Aśoka’s policy of Dharma edict

The major factors influence to Aśoka’s policy of Dharma edict 

    The great king Aśoka succeeded to the Mauryan authority in India around 269 BCE. His kingdom overextended from Afghanistan to Bangladesh and Afghanistan to South India. He is the most one great kings of ancient India for his policies of public welfare and his policies of Dharma (Verma, Avnindra Kumar, retrieved 30 August 2013). This essay will focus on three significant factors influence Aśoka’s policy of Dharma because of Aśoka is the Buddhist, following the teaching of Buddha in the Aśoka’s edict, and the political issues in the kingdom. The terms of Dharma have multiple meanings in the literature and thought of ancient India. The best way deeply studies in his edicts for comprehensive what Aśoka means “Dharma”, which writes to explain the significance of Dharma to the people of that time (Romila Thapar, 2004). Dharma might be not only a particular religious faith or practice, or an uninformed royal policy (Reddy, 2005). 

    First of all, Buddhists linked Aśoka’s policy of Dharma with Buddhism because Aśoka ever ordained to a Buddhist monk for a short time of his life. Smith claims that he was both a monk and a king at the same time (Smith Vincent, 1970). DR Bhandarkar claims that Aśoka was a Buddhist, and his policy of Dharma was original Buddhism as preached by the Buddha (Devadatta Bhandarkar, 1925). Aśoka might be not a real Buddhist because his policy of Dharma was different from Buddhism. However, the various arguments formulated to show that Aśoka was a Buddhist that Aśoka took the journey of all the holy places associated with the Buddha. He visited Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar. In the 8th rock edict, Aśoka mentioned his visit to Sambodhi at Bodhgaya where the Buddha got enlightenment about ten years after his coronation. These pilgrimage activities took place like visiting the “Brahmins” and “Shramanas” at the same time, making gifts to them, meeting the aged, making provisions of money for them, contacting the people of the countryside, instructing them in the Dharma and discussing with them the principles of the Dharma. Also, it had several characteristic doctrines and philosophical positions bringing out the originality of Aśoka's ideas of moral reform. 

    Moreover, he constructed several monasteries or Vihāras for the Buddhist monks, where these places became the centers of Buddhist education. He also constructed many stūpas over the relics of the Buddha. He assembled the third Buddhist Council at “Pataliputra” in 251 BCE for sorting out differences among the followers of the Buddha. Besides, Aśoka’s inscriptions in the “Bhabru” and “Saranath” revealed that he was a Buddhist because he opened a confession of his faith in the “Trinity” (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha). 

    In the second section, in several cases, Aśoka referred to the Buddha as "the Lord", and in one case the Buddhist doctrine was mentioned as “the true faith”. For instance; minor second pillar edict contained the text of his order to his officers to the effect that the heretical “Bhikkhus” and “Bhikkhunīs” should be expelled from the “Sangha”. This mention was attempted on Aśoka’s part to promote the unity of the Buddhist tradition. The “Kalsi” and “Dhauli” rocks bear the figure of an elephant near the inscription of Aśoka is described respectfully as “the best elephant” and “the white elephant”. On the “Girnar” rocks, the figure of the elephant lost, but the label spoke of “the all-white elephants named the procurer of happiness for the whole world”. There is no doubt that the white elephant in these cases is the Buddha, symbolically represented. It well knows that the Buddha was often indicated by the figure of an elephant early to understand the true nature of Aśoka’s policy of Dharma. Even though, in Aśoka's policy of Dharma nowhere mentioned the underlying themes of Buddhism like the four Nobel truths, Eightfold path, Pratītyasamutpāda, Dwādashanidānachakra, Sambodhi or Nibhāna, Svarga (Heaven), and Devas. The Dharma was not a religious policy, but it was a moral-social code. It was a prescribed code of duties, a collection of civic virtues, and a guide to social morality which comprised many virtues. It comprises the following virtues: “Susrūsā” or obedience to father and mother, elders, teachers, and men of high caste or rank. Also, Non-violence or Ahimsā Aśoka recognized the sanctity of animal life on principle. 

