• ahimsa
{a.häin-þa.ka.} Asoka-Great.htm
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka_the_Great 080823
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Asoka-Great
Contents of this page
Introduction
01. Embrace of Buddhism
• 01.01. Policy
• 01.02. Edicts
• 01.03. Missions to spread the Dharma/Dhamma
02. Relations with the Hellenistic word
• 02.01. Greek populations in India • 02.02.
Exchange of Ambassadors
03. Buddhist Conversion
• 03.01 Marital alliance
04. Historical sources
05. Death and legacy
• 05.01. Buddhist Kingship
Wiki notes
Wiki sources
External links
UKT notes
• ahimsa
{a.häin-þa.ka.}
Ashoka (Devanāgarī: अशोकः, IAST: Aśokaḥ, IPA: [aɕoːkə(hə)], Prakrit Imperial title: Devanampriya Priyadarsi (Devanāgarī: देवानांप्रिय प्रियदर्शी), "He who is the beloved of the Gods and who regards everyone amiably") and Dhamma (Devanāgarī: धम्मः), "Lawful, Religious, Righteous") (304 BC – 232 BC) was an Indian emperor, of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled from 273 BC to 232 BC. Often cited as one of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests. His empire stretched from present-day Pakistan, Afghanistan and parts of Iran in the west, to the present-day Bengal and Assam states of India in the east, and as far south as the Mysore state. His reign was headquartered in Magadha (present-day Bihar state of India). (fn01). He embraced Buddhism from the prevalent Vedic tradition after witnessing the mass deaths of the war of Kalinga, which he himself had waged out of a desire for conquest. He was later dedicated in the propagation of Buddhism across Asia and established monuments marking several significant sites in the life of Gautama Buddha.
UKT: A question has intrigued me. Why wouldn't Asoka crossed over into Burma from Assam? The most probable answer is that the area of Burma across the Pondaung Ponnya range was pretty much undeveloped. However, there is now evidence that there were Pyus in their well-settled villages and there was copper deposits which would be of use in making bronze implements. Another answer might be found in the story of Mahabharata. The mountain ranges in the north and north-east of India were supposed to be the abode of gods and devils to which Bhima (Sanskrit: भीम , IAST: Bhīma. UKT: {Bi-ma.}), one of the Pandava brothers went. There he married a goddess by whom he had a son - half god half human.
From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhima 080825
" He [Bhima] lived for a time in hiding with his brothers during their first exile. In this period, he came across Hidimba and Hidimbi, a rakshasha brother and sister. Because of the enmity of the rakshasha to the people of the Kuru kingdom, Hidimba asked Hidimbi to lure Bhima to a trap. However, Bhima and Hidimbi were attracted to each other. Bhima fought and killed Hidimba, and lived for a year in the forest with Hidimbi, by whom he had a son, Ghatotkacha."
Naturally, neither Asoka nor his soldiers would like to go into such a "dangerous" area. (The Chindwin valley east of Pondaung Pon-nya is the {yau:} region which even today is supposed to be the home of witches and wizards.)
Then, I remember one of my friends (a Chinese-language translator of the Burmese side at the time of border settlement between Burma and China) that the Chinese had a great fear of the country of Burma, and that according to him, in one Chinese-account, Burma was described as a land full of "astrologers" or magicians. If that were the case, I wonder whether the Myanmar script (all based on circles) was developed by ancient magicians for casting the runes. See The Cult of the Runes in Folk Elements in Burmese Buddhism by Maung Htin Aung, the Religious Affairs Dept. Press., Rangoon, BURMA. 1981.
His name "aśoka" means "without sorrow" in Sanskrit. In his edicts, he is referred to as Devānāmpriya (Devanāgarī: देवानांप्रिय)/Devānaṃpiya or "The Beloved Of The Gods", and Priyadarśin (Devanāgarī: प्रियदर्शी)/Piyadassī or "He who regards everyone amiably".
