Ashoka and His Dhamma

Ashoka’s Dhamma

Sanjay Sharma

After the war of Kalinga, the course of history changed and this was brought about by Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism. According to Kalhana, he was a Shaiva before converting to Buddhism. Dr. B. N. Mukherjee, on the basis of his studies of Greek and Aramaic inscriptions has given the following chronology of events from the war of Kalinga.

• Ashoka waged war in Kalinga in the eighth year of his reign.

• He became a lay disciple of Buddhism in the early ninth year

• Proclaimed the doctrine of Dhamma in the tenth year.

• Visited Sambodhi and started Dhammayata (Dharmayatra) in the same year.

• Issued first of his Dhammalipi in the twelfth year.

These dates are scaled to the year of his consecration.

Ashoka adhered to the polivy of tolerance towards all belief systems. Even after changing religion he preferred to call himself Devanampiya, i.e., beloved of the gods. He also dedicated Barabar caves to the monks of Ajivika sect. His opposition to killing of animals for samajas (festive gatherings) or for sacrifices cannot be seen as an opposition to Brahmanism or varnashramadharma. Let us now make a survey of the important aspects of Dhamma through the study of prescripts:

1. Earliest Signals of Dhammalipi are seen in the Minor Rock Edict I and II (MRE I and II).

2. The core of Ashoka’s Dhamma is enshrined in the first and the second Minor Rock Edict. Minor Rock Edicts refer to some important points.

(a) Gujarra version of MRE-I mentions that ‘both rich and poor should be encouraged to practise Dhamma’.

(b) Brahmagiri version of MRE-II has following points. Beloved of the god (Ashoka) says that:

(i) Mother and father should be obeyed and likewise the elders.

(ii) Steadfastness (in kindness) should be shown towards living beings.

(iii) Truth must be spoken.

(iv) Teachers should be honoured by the pupil.

(v) Relatives should be respected.

(vi) This is an ancient rule and a long standing principle.

(vii) One should act in this manner.

These principles have been engraved just after the mention of Ashoka’s Dhammayatra and form the core of his Dhamma. 3. The concept of Dhamma was based on ancient values and customs. They have been repeated and stressed a number of times. There is a special stress on:

(i) Abstention from slaughter of life (lives) (anarambho prananam).

(ii) Avoidance of injury to creatures (avihisa Bhutanam).

(Mentioned in Major Rock Edict (RE) IV, III, IX, XI and Pillar Edict (PE) VII)

4. In RE III, the govt. officials are asked to preach:

(i) That obedience to father and mother is an excellent thing;

(ii) That liberty to friends, acquaintances and relatives and to brahmanas and sramanas is an excellent thing;

(iii) That abstention from slaughter of living creatures is an excellent thing and;

(iv) That tendency towards spending little and storing little is an excellent thing.

RE IX and XI advocate inter alia proper curtsey even to slaves and servants (dasabhatakamhi).

PE VII speaks to show courtesy inter-alia to miserable and wretched (kapanivalakesu).

5. Now, dealing with the important part, let us understand the constituent of Dhamma policy.

Dhamma is clearly defined in PE II as consisting of:

(a) Freedom from sins (or accumulating few sins) (apasinave)

(b) Many virtuous deeds (vahukayane)

(d) Liberality (or making gifts) (dane)

(e) Truthfulness (sache)

(f) Purity (of mind) (sochye)

PE VII adds ‘gentleness’ (sadhave) to the mentioned list.

According to PE VII, people of all sects should be obliged to have:

(a) Self control (sayame)

(b) Mental Purity (bhavashuddhi)

(d) Firm Devotion (didhabhatita)

PE III says that man should guard himself against those passions which lead to sin. These are:

(a) Fierceness (chamdiye) (b) Cruelty (nithuliye)

(d) Pride (mane)

(e) Jealously (isya)

6. Ashoka’s Dhamma and growth of essence (saravadhi) of all sects:

Shahbazgarhi version of RE XII gives the details of the Dhamma’s explanation of the growth of essence of all sects. The zest of it is:

(i) Though the growth of essence is possible in many ways but at the root of it is ‘restraint in speech’.

