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Ashoka Edicts: Ancient History NCERT Notes For UPSC
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Ashoka edicts are the 33 inscriptions engraved on the rocks and pillars by the Mauryan emperor, Ashoka, who ruled from 268 BCE to 232 BCE. Ashoka edicts were the proclamations by the em- peror to the public at large which carried the message about the idea and practice of dhamma.
Ashoka inscriptions were scattered throughout Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Most of these inscriptions were in Prakrit language These inscriptions are considered to be the first intangible evidence of Buddhism.
Edicts of Ashoka: Types of Inscriptions • James Princep in 1837 deciphered the Ashokan inscriptions for the first time. • These edicts were classified based on the surface on which they were inscribed. • There are four types of Ashoka edicts. They are:
1. Major rock edicts 2. Minor rock edicts 3. Major pillar edicts 4. Minor pillar edicts
Ashoka Edicts - Major Rock Edicts • Major rock edicts deal with the Ashoka’s vision of peaceful existence by following the dhamma. • There are about 14 major rock edicts and they are significantly detailed and extensive. • All of the major rock edicts of Ashoka were inscribed on large rocks except for the Kandahar Greek edict of Ashoka. • These Ashoka edicts were located on the frontiers of the territory controlled by the emperor Ashoka.
Ashoka Rock Features Inscribed in Edicts Edicts
Major Rock Edict • Prohibits animal slaughter I • Bans festive gatherings
Major Rock Edict • Mentions the South Indian kingdoms such as Cholas, Pandya, Satya- II putas and Keralaputras. • Deals with social welfare measures
Major Rock Edict • Liberty to Brahmanas III • Every five years Yukatas, Pradesikas along with Rajukas visit all the areas of the kingdom to spread Dhamma.
Major Rock Edict • Preference of Dhammaghosa (Sound of peace) over Berighosa IV (Sound of wandrums). • Impact of Dhamma on society
Major Rock Edict • Humane treatment of slaves by their masters V • Mentions about the appointment of Dhamma Mahamatras.
Major Rock Edict • Deals with the welfare measures VI • King’s wish to know about the condition of the people
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Major Rock Edict • Tolerance towards all religions and sects VII
Major Rock Edict • Mentions about Ashoka’s visit to Bodh Gaya and Bodhi tree VIII • Maintaining contact with rural people via Dharmayatras.
Major Rock Edict • Stresses on the moral conduct of people. IX • Avoiding expensive ceremonies
Major Rock Edict • Condemns the desire for fame and glory X
Major Rock Edict • Elaborate explanation of Dhamma XI
Major Rock Edict • Appeal for developing tolerance towards all religious sects. XII
Major Rock Edict • Explains about Kalinga war and conquest through dhamma XIII
Major Rock Edict • Deals with the purpose of engraving inscriptions in various parts of the XIV country.
Ashoka Edicts - Minor Rock Edicts • Ashoka Minor rock edicts predate the Major rock edicts. • It deals with the personal history of Ashoka and his summary of his dhamma. • They are mostly located in Maski (Andhra pradesh), Brahmagiri (Karnataka), Sasaram (Bi- har), Rupanath (Madhya Pradesh), Bhabru - Bairat (Rajasthan). • Among all the minor rock edicts of Ashoka, the Maski version plays a very important role in the history. It confirms the association of the title Devanampiya piyadasi to the emperor Ashoka. • Minor rock edict no 3 lists down the important Buddhist scriptures that the Buddhist clergy should study regularly. • The texts of these inscriptions are short and the technical quality of engraving these inscrip- tions are also poor.
Ashoka Edicts - Major Pillar Edicts • Major pillar edicts of Ashoka refers to those exclusively inscribed on the Pillars of Ashoka • Major rock edicts and minor rock edicts precedes them chronologically. • These inscriptions were made during the final period of his reign. • Except for two, all the other major pillar edicts are found in Central India. • There are seven Major pillar edicts.
Major Pillar Features Inscribed in Edicts Edicts
Pillar Edict I Ashoka’s principles relating to protection of his people
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Pillar Edict II Dhamma is defined as the minimum of sins, possession of compassion, liberty, virtues, purity and truthfulness.
Pillar Edict III Sins such as harshness, anger, cruelty etc., are being abolished
Pillar Edict IV The duties of Rajukas are mentioned
Pillar Edict V • A List of animals and plants which should not be killed on certain occa- sions and a list of animals and plants which should be never killed. • Describes about release of 25 prisoners by Ashoka
Pillar Edict VI Policy of Dhamma is explained
Pillar Edict VII Tolerance towards all religious sects.
Ashoka Edicts - Minor Pillar Edicts • The minor pillar edicts refers to the 5 minor edicts inscribed on the pillars of Ashoka. • They are preceded by minor rock edicts. • These edicts belong to the initial period of Ashoka's reign.
Minor Pillar Edicts Features Inscribed in Edicts
The schism edicts Warning of punishment for dissent in Samgha
The Queen’s edicts Ashoka announces that gifts of the Queens should be credited
Nigali Sagar pillar inscrip- Mentions about Ashoka’s dedication to increase the height of Ka- tions nakamuni Buddha
Rummindei pillar inscrip- Mentions about Ashok’s visit to Lumbini i.e. birthplace of Buddha tions
Ashoka Edicts - Languages • Only three languages were used in the Ashoka edicts - Prakrit, Aramaic and Greek. • Most of the Ashoka inscriptions were in Prakrit language. • The Ashoka edicts in the North west of the subcontinent were in Greek and Aramaic. • Most of the prakrit inscriptions were in Brahmi script and some of those in northwest were in Kharosthi script. • Inscriptions in Afghanistan were written in Greek and Aramaic script. • The Kandahar rock inscription is bilingual i.e written in both Greek and Aramaic.
Important Facts of Ashoka Edicts • In Ashoka edicts, the emperor (Ashoka) refers himself as Devanampiya Piyadasi which means beloved of Gods. • The name Ashoka is explicitly mentioned only in three rock edicts which are in Maski, Guj- jara and Nittur.
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• Ashoka was the first king to make direct connection to the people via his inscriptions • These inscriptions were mostly placed on the ancient highways. • Ashoka edicts mostly revolved around some recurring themes such as Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism, his efforts to spread dhamma, tolerance towards various religious sects, social welfare and animal welfare.
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Ashoka Edicts NCERT Notes FAQs Q1. How many Ashoka edicts are there? A1. There are about thirty-three Ashoka edicts which are engraved on the rocks and pillars by the emperor Ashoka.
Q2. Why did Ashoka set up the inscriptions on highways? A2. Ashoka placed the inscriptions on the highways in order to make direct connection with the people through inscriptions which carried the royal order. Ashoka spread his concept of Dhamma mainly through his inscriptions.
Q3. Which of the Ashoka edict describes his victory in the Kalinga war? A3. The major rock edict XIII describes the victory of Ashoka in the Kalinga war. It explains about the conquest through dhamma instead of war.
Q4. Who is the beloved of God? A4. Ashoka, the great is known as the beloved of God. He describes himself as Devanampiya Piyadasi i.e., beloved of Gods in most of his inscriptions.
Q5. Which Ashoka edict indicates that capital punishment was not abolished? A5. The pillar edict IV deals with the duties of Rajukas. Rajukas were the officials in Mauryan ad- ministration who had the power to give capital punishment. Thus, it is evident that capital punish- ment was not aboished by Ashoka.
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