Ashoka’sdhamma
Ashoka was the third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty, and is popularly referred to
as “Ashoka the Great”.Son of Mauryan Emperor Bindusara and Subhadrangi.
Chandragupta Maurya's grandson.Between 268 and 232 BCE, he effectively ruled
over a vast portion of the country. His most notable achievements were his
renunciation of violence, the invention of the concept of Dhamma (virtuous social
behaviour), and the promotion of Buddhism. He is believed to be the only King in
global history to give up conquest upon winning a war.
He was the first ruler who tried to take his message to the people through
inscriptions. Most of Ashoka’s inscriptions were in Prakrit and were written in the
Brahmi script.
The Kallinga war was a turning point in Ashoka’s life. He was distressed to see lot
of bloodshed and destructions in that war. So he decided to give up on any kind of
violence and was greatly influenced by the philosophy of Buddhism. Keeping in
mind the non-violence and compassion, he propounded the policy of ’Dhamma’,
which embraced the tenets of Buddhism. The word Dhamma has been derived
from the Sanskrit word ’’Dharma ‘’, meaning the religious and moral duty. With
this policy, Ashoka wanted to preach right moral values among the people, so
coexistence could take place peacefully in this world for all living beings.
The Dhamma is a collection of laws that served as Ashoka the Great's, the third
Mauryan emperor, policy when he ascended to the throne. Dhamma emphasised
that servants should be treated with consideration, and elders should be treated
with respect.
Ashoka’s Dhamma argued for tolerance of various religious groups in an effort to
foster harmony.
Dhamma also laid stress on non-violence. Non-violence was to be practised by
giving up war (dhamma-vijaya) and conquests and also as a restraint on the killing
of animals.
Dhamma also included practising certain welfare measures, like planting trees,
digging of wells, education and health facilities for all etc.
Inappropriate rituals like sacrifices were attacked by Ashoka’s Dhamma.
Ashoka’sdhamma did not involve worship of a god, or performance of a sacrifice.
He felt that just as a father tries to teach his children, he had a duty to instruct his
subjects. He was also inspired by the teachings of the Buddha There were a
number of problems that troubled him. People in the empire followed different
religions, and this sometimes led to conflict. Animals were sacrificed. Slaves and
servants were ill treated. Besides, there were quarrels in families and amongst
neighbours. Ashoka felt it was his duty to solve these problems. So, he appointed
officials, known as the dhammamahamatta who went from place to place teaching
people about dhamma. Besides, Ashoka got his messages inscribed on rocks and
pillars, instructing his officials to read his message to those who could not read it
themselves. Ashoka also sent messengers to spread ideas about dhamma to other
lands, such as Syria, Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka .He even sent his son and
daughter to Sri Lanka to spread the message of Dhamma. He built roads, dug
wells, and built rest houses. Besides, he arranged for medical treatment for both
human beings and animals.
Conclusion
Ashoka’s Dhamma was more or less based on the teachings of Buddhism. He
adopted this policy post-Kallinga war, which filled with guilt and sorrow in him
due to the loss of several lives. With the Dhamma, he was able to maintain a
peaceful and harmonious empire. In a way, he was able to eliminate socio-political
disorder in his empire by adhering to generosity toward each other, respecting all
religious faiths, obeying elders and respecting younger. He also renounced the
superstitious rituals and promoted ahimsa. .