[British] Science fiction novelist H. G. Wells [1866-1946] wrote of Ashoka:
In the history of the world there have been thousands of kings and emperors who called themselves 'their highnesses,' 'their majesties,' and 'their exalted majesties' and so on. They shone for a brief moment, and as quickly disappeared. But Ashoka shines and shines brightly like a bright star, even unto this day.
Along with the Edicts of Ashoka, his legend is related in the later 2nd century Aśokāvadāna ("Narrative of Asoka") and Divyāvadāna ("Divine narrative"), and in the Sinhalese text Mahavamsa ("Great Chronicle"). Although there are many inscriptions of Ashoka, no coins which can be confidently linked to him have been found. This may be linked to the fact that his contemporary and neighbour Diodotus I has numerous coins but no inscriptions. Moreover, the Kandahar bilingual inscription clearly indicates that Ashoka was the ruler of this area but the coins point to Diodotus-I as the ruler. Dr. Ranajit Pal attempts to resolve the problem by suggesting that Ashoka was the same as Diodotus_I. (fn02). He maintains that Patali (28°19'58" La., 57°52'16" Lo.) (fn03b) near Kohnouj and Konarak in the Gulf Area was Pataliputra. (fn04). An emblem excavated from his empire is today the national emblem of India.
Ashoka The Great was a Hindu by birth but later converted to Buddhism after the battle of Kalinga. According to legend, one day after the war was over Ashoka ventured out to roam the eastern city and all he could see were burnt houses and scattered corpses. This sight made him sick and he cried the famous quotation, "What have I done?" Upon his return to Pataliputra, he could get no sleep and was constantly haunted by his deeds in Kalinga. The brutality of the conquest led him to adopt Buddhism under the guidance of the Buddhist sages Radhaswami and Manjushri (fn05) and he used his position to propagate the relatively new philosophy to new heights, as far as ancient Rome and Egypt. When the war against Kalinga ended, Asoka's warriors had killed over 100,000 people. He was filled with sorrow. He gave up war and violence, thus becoming almost the exact opposite of his grandfather, Chandragupta Maurya. He freed his prisoners and gave them back their land. He declared in his edicts:
There is no country, except among the Greeks, where these two groups, Brahmans and ascetics, are not found, and there is no country where people are not devoted to one or another religion. Therefore the killing, death or deportation of a hundredth, or even a thousandth part of those who died during the conquest of Kalinga now pains Beloved-of-the-Gods. Now Beloved-of-the-Gods thinks that even those who do wrong should be forgiven where forgiveness is possible. (fn06).
Legend has it that there was another factor that led Ashoka to Buddhism. A Mauryan princess who had been married to one of Ashoka's brothers (who Ashoka executed) fled her palace with a maid, fearing for her unborn child. After much travel, the pregnant princess collapsed under a tree in the forest, and the maid ran to a nearby ashram to fetch a priest or physician to help. Meanwhile, under the tree, the princess gave birth to a son. The young prince was brought up by the Buddhists of the ashram and educated by them. Later, when he was around thirteen years old, he caught the eye of Ashoka, who was surprised to see such a young boy dressed as a sage. When the boy calmly revealed who he was, it seemed that Ashoka was moved by guilt and compassion, and moved the boy and his mother into the palace.
Meanwhile Maharani Devi, who was a Buddhist, had brought up her children in that faith, and apparently left Ashoka after she saw the horrors of Kalinga. Ashoka was grieved by this, and was counselled by his nephew (who had been raised in the ashram and was more priest than prince) to embrace his dharma and draw away from war. Prince Mahindra and Princess Sanghamitra, the children of Maharani Devi [UKT: "Maharani" is not a name: it is a title meaning "Queen"], abhorred violence and bloodshed, but knew that as royals war would be a part of their lives. They therefore asked Ashoka for permission to join the Buddhist Sangha, which Ashoka reluctantly granted. The two siblings established Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
From that point Ashoka, who had been described as "the cruel Ashoka" (Chandashoka), started to be described as "the pious Ashoka" (Dharmashoka). He propagated the Vibhajjavada school of Buddhism and preached it within his domain and worldwide from about 250 BC. Emperor Ashoka undoubtedly has to be credited with the first serious attempt to develop a Buddhist policy.
