants and Seleucus’ daughter in marriage in exchange for peace. Bindusara, Chandragupta’s son, continued his father’s domestic and foreign policies, such as his relationship with Seleucus and religious tolerance. He moved into the Deccan Plateau and expanded his empire.
Ashoka was the second of Bindusara’s three sons. The oldest was Susima, and the youngest was Vitashoka. Ashoka was never in line for the throne because his mother, Subhadrangi, was a commoner, while Susima’s mother was a princess. Princes were sent to govern provinces, and Ashoka was too. At 18, he went to Taxila, the silk hub, which he accomplished quickly. Taxila was scholarly and filled with different faiths. Ashoka was exposed to it, allowing him to become sophisticated, knowledgeable and aware of the world around him.
Ashoka was next sent to Ujjain, the capital of the Avanti province. He began to build a reputation for himself and was highly regarded within the empire. Here, Ashoka fell in love with Devi, the daughter of a trader. She was a member of the Sakya clan of Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha himself. She was a Buddhist and the mother of Ashoka’s kids, Mahendra and Sanghamitra.
In 274 BC, Bindusara passed away. There is debate about what happened next, but it’s believed to be a four-year civil war between Ashoka and his brothers. Ashoka acted fast, occupied the capital, and was supported by his father’s ministers. The support of the empire allowed him to be crowned emperor in 270 BC. His first act as emperor was the continued expansion of his empire because, at this time, Indian rulers wanted to be known as the Chakravartin, the King of Kings by rivals. Practical and economic reasons were also crucial since taxes were the Mauryan Empire’s primary source of revenue–the more land a king conquered, the more taxes he gained. However, administrative and military expenses piled up, leading to a cycle of violence.
In 262 BC, the Mauryan army marched into the Kingdom of Kalinga. They expected it to be easy because of past endeavors but faced a brutal, grinding conflict against a courageous enemy. According to legend, Ashoka won because of the horrible carnage, not because of Kalinga’s surrender. After the battle, Ashoka stood on the battlefield, and where most monarchs would have rejoiced, he felt horror and remorse. He was aware of not only the immediate damage but also the lasting effects. The sons without fathers, mothers robbed of their children, and spouses lost.
Ashoka became mindful of the true cost of war. He was the first ruler who publicly admitted that he “felt remorse after conquering Kalinga.” Ashoka stated, “Even one-hundredth or one-thousandth part of those who were slain, died or captured in Kalinga is considered regrettable by the Beloved of The Gods.” He declared that he’d never bear arms again and would use his wealth and power to build a society where people lived by the rules of virtue and morality.
The battle of Kalinga led Ashoka to the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, The Buddha, who preached benevolence and peace two centuries prior. He was the first king to convert to Buddhism. Legend says he was quick to convert but chose a slow integration path to benefit himself, his empire, and his subjects. He opted to take this path to remain tolerant and allow for peace between Buddhism and the other two dominant religions, the Hindu Brahmanic faith and Jainism.
In one of Ashoka’s edicts, he said, “Should one blame other religions, or over glorify one’s own religion, they are instead doing harm to it, an act that should not be done.” Two years later, he studied under Buddhist monks and was accepted into the Sangha, the Buddhist community. His tutor was a monk named Bhikku Upagupta of Mathura. He took Ashoka on a pilgrimage to important sites in the Buddhist faith, such as Lumbini, where Siddartha Gautama was born; Bodh Gaya, where he achieved enlightenment; Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first lecture; and Kushinagar, where he died and attained Nirvana. Ashoka created pillars with edicts and royal orders at all these places. He had officials read them to the illiterate population so everyone knew the orders.
After shifting to Buddhism, he didn’t desire materialistic items anymore. He wanted “children to obtain every kind of welfare both in this and the next world,” according to his edicts. We must remember that, above all else, Asoka was an emperor. He wasn’t a teacher, philosopher, or monk. Running an empire only sometimes produced peaceful outcomes. There were concerns that once Ashoka’s shift to pacifism had echoed, provinces would rebel, and neighboring kings would invade. Even though he had given up expansion, he fiercely defended his empire and refused to disband his empire. Rebellions were shut down immediately, and foreigners were met with military force. He was almost a father figure to his people, caring but a disciplinarian and willing to inflict punishment. However, the edicts showcase Ashoka as nearly pleading with his people not to force him to act on the penalties.
Adivasi, or tribal people of India, were told that Ashoka still had the will to punish people for their injustices if needed. “They should be ashamed of their wrongs, lest they be killed.” A.L Basham, a British historian, stated, “While Ashoka could seemingly be naive, he was still indefatigable, strong-willed, and imperious.” He strived to change the attitude of his people and spread his idea of universally correct values.
Ashoka used to hunt and wield swords but now goes on Dharmayatra, a spiritual pilgrimage, where he went to holy sites and met his subjects. He spoke to locals to ensure they were happy and heard their compliments or complaints about local officials. In this way, he was the first Indian king to think of the welfare of the poor rather than using them for tax revenue. “The finest conquest is the conquest of right, not might” (Ashoka). He spread the rules of Ashoka’s Dhamma, his rules of good behavior that should be followed. For example, Ashoka believed that you should obey parents and teachers, behave properly towards holy men, servants, friends, and the poor, and be kind and generous to the old and vulnerable. Nonviolence towards all living creatures, whether humans, birds, or animals. A few edicts speak about how each kitchen will only slaughter a small amount of animals for food.
He obeyed the same rules that he set for his people. For example, he consistently upheld and renovated infrastructure; he ordered shade trees to be planted along roads for protection against rain and the sun, mango groves be planted to provide food, and that watering areas be dug to provide water for travelers.
In 253 BC, a gathering of Buddhist monks at Pataliputra was hosted by Ashoka. A decision was made to move a team of Bhikshus to other foreign kingdoms to spread the teachings of the Buddha. The missionaries are said to have reached Kashmir, Gandhara, the Greek Hellenistic kingdoms, North Africa, Burma, and Sri Lanka. One of the men named, Dharmarakshita, nicknamed ‘Yona’ or ‘Ionian’ in texts, was thought to be a Greek convert who wrote, The Wheel of Sharp Weapons. He is mentioned in the Mahavamsa, a historical poem in the Pali Language that deals with the Kings of Sri Lanka. The first version of Mahavamsa dates back to the 3–4th century BC during the reign of King Vijaya.
The lead missionary of this time was Prince Mahendra, Ashoka’s firstborn. In 249 BC, Mahendra went to Sri Lanka, then called Tamraparni, by invitation from King Devanampiya Tissa, an admirer of Ashoka and a man who wished to learn more about Buddhist principles. The trip to Sri Lanka was so successful that it gradually became a Buddhist country and remains so even today (70%).
Ashoka died at 72 years old and reigned for 38 years. The Mauryan empire fell 50 years later, but Ashoka ruled the largest indigenous empire in Indian history. Buddhism is a world religion today because of the steps taken by Ashoka to spread it to the world. As the centuries progressed after Ashoka’s death, Buddhism made its way to Tibet, China, and even as far as Japan.