    In the final section, the Mauryas ruled and governed a vast kingdom, where under the political rule was constituted of various geographical regions, cultural groups, and religious sects (Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri, 1988). Aśoka’s kingdom was a multinational of diverse groups such as Greeks, Kambojas, and Bhojas and hundreds of clusters with different traditions. It was an essential condition, and the Dharma policy fulfilled this political motive. It means a kingdom with diversity and scale could not be controlled and governed only based on military power. The policy of Dharma is politically significant for one more reason. It was in the form of universal faith, including the common elements of all the faiths. 

    Moreover, the Mauryan kings, “Chandragupta” took recourse to “Jainism” in his later years and “Bindusara” flavored the Ājīvika. Aśoka accepted Buddhism in his personal life, though he never imposed Buddhism on his subjects (Verma, Avnindra Kumar, retrieved 30 August 2013). By the time the Mauryan imperial system had become complicated, encompassing various cultures, beliefs, and social and political patterns. He was aware of the pressures which the heterodox sects Buddhism, Jainism, and Ajiviksm had generated in society. Brahmanical controlled the society as the privileges of priests, and they have the rigidity of the caste system from the dominance of Brahmans who take over the concept of sacrifices and rituals. Aśoka banned the sacrifices that he showed to Buddhism led to a Brahmanical reaction. It was not antiBrahmanical because he followed to respect the Brahmans and Sharmanas is in a part of his Dharma. However, Brahmans continued to governor society, and opposition was inevitable. It was critical to bring about a climate of harmony and mutual trust. It indicates why the moral precepts preached by him were different from Buddhism. According to KAN Sastri, "the promotion of toleration and harmony among different religious sects and kindness towards animal life (Sastri, KAN, 1951).

    In conclusion, Aśoka expounded his policy of Dharma through his edicts on the inscriptions, which can divide into two classifications. A small group of inscriptions exposes that king Aśoka was a follower of Buddhism and addressed to the Buddhist community or Sangha. Inscriptions of the other classification are known as the Major and Minor Rock Edicts, which inscribed on rock surfaces. They made a distinction between Aśoka’s policy of Dharma which stressed social and political responsibility. Three major factors influence Aśoka’s policy of Dharma because of Aśoka is the Buddhist. Aśoka took the journey of all the holy places associated with the Buddha, and he constructed some monasteries or Vihāras for the Buddhist monks. The Aśoka’s edict was a universal ethic, prescribed code of duties, a collection of civic virtues, and a guide to social morality which comprised many virtues. The political issues because the kingdom with diversity and scale could not be controlled and governed only based on military power. Also, the Mauryan kings, “Chandragupta” took recourse to “Jainism” and "Bindusara" flavored the Ājīvika. Aśoka accepted Buddhism in his personal life, though he never imposed Buddhism on his subjects. An analysis of the inscriptions advises that Aśoka acknowledged his association with a Buddhist order. On the other, he tried to demonstrate, through the policy of Dharma, the prominence of social responsibility and tolerance amongst different participants of the society. The Buddhist records glory him with the propagation of Buddhism in India and abroad. 

Bibliography 

Bhandarkar Devadatta, 1925. Asoka. Asian Educational Services. 

Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri, ed., 1988. Age of the Nandas and Mauryas (illustrated, reprint 

    ed.). Motilal Banarsidass Publisher, 1988. p. 211. 

Reddy, 2005. General studies history 4 UPSC. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. p. A46. Retrieved 30 

    August 2013. 

Romila Thapar, 2004. Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. University of California Press. p. 200-

    204. 

Sastri, K.A.N., 1951. Age of the Nandas and Mauryas, Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass. p. 237. 

Smith Vincent, 1970. The Early History of India. Atlantic Publishers. 

Verma, Avnindra Kumar, Retrieved 30 August 2013. Social Science. VK Publications. p. 44.