Emperor Asoka's edicts tell of a supposed immense public works program. He built thousands of Stupas and Viharas for Buddhist followers (the Asokavadana says 84,000 such monuments were built). The Stupas of Sanchi are world famous and the stupa named Sanchi Stupa 1 was built by Emperor Ashoka. During the remaining portion of Ashoka's reign, he pursued an official policy of nonviolence or ahimsa. The unnecessary slaughter or mutilation of animals was immediately abolished. Wildlife became protected by the king's law against sport hunting and branding. Limited hunting was permitted for consumption reasons but Ashoka also promoted the concept of vegetarianism. Enormous resthouses were built through the empire to house travellers and pilgrims free of charge. Ashoka also showed mercy to those imprisoned, allowing them outside one day each year. He 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 treated his subjects as equals regardless of their religion, politics and caste. The weaker kingdoms surrounding his, which could so easily be overthrown, were instead made to be well-respected allies.
He is acclaimed for constructing hospitals for animals and people alike, and renovating major roads throughout India. However, there are historians who dispute the claim that Ashoka built any hospitals at all, and argue that it is based on a mistranslation, with references to 'rest houses' (way stations) being mistaken for hospitals. The error is thought to have occurred because similar edicts and records talk of Ashoka importing medicinal supplies. (fn07). Dharmashoka also defined the main principles of dharma (dhamma in Pāli {Dam~ma.}) as nonviolence, tolerance of all sects and opinions, obedience to parents and other religious teachers and priests, liberality towards friends, humane treatment of servants, and generosity towards all. These principles suggest a general ethic of behavior to which no religious or social group could object.
In the Maurya Empire, citizens of all religions and ethnic groups also had rights to freedom, tolerance, and equality. The need for tolerance on an egalitarian basis can be found in the Edicts of Ashoka, which emphasize the importance of tolerance in public policy by the government. The slaughter or capture of prisoners of war was also condemned by Ashoka (fn08). Slavery was also non-existent in ancient India, if one considers Dalits to be free (fn09).
The
Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath is
the most popular of the relics left by Ashoka. Made of sandstone,
this pillar records the visit of the emperor to Sarnath, in the 3rd century BC.
It has a
four-lion capital (four lions standing back to back) which was adopted as
the
emblem of the modern Indian republic. The lion symbolises both Ashoka's
imperial rule and the kingship of the Buddha. The bulk of what is known about
the Maurya Empire comes from inscriptions on these monuments. It is assumed that
the inscriptions convey factual information about the Empire. It is difficult to
determine whether certain events ever happened, but the stone etchings convey
clearly how Ashoka wanted to be seen and remembered.
UKT: The map on the right has a footnote (fn10)
Notice where Girnar is. Chi Hisen-lin in "Language Problem of
Primitive Buddhism",
(Journal of the Burma Research Society, XLIII, i, June 1960),
maintains that
"Pali language was a Western dialect ... the Magadha
language was an eastern dialect".
Then Pali-Myanmar, because of geography, should be more similar to
Magadha language
which is not as rhotic as the western dialect. Probably, that is
the reason why the sound of [θ]
(IPA transcription)/
{tha.}
of Pali-Myanmar has become the [s]/
{sa.}
of International Pali.
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." Edward D'Cruz interprets the Ashokan dharma as a "religion to be used as a symbol of a new imperial unity and a cementing force to weld the diverse and heterogeneous elements of the empire".
Ashoka's Major Rock Edict is the first edict and remains in its original location and condition. It has not been dismantled and placed in a museum or made into a monument.
Excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka%27s_Major_Rock_Edict 080824
Ashoka's Major Rock Edict is one of the most important Edicts of Ashoka, and is located outside the town of Junagadh on the Saurashtra peninsula in the state of Gujarat, India. The edict is inscribed high up on a large, domed mass of black granite on Girnar, a collection of hills near the town. The difficulty in accessing this monument allows only the few Jain pilgrims willing to climb the mountain each year to visit the rock edict. Neatly etched on the rock surface is a pin-men inscription of Ashoka Brāhmī script, exceedingly more impressive than the much smaller replica positioned outside the entrance of New Delhi's National Museum.From: http://junagadh.wordpress.com/2008/05/12/ashokas-rock-edict/ 080824
Ashoka rock edict is one of major rock edicts, which was constructed by Ashoka and they are great source of information about Mauryan Dynasty and history of Gujrat. It is located on the way from Junagadh to Girnar. Fourteen rock edicts of the Emperor Ashoka are inscribed on a great boulder. The inscription carry Brahmi script in Pali language and dates back to 263 BC. Rudrakama and Skandagupta added sanskrit inscriptions in around 150 AD and 450 AD respectively.
Ashoka was the sponsor of the third Buddhist council. According to Theravada accounts, Ashoka supported the Vibhajjavada sub-school of the Sthaviravāda sect (which would become known by the Pali Theravada), but historians have concluded "this was clearly not the case," finding instead that the council was convened to expel non-Buddhists from the sangha in Pataliputra. (fn11). After this council he sent Buddhist monks to spread their religion to other countries. The following table is a list of the countries he sent missionaries to, as described in the Mahavamsa, XII: (fn12):
Regarding the "Country of the Yona", Ashoka further specifies in his Edict No 13 (quoted hereafter), that most Hellenistic rulers of the period received the teaching of the "Dharma". Thus, Ashoka claims to have introduced Buddhism to ancient Greece and Egypt. In the same Edict, Ashoka adds the Cholas and the Pandyas as recipients of the faith. Edict number 13 lists the following rulers and countries as places where conquest by Dhamma (acceptance of Dhamma) has been won:
While some countries like the Maldives, where there is a great wealth of Buddhist archaeological remains, are not mentioned in the edicts, several of these countries are well attested recipients of Ashoka's missions (such as Sri Lanka and Thailand), lending credence to the historicity and the success of these missions. It is all the more surprising that no records of them have remained in the West.
Some critics say that Ashoka was afraid of more wars, but among his neighbors, including the Seleucid Empire and the Greco-Bactrian kingdom established by Diodotus I, none seem to have ever come into conflict with him - though the latter eventually conquered at various times western territories in India, but only after the empire's actual collapse. He was a contemporary of both Antiochus I Soter and his successor Antiochus II Theos of the Seleucid Dynasty as well as Diodotus I and his son Diodotus II of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom. If his inscriptions and edicts are well studied, one finds that he was familiar with the Hellenistic world but never in awe of it. The Edicts of Ashoka, which talk of friendly relations, give the names of both Antiochus of the Seleucid empire and Ptolemy III of Egypt. But the fame of the Mauryan empire was widespread from the time that Ashoka's grandfather Chandragupta Maurya met Seleucus Nicator, the founder of the Seleucid Dynasty, and engineered their celebrated peace. Chandragupta even supplied 500 elephants to Seleucus, which were critical to his success in his conflict with the Western dynast Antigonus, in exchange for peace (a state that would endure for as long as the Mauryan Empire existed, and was even renewed during the Eastern campaigns of Antiochus III the Great) and the latter's territories in India.
Greek
populations apparently remained in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent
under Ashoka's rule. In his
Edicts of Ashoka, set in stone, some of them written in Greek, Ashoka
describes that Greek populations within his realm converted to Buddhism:
Here in the king's domain among the Greeks, the Kambojas, the Nabhakas, the Nabhapamkits, the Bhojas, the Pitinikas, the Andhras and the Palidas, everywhere people are following Beloved-of-the-Gods' instructions in Dharma.