(ii) Further, the extolment of one’s own sect and disparagement of other sects should not take place at inappropriate occasion and it should be moderate even at the appropriate occasions. On the contrary all the sects should be honoured in every possible manner.

(iii) By acting otherwise one injures his own sect and does harm to other sects as well.

7. While truth, non violence, non injury, self-control were an essential part of Dhamma (Law of Piety), that does not suggest that Ashoka totally renounced war. In Shahbazgarhi, Mansehra and Eerragudi versions of RE XIII he is understood to have warned the forest tribes living within his dominions. In Separate Rock Edict II (at Dhauli, Jaugada and Sannati) (henceforth mentioned as SRE II), he promised independence to unconquered borders provided it is possible for him to forgive them. The last two points make it amply clear that despite devoting himself totally to Dhamma, Ashoka was not averse to violence under political compulsions if any.

8. Paternal Attitude:

(a) SRE I and II claim that Ashoka considered all men, his children.

(b) He asks all men, high and low, to practise and exert always for Dhamma (MRE I and RE X).

(c) One point which has been mentioned repeatedly in a number of edicts is that the exertion of people (both high and low) for Dhamma would increase their welfare and merit in this world and the other and practice of Dhamma would entitle them for heaven (RE VI and IX).

9. Individual and Administrative efforts to propagate Dhamma:

The action plan to propagate Dhamma starts from SRE I wherein it is mentioned that ‘Ashoka considered that by preaching Dhamma he was discharging his debt to the people and by acting upon his instructions the officials could discharge there debt to him’. Further, it is mentioned in RE X that the fame of the king lies in his ability to make people ultimately believe in Dhamma and Practise it.

10. Welfare measures adopted by Ashoka:

According to RE I (issued when was anointed for 12 years) Ashoka:

(a) Banned slaughter of living beings. (b) Drastically reduced the number of animals slaughtered at the royal kitchen from many hundred thousand to only three or two and expressed his desire to abolish it completely at a later stage.

(d) Made arrangements, not just in his own empire but in neighbouring states as well, of medical treatment and attendance to man and beast alike. Import of medicinal plants and herbs, which were not available locally and their plantation, has been referred to in RE II.

(e) Making of roads, digging of wells, planting of trees, etc., have also been referred to in RE II and PE VII.

11. Ashoka’s Dhammayatas:

This practice was initiated with Ashoka’s visit to Sambodhi when he had been consecrated for ten years. He in course of Dhammayatas or Dharmayatras:

(a) Visited brahmanas and sramanas and offered gifts.

(b) Visited elders and offered gifts of gold.

12. Involvement of Administrative machinery for Dhamma:

(i) Dhammalipi: Ashoka started to issue Dhammalipi when he was consecrated for twelve years (PE VI). He asked his officers to engrave them on rocks and stone pillars wherever they were available in his territory (Rupnath version of MRE I). In his RE VII (issued after he had been anointed for 27 years) he instructs his officials to engrave this Dhammalipi on pillars and stone slabs so that it may endure for a long span of time. .

(ii) Quinquennial Circuits:

Rajukas and rashtrikas (rathikas) were among the earliest officials made responsible for the preaching of Dhamma (Eerragudi, Nittur, Rajula–Mandagiri and Udegolam Versions of MRE II). Preaching of Dhamma, supervision of welfare works and criminal and judicial procedures were among the duties of trustworthy and efficient rajukas who were ‘placed in charge of many hundred thousand of lives’ (PE IV). Parisha was made responsible to direct yutas in regard to the instructions to be observed according to the king’s reason and other issued edicts.

(iii) Dhammamahamata (Dharmamahamatras):

After 13 years of reign Ashoka appointed Dharmamahamatras:

(a) For establishing Dhamma among all the sects.

(b) For the welfare and happiness of all people (including Yavana, Kamboja etc.) and subjects and supervising properly certain, judicial and administrative works (RE V).

