Ashoka: Great Chakravarti Emperor of India |

ASHOKA THE GREAT

 

Title: Devanam Priyadarshi                                                                     Birth: 304 B.C. 

Birthplace: Pataliputra (modern day Patna)                                     Dynasty: Maurya

Parents: Bindusara and Devi Dharma                                                  Reign: 268 –232 B.C.

Symbol: Lion                                                                                                   Religion: Buddhism

Spouse: Asandhimitra, Devi, Karuvaki, Padmavati, Tishyaraksha

Children: Mahendra, Sanghamitra, Tivala, Kunala, Charumati

 

Friends, you must have heard about or had not heard of Emperor Ashoka in the history of our ancient India, the ruler of this Maurya dynasty in his time, carried forward the dream of Chanakya and Chandragupta Gupta's Akhand Bharat in history. A record was established and India gave a new shape to the land expansion of the country, which was done by a king Maharaja sometime later. So let's know about such great Chakravarti Emperor Ashoka of India.

Ashoka was the third ruler of the Maurya dynasty and was one of the most powerful kings of the Indian subcontinent in ancient times. His reign was 273 BC. And 232 BC It was one of the most prosperous periods in the history of India. Ashoka's empire included most of India, South Asia and beyond, present-day Afghanistan and parts of Persia in the west, Bengal and Assam in the east and Mysore in the south।

 

Buddhist literature documents Ashoka as a cruel and merciless emperor who experienced a change of heart after experiencing a particularly grueling war, the Battle of Kalinga. After the war, he embraced Buddhism and devoted his life to propagating the principles of religion. He became a kind king, to make his administration a just and prosperous environment for his subjects. Due to his compassionate nature as a ruler, he was given the title of 'Devanampriya Priyadarshi'. Ashoka and his glorious reign are associated with one of the most prosperous times in the history of India and as a tribute to his non-partisan philosophy, the wheel of grace embellished on Ashoka's pillar was made a part of the Indian national flag is.

               
 

 

 

Ashoka was born in Mauryan King Bindusara and his queen goddess Dharma in 304 BC. He was the grandson of the great Chandragupta Maurya, the founding emperor of the Maurya dynasty. On the basis of his mother's position, Ashoka also ranked inferior among the princes. He had only one younger brother, Vitthoka, but, many older half-brothers.

Since his childhood, Ashok has a lot in the field of academics along with weapons skills

Succeeded, Ashoka's father Bindusara, impressed by his skill and knowledge, appointed him as the governor of Avanti, Ashoka rapidly developed into an outstanding warrior general and a fine statesman. His command over the Mauryan army started increasing day by day. Ashoka's elder brothers became jealous of him and they decided to make him the heir to the throne by King Bindusara.

 

Accession to the Throne

Susima started instigating Bindusara against Ashoka, who was later sent into exile by the emperor. Ashok went to Kalinga, where he met a fisherman named Kaurwaki. He fell in love with her and later made Kauravaki his second or third wife.

It was in Ujjain that Ashoka first came to know about the life and teachings of the Buddha. In the following year, Bindusara became seriously ill and literally died. Sushima was named a successor by the king but his autocratic nature made him hostile among ministers. A group of ministers led by Radhagupta called for Ashoka to take over the crown. After Bindusara's death in 272 BCE, Ashoka attacked Pataliputra, defeated and killed all his brothers including Sushima. Among all his brothers, he spared only his younger brother Vitashoka. He was crowned four years after sitting on the throne. In Buddhist literature, Ashoka is described as a cruel, cruel and ill-tempered ruler.

 

After becoming emperor, Ashoka carried out brutal attacks to expand his empire, which lasted for about eight years. Although the Mauryan Empire which he had inherited was quite large, he expanded the boundaries rapidly. His kingdom extended from the Iran-Afghanistan borders in the west to Burma in the east. He expanded the whole of southern India except Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka). The only state outside his fist was Kalinga which is modern day Orissa.

 

 

The Battle of Kalinga and Submission to Buddhism

Ashok dated 265 BC During Kalinga attacked to win. And the battle of Kalinga became a turning point in his life. Ashoka personally conquered and at his command, the entire province was looted, cities destroyed and thousands of people killed.

The morning after the victory he set out to survey the state of things and found nothing but burnt houses and shattered corpses. After experiencing the consequences of the war, for the first time he felt overwhelmed by the cruelty of his actions. He saw glimpses of destruction. He vowed never to commit violence and devoted himself completely to Buddhism. He followed the instructions of the Brahmin Buddhist Gurus Radhaswami and Manjushri and began to propagate Buddhist principles throughout his kingdom. Thus Chandrashoka joined Dharmashoka or Dharmasharana Ashoka.

 

 

Administration of Ashoka

His kingdom was divided into provinces, which were further divided into subdivisions and districts, which were further divided into villages. Five main provinces under Ashoka's reign

Takshashila had Uttarapath (northern province) with its capital.

Avantiratha (Western Province) with its headquarters at Ujjain;

 Prachetpatha (Eastern Province) with its center at Toshali

And in Dakshinapath (Southern Province) its capital is Suvarnagiri.

 The central province was the administrative center of the Kingdom of Magadha with its capital at Pataliputra.

Each province was given partial autonomy in the hands of a crown prince who controlled the overall law, but the emperor retained himself under financial and administrative controls. These provincial heads were changed from time to time to keep any one of them out of power for a long time. He appointed several correspondents, reporting him general and public affairs, prompting the king to take the necessary steps.

 

 

Religious Policy: Ashoka’s Dhamma

Ashoka dated to 260 BC Made Buddhism a state religion around. He was probably the first emperor in the history of India who tried to establish Buddhism by applying the Dasa Raja Dharma or the ten sermons told by Lord Buddha himself as the duty of a perfect ruler. They are calculated as follows: 

1. Be generous and avoid selfishness

2. To maintain high moral character

3. Be ready to sacrifice one's own pleasure for the good of the subjects

4. To be honest and maintain complete integrity

5. Be kind and gentle

6. Living a simple life to emulate subjects

7. To be free from any kind of hatred

8. Using non-violence

9. Practicing patience

10. Respecting public opinion to promote peace and harmony

 

Throughout his life, 'Ashoka the Great' followed a policy of non-violence or non-violence. Even the slaughter or mutilation of animals was abolished in their kingdom. He promoted the concept of vegetarianism. According to him, the caste system ceased to exist and he treated all his subjects as equal. Also, every person was given the right to freedom, tolerance and equality.

death

After ruling the Indian subcontinent for a period of nearly 40 years, the great emperor Ashoka left for a holy abode in 232 BCE. After his death, his empire lasted for only fifty years.

 

Ashoka’s Legacy

The Buddhist emperor Ashoka built thousands of stupas and viharas for Buddhist followers. One of his stupas, the Great Sanchi Stupa, has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNECSO. The four-lion in the Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath, which was later adopted as the national symbol of the modern Indian Republic.

 

 

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