— Edicts of Ashoka, Rock Edict Nb13 (S. Dhammika)UKT: Since Asoka's religion, the Theravada Buddhism, was very tolerant of other faiths, the other religions might had been flourishing under a very thin veneer of the so-called "Buddhism", or had survived intact by acknowledging the Buddha (who did not claim himself to be a god or a son of a god) to be just a moral guide. I am coming to this conjecture from my experience as a Theravada Buddhist in Myanmar where I myself have taken part in the religious celebrations of other religions such as attending church every Sunday when I was young. Similarly, I have seen the Christians, Hindus and Muslims attending Buddhist festivals. It would be interesting to the reader to know that the second last king of Burma, King Mindon - a devout Theravada Buddhist, did built a rest house in Mecca for Burmese-Muslims to use. An excerpt from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Burma#cite_note-MRA2005-49 080825:
"King Mindon (1853-78) donated the rest house in Mecca for his Muslim subjects performing Hajj. Nay Myo Gonna Khalifa U Pho Mya and Haji U Swe Baw were ordered to supervise the building. The King donated the balance needed to complete the building which was started with the donations from the Burmese Muslims. This was recorded in the Myaedu Mosque Imam U Shwe Taung’s poems."
Fragments of Edict 13 have been found in Greek, and a full Edict, written in both Greek and Aramaic, has been discovered in Kandahar. It is said to be written in excellent Classical Greek, using sophisticated philosophical terms. In this Edict, Ashoka uses the word Eusebeia ("Piety") as the Greek translation for the ubiquitous "Dharma" of his other Edicts written in Prakrit:
Ten years (of reign) having been completed, King Piodasses (Πιοδάσσης, Ashoka) made known (the doctrine of) Piety (εὐσέβεια, Eusebeia) to men; and from this moment he has made men more pious, and everything thrives throughout the whole world. And the king abstains from (killing) living beings, and other men and those who (are) huntsmen and fishermen of the king have desisted from hunting. And if some (were) intemperate, they have ceased from their intemperance as was in their power; and obedient to their father and mother and to the elders, in opposition to the past also in the future, by so acting on every occasion, they will live better and more happily. — Ashoka the Great, Edicts of Ashoka (Trans. by G.P. Carratelli (fn13))
UKT: The following is the line by line translation:
Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt and contemporary of Ashoka, is recorded by Pliny the Elder as having sent an ambassador named Dionysius to the Mauryan court at Pataliputra in India:
But [India] has been treated of by several other Greek writers who resided at the courts of Indian kings, such, for instance, as Megasthenes, and by Dionysius, who was sent thither by Philadelphus, expressly for the purpose: all of whom have enlarged upon the power and vast resources of these nations.
— Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, Chap. 21 (fn14)
At the time of king Ashoka (260-218 BC), according to his Edicts.
Also, in the Edicts of Ashoka, Ashoka mentions the Hellenistic kings of the period as a convert to Buddhist, although no Hellenic historical record of this event remain:
The conquest by Dharma has been won here, on the borders, and even six hundred yojanas (5,400-9,600 km) away, where the Greek king Antiochos rules, beyond there where the four kings named Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas and Alexander rule, likewise in the south among the Cholas, the Pandyas, and as far as Tamraparni (Sri Lanka).
— Ashoka the Great, Edicts of Ashoka, Rock Edict 13 (S. Dhammika)
Ashoka also claims that he encouraged the development of herbal medicine, for human and nonhuman animals, in their territories:
Everywhere within Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi's [Ashoka's] domain, and among the people beyond the borders, the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Satiyaputras, the Keralaputras, as far as Tamraparni and where the Greek king Antiochos rules, and among the kings who are neighbors of Antiochos, everywhere has Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, made provision for two types of medical treatment: medical treatment for humans and medical treatment for animals. Wherever medical herbs suitable for humans or animals are not available, I have had them imported and grown. Wherever medical roots or fruits are not available I have had them imported and grown. Along roads I have had wells dug and trees planted for the benefit of humans and animals. — Ashoka the Great, Edicts of Ashoka, Rock Edict 2
The Greeks in India even seem to have played an active role in the propagation of Buddhism, as some of the emissaries of Ashoka, such as Dharmaraksita, are described in Pali sources as leading Greek ("Yona") Buddhist monks, active in spreading Buddhism (the Mahavamsa, XII (fn12b2).
