The Government of Ashoka

The Government of Ashoka

(268 BCE - 232 BCE)

Note: Here Dhamma means Dharma and Dhammika means Dharmika. In Buddhism, they are mentioned so.

Emperor Ashoka - the great is well-known in our culture for his brutality as well as his peacefulness in later life. I also wrote a blog about the agony of his older life, which was entitled as The Legend of Kunala. However, today the topic isn’t about agony. It’s about ideologies, secularism, politics, and liberalism. All these things existed 2200 years ago during empire of Ashoka. Most of the people don’t know that Ashoka had been brutal only for four years since his coronation. In the fifth year, he had become peaceful and follower of Dharma. He had started practicing Dharma under the guidance of Tissa. Throughout his life, Emperor Ashoka built 33 edicts and inscribed them with his ideologies, which were proven to be extremely helpful in to later kingdoms. His ideologies were so convincing that even Greeks, Alexandrians and their neighbours started following them. They supported Ashoka, not because of fear, but because of convincing ideologies. His edicts show how generous the emperor was, and how he made laws to treat humans and animals along with nature. They also describe how the emperor supported secularism, proselytism, liberalism and many more ideals.

Emperor Ashoka

Proselytism:

The first thing which is important that Emperor Ashoka allowed not only his people, but all the people of different territories to convert their faith, their religions on their own will. Proselytism, we might say. He believed that people may follow any faith they want, or any religion that they see the dharma in.

Now it is the best conquest of Dhamma that beloved of gods (Ashoka) considers to be the best conquest. And it has been won here, on the borders, even six hundred yojanas away where the Greek king Antiochos rules, beyond that where the four kings named Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas and Alexander rule, likewise in the south among the Cholas, the Pandyas, and as far as Tamprapani. - Rock Edict n. 13 [S. Dhammika]

Besides, he further states in Kandahar Edict that.

Ten years of reign having been completed, King Piodasses (Piyadassi/Ashoka) made known piety to men, and from this moment, he has made men more pious, and everything thrives throughout the whole world. And the King abstains from living beings and other men and those who are huntsmen and fishermen of 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 elders, in opposition to the past, also in the future, by so acting on the every occasion, they will live better, more happily. - Kandahar Edict   

Ashoka considered the conquest over his rage superior than any other conquest he had ever done. He became stable and stability always leads to a better reign. Not only he allowed proselythism, but he also created some moral laws which were acceptable to everyone.

Ashoka's edict in Kandahar

Moral Accepts of Ashoka

Right Behaviour:

According to Ashoka, right behaviour was a key to be happy and prosperous. Right behaviour allows you to follow your dharma properly. He has stated in his edicts about importance of right behaviour.

Dharma is good. But what constitutes Dharma? It includes little evil, much good, kindness, generosity, truthfulness and purity. - Pillar Edict n. 2 [S. Dharmika]

A person follow his own Dharma, which might not be perfect. But a person should always try to practice Dharma which includes much good, kindness, generosity, etc. Such type of Dharma leads a man to peace and happiness.

He further states in another edict about importance of right behaviour.

And noble deeds of Dharma and practice of Dharma consist of having kindness, generosity, truthfulness, purity, gentleness and goodness increase among people. - Rock Pillar n. 7

If a person practices right kind of Dharma which includes right type of behaviour, it absolutely increases above mentioned qualities in human nature.

Benevolence:

Ashoka’s Dharma meant that he used his powers to try to make life better for his people and who tried to change the way people thought and lived.

Kindness to prisoners:

Before his transformation, Ashoka was considered as the most brutal ruler of the Indian Subcontinent. However, his brutality never crossed the limit to punish innocence. He punished criminals more brutally. However, after his transformation, he used to visit them everyday to see transformation in them. He ever created some facilities which prisoners might accept.

It is my desire that there should be uniformity in law and uniformity in sentencing. I even go this far, to grant a three-day-stay for those in prison who have been tried and sentenced to death. During this time, their relatives can make appeals to have prisoners’ lives spared. If there is none to appeal on their behalf, their prisoners can give gifts in order to make merit for next world, or observe fasts. -Pillar Edict n. 4

Ashoka allowed three-day-stay policy in which relatives could stay with them in their last days and appeal to spare their lives. If prisoner doesn’t have any appealer, then he could give gifts to poor or observe fasts to make their next life easier. People at that time believed in rebirth, as some people still do, and most of their final activities are performed in order to get better rebirth.

He later states another policy.

In the twenty-six years since my coronation, prisoners have been given their amnesty on twenty five occasions. -Pillar edict n. 5

Respect for animal life:

Ashoka was the first ruler in Indian History to ban slavery, animal slaughter and many more unethical things. He always urged people to have respect for each type of animal. In fact, during his reign, people actually became fully vegetarian. His edict also mentions how he declared ban to animal slaughter.

Twenty-six years after my coronation various animals were declared to be protected - parrots, mainas, Aruna, ruddy geese, wild ducks, nandimukhas, gelatos, bats, queen ants, terrapins, boneless fish, vedanyaka, Gangapuputaka, fish, tortoises, porcupines, squirrels, bulls, okapinda, wild asses, wild pigeons, domestic pigeons and all four-legged creatures that are neither useful not edible. Those nanny goats, ewes and sows which are with young or giving milk to their young are protected, and so are young ones less than six months old. Cocks are not to be caponized, husks hiding living beings are not be burnt and forests are not to be burnt either without reasons to kill animal is not to be fed to another. - Pillar Edict n. 5

Thus emperor banned animal sacrifice too and declare them to be protected. Some of them are extinct species today, but at least he tried to protect them. He was the first person who spread enlightenment among people to respect the animal as they are part of our nature.

