Analysis: The Edicts of King Ashoka

Date: c. 262 BCE

Geographic Region: India

Author: Ashoka

Translator: S. Dhammika

Summary Overview

King Ashoka, the third Mauryan emperor, ruled the Mauryan Empire, which encompassed parts of present-day India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, during the period from about 268 BCE to 232 BCE. During his reign, he erected a large number of stone pillars that were inscribed with his edicts of moral law. These were lessons based on the set of teachings known as the Dhamma (dharma), taken from the new religion of Buddhism. Ashoka used Buddhist thought to govern his vast realm by moral persuasion rather than force, and the rock edicts were the main method he employed to spread the message across his empire. Though Ashoka's empire crumbled after his death and he was largely lost to history for centuries, the monuments carrying his edicts throughout his realm have stood for over two thousand years, bearing silent testimony to the first Buddhist ruler. They provide a unique window into the early spread of Buddhism.

Defining Moment

Ashoka inherited the Mauryan Empire—the largest ever in India—from his father, Bindasura, and grandfather, Chandragupta. His lands encompassed about 30 million people, more than any Western kingdom of the time. Stories of Ashoka's youth portray him as a cruel king with a powerful military who instituted severe penalties against criminals. For nearly one thousand years after his rule, a prison he founded in northern India remained known as “Ashoka's hell.” Ashoka was also zealous to see his empire expanded, and to that end he went to war with Kalinga, a rival kingdom in the present-day state of Orissa in eastern India, beginning around 261 BCE. Although victorious, Ashoka was disturbed by the bloodshed and lingering violence. It is said that the war resulted in approximately 300,000 casualties. Ashoka controlled nearly the entire Indian subcontinent, but the conflict had a profound effect on Ashoka, leading him to renounce war and devote himself to the Dhamma both as a personal and ruling philosophy.

“Dhamma” is a complex term with no direct translation into English; it comes from the Pali language, and its better-known Sanskrit counterpart is “dharma.” It refers generally to moral truths and virtues, and is a central doctrine of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, with variations within each religion. In Ashoka's time, Buddhism was a relatively new practice (it arose between the mid-sixth century BCE and mid fourth-century BCE), and Ashoka may initially have favored it for political reasons. Scholars debate whether the Dhamma he embraced after the Kalinga war refers specifically to Buddhism, or more broadly to social tolerance and morality. Regardless, Ashoka became influential in the spread of Buddhist thought both during his life and as a near-mythological Buddhist figure in the following centuries.

Ashoka ended his wars of expansion and began a policy of peace and social work. Buddhism was the state religion and Buddhist missionaries were supported, but the empire was tolerant of other religions as well. In order to spread the message of Dhamma throughout the empire, Ashoka had inscriptions containing moral teachings and historical narratives carved on cliffs, in caves, and on stone pillars.

The edicts of Ashoka were spread across India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nepal. Many pillars were erected near Buddhist holy sites, such as the birthplace of the Buddha in northern India, while others were placed near population centers, so that their message would be spread throughout the cities.

Author Biography and Document Information

Ashoka (Aśoka), who also took the ruling name of King Piyadasi, was born around 304 BCE. When his father, the Mauryan emperor Bindusara, died around 272 BCE, a war was waged between Ashoka and his brothers. He won and took the throne around 268 BCE. After the bloody war against the Kalinga state, he is said to have converted to Buddhism and become a peaceful, benevolent ruler. He died around 232 BCE, after which the Mauryan Empire dissolved.

Because he helped the new religion of Buddhism spread throughout India after his abrupt conversion, Ashoka became a legendary figure in the centuries following his death. He was incorporated into many myths and stories of the founding of various Buddhist sects, which are impossible to verify. Although his actual commitment to Buddhism—as opposed to general tolerance and a sense of social justice—has been debated due to the lack of direct evidence, Ashoka's influence as a legendary king proved as crucial to the promulgation of Buddhism as his real patronage.

Of the many stone carvings created to spread the edicts of Ashoka's social reforms, only ten survive with original inscriptions. Most are written in the Brahmi script typical of early Indian writing of the period. They are the earliest surviving written documents from India. Those in pillar form were usually between forty and fifty feet tall and weighed around fifty tons.

Document Analysis

The edicts are written by Ashoka himself, in far less formal language than that typically reserved for royal edicts. Ashoka tries to convince the people of his goodness and sincerity and convince them to follow his lead in adopting Buddhist thought. The edicts fall into a number of groupings: the Fourteen Rock Edicts, the Kalinga Rock Edicts, the Minor Rock Edicts, the Seven Pillar Edicts, and the Minor Pillar Edicts. They include both teachings from the emerging canon of Dhamma (often interpreted directly as Buddhism) and episodes that explain the history of the empire, including Ashoka's personal transformation into a follower of the Dhamma.

In the first of the Kalinga Rock Edicts, Ashoka addresses his people directly, telling them that they are his children and that he is concerned for their well-being, stating, “What I desire for my own children, and I desire their welfare and happiness both in this world and the next, that I desire for all men.” He goes on to explain that their happiness can best be achieved by doing away with “envy, anger, cruelty, hate, indifference, laziness or tiredness.” Ashoka claims that by following these principles, his subjects will not only earn his approval, but also heavenly pleasures, reinforcing his own power and holiness. Similarly, he continually refers to himself as “Beloved-of-the-Gods.”

In the thirteenth of the Fourteen Rock Edicts, Ashoka apologizes for his actions before his conversion, especially the Kalinga war, and explains that he now “desires non-injury, restraint and impartiality to all beings, even where wrong has been done.” He claims that the goal of the edicts is to prevent war and suffering in the future; any further conquest will be “conquest by Dhamma” achieved by spreading the moral code.

Ashoka's edicts talk of both societal and personal morality and the role he hoped his subjects would play in both. Societal morality was the basis of Ashoka's rule, and he hoped this would lead to a more just society. Personal morality, based on the Buddhist Dhamma, is also encouraged among all of his subjects, though his belief in religious toleration meant that he does not seek to impose specifically Buddhist religious practices upon his subjects. He states in the twelfth of the Fourteen Rock Edicts that he “honors both ascetics and the householders of all religions,” meaning both those completely devoted to spirituality and those leading normal lives. Ashoka encourages his people to practice respect for others, especially parents and elders; to be generous to the poor and to monks; to not harm any life; to live a life of moderation; to treat people well; to work to become learned of other religions; and to perpetuate the Dhamma.

Bibliography and Additional Reading

Allen, Charles. Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor. London: Abacus, 2013. Print.

Conze, Edward. Buddhism: A Short History. Oxford: Oneworld, 2000. Print.

Singh, Upinder. “Governing the State and the Self: Political Philosophy and Practice in the Edicts of Aśoka.” South Asian Studies 28.2 (2012): 131–145. Print.

Strong, John S. The Legend of King Asoka: A Study and Translation of the Asokavadana. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2014. Print.

Thapar, Romila. Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. Berkeley: U of California P, 2003. Print.