A "marital alliance" had been concluded between Seleucus Nicator and Ashoka's grandfather Chandragupta Maurya in 303 BC:
He (Seleucus) crossed the Indus and waged war with Sandrocottus [Maurya], king of the Indians, who dwelt on the banks of that stream, until they came to an understanding with each other and contracted a marriage relationship.
— Appian, History of Rome, The Syrian Wars 55 (fn15)
The term used in ancient sources (Epigamia) could refer either to a dynastic alliance between the Seleucids and the Mauryas, or more generally to a recognition of marriage between Indian and Greeks. Since there are no records of an Indian princess in the abundant Classical literature on the Seleucid, it is generally thought that the alliance went the other way around, and that a Seleucid princess may have been bethrothed to the Mauryan Dynasty. This practice in itself was quite common in the Hellenistic world to formalize alliances. There is thus a possibility that Ashoka was partly of Hellenic descent, either from his grandmother if Chandragupta married the Seleucid princess, of from his mother if Chandragupta's son, Bindusura, was the object of the marriage. This remains a hypothesis as there are no known more detailed descriptions of the exact nature of the marital alliance, although this is quite symptomatic of the generally good relationship between the Hellenistic world and Ashoka. (fn16)
Information about the life and reign of Ashoka primarily comes from a relatively small number of Buddhist sources. In particular, the Sanskrit Ashokavadana ('Story of Ashoka'), written in the 2nd century, and the two Pāli chronicles of Sri Lanka (the Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa) provide most of the currently known information about Asoka. Additional information is contributed by the Edicts of Asoka, whose authorship was finally attributed to the Ashoka of Buddhist legend after the discovery of dynastic lists that gave the name used in the edicts (Priyadarsi – meaning 'favored by the Gods') as a title or additional name of Ashoka Mauriya.
The use of Buddhist sources in reconstructing the life of Ashoka has had a strong influence on perceptions of Ashoka, and the interpretations of his edicts. Building on traditional accounts, early scholars regarded Ashoka as a primarily Buddhist monarch who underwent a conversion to Buddhism and was actively engaged in sponsoring and supporting the Buddhist monastic institution.
Later scholars have tended to question this assessment. The only source of information not attributable to Buddhist sources – the Ashokan edicts – make only a few references to Buddhism directly, despite many references to the concept of dhamma (Sanskrit: dharma). Some interpreters have seen this as an indication that Ashoka was attempting to craft an inclusive, poly-religious civil religion for his empire that was centered on the concept of dharma as a positive moral force, but which did not embrace or advocate any particular philosophy attributable to the religious movements of Ashoka's age (such as the Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Ajivikas).
Most likely, the complex religious environment of the age would have required careful diplomatic management in order to avoid provoking religious unrest. Modern scholars and adherents of the traditional Buddhist perspective both tend to agree that Ashoka's rule was marked by tolerance towards a number of religious faiths.
Ashoka
ruled for an estimated forty years, and after his death, the Maurya dynasty
lasted just fifty more years. Ashoka had many wives and children, but their
names are lost to time. Mahindra and
Sanghamitra were twins born by his fourth 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 converted the King, the Queen and their people to Buddhism.
So they were naturally not the ones handling state affairs after him.
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 a wily stratagem. But the official executioners spared Kunala and he became a wandering singer accompanied by his favourite wife Kanchanmala. In Pataliputra, Ashoka hears Kunala's song, and realizes that Kunala's misfortune may have been a punishment for some past sin of the emperor himself and condemns 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 reign of Ashoka Maurya could easily have disappeared into history as the ages passed by, and would have, had he not left behind a record of his trials. The testimony of this wise king was discovered in the form of magnificently sculpted pillars and boulders with a variety of actions and teachings he wished to be published etched into the stone. What Ashoka left behind was the first written language in India since the ancient city of Harappa. Rather than Sanskrit, the language used for inscription was the current spoken form called Prakrit.