Religions exchange:

Ashoka was the first ruler to invent the concept of secularism. Secularism means having separate ideologies from extreme religious ideologies which might harm the government. Ashoka always believed that there are good things in every religion and we should build a government by choosing those good ideologies from each religion. Now that was a whole new concept in that era, and Ashoka actually made that happen.

All religions should reside everywhere, for all of them desire self-control and purity of heart. -Edict n. 7

While he had already stated in his first edict to ban animal slaughter for anything. People used to slaughter animals to offer them as sacrifice to particular deity. But he banned it.

Here in my domain, no living beings are to be slaughtered or offered in sacrifice. - Ethic n. 1

He believed that getting in touch with various religions will help you to grow your knowledge about different ideologies. And then you get to choose best ideologies from them. That’s why he later states-

Contact between religions is good. One should listen to and respect the doctrines professed by others. Beloved of gods (Ashoka), King Piyadassi (Ashoka), desires that all should be well-learned in good doctrines of other religion. -Edict n. 12

I believe, religions don’t make governments, people do. And government should be free of extreme religious ideologies. Because they grow radical extremism and radical extremism burns the world. Adopting good ideas from all the religions and civilizations is the best way to build a perfect government. Recently, the world has been going through a terror, which are spread by some radical Islamic groups, who just want to force their extreme ideologies on government. Every religion has some things which are extreme to live with today. So we have to get rid of that. And we are. When religions began, they were all good at their inception point. But then they are politicized and corrupted by people. And then, few extremists make them points of radical extremism.

Spread of Ashoka's teachings

Social and Animal welfare:

Medical Treatments:

Ashoka was one of the best ruler the world has ever seen, and he built magnificent libraries, colleges, schools and hospitals to help people as well as animals, which included nourishment of nature. In his edicts, he proves that.

Everywhere within, beloved of gods, King Piyadassi’s domain (Ashoka’s domain), and among people beyond the borders, the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Satinyaputras, the Keralaputras, as far as Tamrapannis and where the Greek King Antiochos rules, and among the kings who are neighbour of Antiochos, everywhere has beloved of gods, King Piyadassi (Ashoka), made provision of two types of medical treatments: 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 of fruits are not available, I have had them imported and grown. Among roads I have had wells dug and trees planted for the benefits of humans and animals. - Edict n. 2

Thus, throughout the Indian Subcontinent and even in Greece, Emperor Ashoka imported herbs, plants, fruits, trees and medical resources to help people and animals. He also nourished nature with these procedures.

Roadside Facilities:

Very few people know that the first ever road built was Grand Trunk Road, which is from Amritsar to Lahore. However, that road was built during Mauryan Empire, when there was Stone Age and it was built by stones. Emperor Ashoka reconstructed the road made by his grandfather Chandragupta Maurya, from Patliputra (Patna) to Takshila (Taxila). He built many roads connecting various cities around the Indian Subcontinent.

Along roads, I have had banyan trees planted, so that they can give shade to animals and men, and I have had many groves planted. At interval of eight krosas, I have had wells dug, rest houses built, and in various places, I have had watering places made for the use of animals and men. But these are minor achievements. Such things to make the people happy have been done by former kings. I have done these things for this purpose that the people might practice the Dharma. - Edict n. 7

He took care of every traveller as well as animals and nature. He nourished his motherland and enlightened people to do the same.

Map of Ashoka's Edict

Officers of faith:

This was the whole new concept introduced by Emperor Ashoka. He appointed officers of faith, who would go and live among people of various religions various race, and advice them to follow Dharma.

In past there were no Dharma Mahamatras, but such officers were appointed by me thirteen years after my coronation. Now they work among all the religions for establishment of Dhamma, for the welfare and happiness of who are devoted to Dhamma. They work among the Greeks, the Kambojas, the Gandharas, the Rastrikas, the Pitinakas and other people on the western borders. They work among soldiers, Chiefs, Brahmins, householders, the poor and aged and those devoted to Dhamma for their welfare and happiness. So that they may be free from harassment. - Edict n. 5

Thus, he tried everything to establish pure and peaceful Dharma across the world. He spread his teachings and laws till the western borders. Even Greeks and Syrians admired him a lot in their biographies. While Emperor Ashoka was the first person to start keeping records of these things. He inscribed 33 edict around the Indian Subcontinent and made 40 pillars, around the border which represented his glory and dignity. There are only 10 pillars left today, which are also like ruins. Ashoka’s coronation was done in 268 BCE, while he died in 232 BCE when he was 72 years old. He might have died in his own agony, but his life-long teachings are precious. His reign remained for 35 years, and he ruled as Dhammashoka (Peaceful Ashoka) for more than 30 years. In previous years, he gave shape to the modern India, by merging them into the one invincible empire, and later for 30 years, he cherished it with good qualities. The Greatest Emperor. He was truly the universal emperor.

But still, even after 2200 years, Ashoka’s edicts can lead us to better future. His edicts can lead us to make better governments. His teachings can make us a better person.

Ashoka's one of the edicts 

Ashoka's one of the edicts