(c) To look after the affairs of ‘Sangha’, brahmanas, Ajivikas, Nirgranthas and others (PE VII). (d) They were employed everywhere, in Pataliputra and other outlying towns and also in the household of Ashoka’s family (PE V).

(e) A separate class of officials concerned with the preaching of Dhamma were Dhammayutas (RE V).

(f) Different mukhyas (Head of departments) were engaged in the distribution of charity on behalf of not just the king and the queen but also the princes (PE VII).

(g) Ashoka ordered antamahamatras and all higher and lower officials to preach and practice Dhamma (PE I).

(h) The king, for the propagation of Dhamma, erected pillars of Dhamma, appointed Dhammamahamatras and arranged for proclamations of Dhamma (PE VII).

(i) PE I explains his rule of action. It was administration according to Dhamma (dhammena palana), Regulation according to Dhamma (dhammena vidhane), and protection according to Dhamma (dhammane goti).

Nature of Dhamma

Scholars are not totally unanimous about the exact explanation of the nature of Dhamma. Rhys Davids understands it as a whole duty of laymen while Smith says that the character of Ashoka’s teaching is purely human and severely practical. He also identifies the ethics in the edicts as Buddhist rather than Brahmanical. According to D. C. Sircar, Dhamma was ‘a code of morals preached by Ashoka probably following what he believed to have been the teachings of Buddha’. According to H. C. Raychaudhuri, morality is central to Ashoka’s concept of Dhamma. According to K. A. Nilakanta Sastri, ‘Ashoka’s Dhamma is primarily an ethical social conduct, and it involves even the animal kingdom within the scope of its all embracing benevolence’. To Romila Thapar, ‘Dhamma was largely an ethical concept related to the individual in the context of his society’.

It seems the crux or core of Ashoka’s Dhamma was to enhance the ethical and moral standards of people through preaching non violence, respect to other sects, and respect to people in general etc. Dhamma was also driven by political and geographical compulsions. It was a political philosophy based on ancient customs to maintain peace, tranquillity and harmony in such vast an empire. This seems to be an important reason for creating administrative machinery for the dissemination of the concept amongst people.

The Foreign Policy After Kalinga

After Kalinga Ashoka renounced the path of warfare, and this is amply evidenced by the fact that he made no attempt to annex his neighbouring countries viz., the Chola, Pandya, Satiyaputra, Kerelaputra, Ceylon and the realm of Amtiyako Yonaraja, who is identified with Antiochos II Theos, king of Syria and western Asia. The concept of digvijaya was replaced by the concept of dhammavijaya.

Dhamma of Ashoka brought him in contact with the Hellenistic powers that included Antiochos II Theos, king of Syria; Ptolemy II Philadelphos, king of Egypt; Magas, king of Cyrene in North Africa; Antigonos Gonatas, king of Macedonia and Alexander who ruled over Ephirus. Ashoka looked towards these countries for the expansion of Dhamma through dhammavijaya. He says, “My neighbours too, should learn this lesson.” The text of the rock edict XIII says, “conquest of the Law of Piety… has been won by his sacred Majesty…among all his neighbours as far as six hundred leagues, where the king of Greeks named Antiochos dwells, and beyond (the realm) of that Antiochos (where dwell) the four kings severally Ptolemy (Turamayo), Antigonos (Amtekina), Magas (Maga), and Alexander (Alikasudara) (like wise) in the south, the Cholas and the Pandyas as far as Tambapani…… Even where the dutas of his sacred Majesty do not penetrate, those people too are hearing his sacred Majesty’s ordinance based upon the Law of Piety and his instruction in the law, practise and will practise the law.”

Because of such serious efforts undertaken by Ashoka, Buddhism did make a progress in the region around west Asia. Ceylonese chronicles also mention that envoys were sent to Ceylon and Suvarnabhumi (lower Burma and Sumatra). Mahendra, perhaps the younger brother or a son of Ashoka along with his sister Sangamitra, went to Ceylon and successfully secured the conversion of Devanampiya Tissa and many more people.