In the year 185 BC, about fifty years after Ashoka's death, the last Maurya ruler, Brhadrata, was brutally murdered by the commander-in-chief of the Mauryan armed forces, Pusyamitra Sunga, while he was taking the Guard of Honor of his forces. Pusyamitra Sunga founded the Sunga dynasty (185 BC-78 BC) and ruled just a fragmented part of the Mauryan Empire. Much of the northwestern territories of the Mauryan Empire (modern-day Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan) became the Indo-Greek Kingdom.
When India gained independence from the British Empire it adopted Ashoka's emblem for its own, placing the Dharmachakra (The Wheel of Righteous Duty) that crowned his many columns on the flag of the newly independent state.
In 1992, Ashoka was ranked #53 on Michael H. Hart's list of the most influential figures in history. In 2001, a semi-fictionalized portrayal of Ashoka's life was produced as a motion picture under the title Asoka.
One of the more enduring legacies of Ashoka Maurya was the model that he
provided for the relationship between Buddhism and the state. Throughout
Theravada Southeastern Asia,
the model of rulership embodied by Ashoka replaced
the notion of divine kingship that had previously dominated (in the
Angkor kingdom,
for instance). Under this model of 'Buddhist kingship', the king sought to
legitimize his rule not through descent from a divine source, but by supporting
and earning the approval of the Buddhist
sangha.
Following Ashoka's example, kings established monasteries, funded the
construction of stupas, and supported the ordination of monks in their kingdom.
Many rulers also took an active role in resolving disputes over the status and
regulation of the sangha, as Ashoka had in calling a conclave to settle a number
of contentious issues during his reign. This development ultimately lead to a
close association in many Southeast Asian countries between the monarchy and the
religious hierarchy, an association that can still be seen today in the
state-supported
Buddhism of Thailand and the traditional role of the Thai king as both a
religious and secular leader.
Ashoka also said that all his courtiers were true to their self and governed the people in a moral manner.
UKT: "In some conspiracy theories Ashoka is mentioned as the founder of a powerful secret society called the Nine Unknown Men." -- Wikiepedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka_the_Great 080823
The above statement has given me an idea of looking into the story of King Dhammazedi (1472-92 AD), king of Lower Burma, who was regarded in esoteric circles of Myanmar as an {ing: waiz~za} as grand-master of Runes.
The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia article on the Nine Unknown Men -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Unknown_Men 080825
"According to occult lore, the Nine Unknown Men are a two millennia-old secret society founded by the Indian Emperor Asoka c. 270 BCE. According to the legend, upon his conversion to Buddhism after a massacre during one of his wars, the Emperor founded the society of the Nine to preserve and develop knowledge that would be dangerous to humanity if it fell into the wrong hands. Some versions of the story include an additional motivation for the Emperor to conceal scientific knowledge: remnants of the Rama Empire, an Indian version of Atlantis, which according to Hindu scripture was destroyed by advanced weaponry 15,000 years ago."
The following is an excerpt from: Bob Hudson, Archaeology Department, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia. http://acl.arts.usyd.edu.au/~hudson/villages_parabaik.pdf 080825
"The four largest Pyu settlements, Beikthano, Halin, Mongmao and Sri Ksetra, which all enclose areas of 600 hectares or more within brick walls, have been the subject of extensive archaeological investigation. Beikthano appears to be the earliest, according to the available radiocarbon dates, possibly operating between the 2nd century BC and 7th century AD. Radiocarbon dates have indicated activity at Halin between the 1st and 8th centuries AD. Mongmao, at the south end of the Kyaukse valley, has been assigned on stylistic grounds to the 2nd to 6th centuries. Sri Ksetra (Thayekittaya) is considered the latest, between the 4th and 10th centuries AD."
My question is this: Why was there no mention of Upper Burma with its Pyu settlements mentioned in Asoka inscriptions? This is more strange when one considers that the north-eastern most part of his empire, the present-day Assam and Manipur, and the the north-western most part of the present-day Myanmar share a common border, the area of {poän-taung poän-Ña} range. See Elizabeth Moore, Bronze and Iron Age Sites in Upper Myanmar: Chindwin, Samoln and Pyu, SOAS Bulletin of Burma Research, Vol. 1, No. 1, Spring 2003, ISSN 1479-8484. http://web.soas.ac.uk/burma/Bronze%20and%20iron%20age%20sites.PDF 080825. Click to see the downloaded PDF file.
fn01 Dr. Ranajit Pal, however, points out that the first reference to Magadha is in an Edict of Ashoka near the North-west and that early Magadha was Magan in Baluchistan (western). The total absence of any relics of the Mauryas and Nandas in the Patna area shows that this was probably not Ashoka's capital. See Ranajit Pal, "Non-Jonesian Indology and Alexander" , New delhi - 2002. Go back fn01b
fn02 Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2007.12.39 fn02b
fn03 Patali Map | Iran Google Satellite Maps fn03b
fn04 A New Non-Jonesian History Of The World fn04b
fn05 "Bodhisattva that the Brahman," see Chap. xvi fn05b
fn06 KING ASHOKA: His Edicts and His Times fn06b
fn07 The Nurses should be able to Sing and Play Instruments - Wujastyk, Dominik; University College London. Accessed 2008-02-22.) fn07b
fn08 Amartya Sen (1997). Human Rights and Asian Values. ISBN 0-87641-151-0. fn08b
fn09
Arrian,
Indica: fn09b
This also is remarkable in
India, that all Indians are free, and no Indian at all is a slave. In this
the Indians agree with the
Lacedaemonians. Yet the Lacedaemonians have
Helots for slaves, who perform the duties of slaves; but the Indians have no
slaves at all, much less is any Indian a slave.
fn10 Reference: "India: The Ancient Past" p.113, Burjor Avari, Routledge, ISBN 0415356156 fn10b
fn11 Skilton, Andrew. A Concise History of Buddhism. Windhorse. Birmingham: 2004. fn11b
fn12 a b Full text of the Mahavamsa Click chapter XII fn12b | fn12b2
fn13 History of Afghanistan fn13b
fn14 Pliny the Elder, "The Natural History", Chap. 21 fn14b
fn15 Appian, History of Rome, The Syrian Wars 55 fn15b
fn16 "Demetrius, who was a Seleucid on his mother's side, may conceivably have regarded himself as possessing some sort of hereditary title to the throne of the Mauryas, inasmuch as the Seleucid and Maurya lines were connected by the marriage of Seleucus' daughter (or niece) either with Chandragupta or to his son Bindusara, in which case Ashoka himself would have been half a Seleucid." John Marshall, Taxila, p28 fn16b
• Bongard-Levin, G. M.
Mauryan India (Stosius Inc/Advent Books Division
May 1986)
ISBN 0-86590-826-5
• Chand Chauhan, Gian.
Origin and Growth of Feudalism in Early India: From
the Mauryas to AD 650 (Munshiram Manoharlal January 2004)
ISBN 81-215-1028-7
• Falk, Harry.
Asokan Sites and Artefacts - A Source-book with Bibliography
(Mainz : Philipp von Zabern, [2006])
ISBN 978-3-8053-3712-0
• Govind Gokhale, Balkrishna.
Asoka Maurya (Irvington Pub June 1966)
ISBN 0-8290-1735-6
• Keay, John.
India: A History (Grove Press; 1 Grove Pr edition May 10, 2001)
ISBN 0-8021-3797-0
• Nilakanta Sastri, K. A.
Age of the Nandas and Mauryas (Delhi : Motilal
Banarsidass, [1967] c1952)
ISBN 0-89684-167-7
• Swearer, Donald.
Buddhism and Society in Southeast Asia
(Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Anima Books, 1981)
ISBN 0-89012-023-4
• Thapar, Romila.
Aśoka and the decline of the Mauryas (Delhi : Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 1997, 1998 printing, c1961)
ISBN 0-19-564445-X
The Sanskrit ahimsa is
{a.häin-þa.ka.} in Pali-Myanmar, meaning non-violence -- UKT transl. from ModPMDict149
Go back ahimsa-note-b
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