Component-I (A) – Personal Details
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Component-I (A) – Personal details: Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati . & Dr. K. Muniratnam Director i/c, Epigraphy, ASI, Mysore. Prof. Susmita Basu Majumdar Dept. of AIHC , University of Calcutta. Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. 1 Component-I (B) – Description of module: Subject Name Indian Culture Paper Name Indian Epigraphy Module Name/Title Three Inscriptions of the Mauryan Realm Module Id IC / IEP / 27 Pre requisites To learn about the ∙ XIIIth Rock Edict of Asoka Objectives ∙ Barabar Hill Cave inscriptions ∙ Jogimara cave inscription Keywords Maurya / Asoka / Brahmi / Prakrit / Edict E-text (Quadrant-I) : 1. INTRODICTION TO MAURYAN RECORDS : The reign of Aśoka (c. 272-233 BCE), the third and greatest ruler of the Maurya dynasty, is a landmark in the history of the subcontinent as during his time royal records were for the first time inscribed, thus providing us with the definite proof of written documents in the subcontinent. Written mostly in Prakrit language and Brāhmī script (though Kharoshti, Aramaic and Greek were employed in the northwestern part and in Afghanistan), Aśoka caused to be engraved on rocks and pillars three broad varieties of his records. Majority of these records are meant for exhortation to his subjects and functionaries. These are largely administrative promulgations and therefore are labeled mostly as ‘edicts’. These are different from other inscriptions as here the king addresses his subjects and officers directly in first person. Aśoka edicts are broadly of three types : inscribed on a) rocks/boulders, b) free-standing polished stone pillars and c) cave inscriptions. While his inscriptions on rocks/boulders and pillars are widely distributed, cave inscriptions are found only in Barabar near Gaya in Bihar. The rock edicts sometimes convey extensive messages of the Mauryan emperor and hence labeled as Rock Edicts or Major Rock Edicts (RE); there are also rock edicts of a smaller size and content. The latter is therefore known as Minor Rock Edicts (MRE). Similarly the lengthy statements inscribed on pillars are called Pillar Edicts and the smaller messages engraved on pillars are termed Minor Pillar Edicts/Inscriptions. The statements in the Rock Edicts are found in a set of fourteen; the Rock Edicts are usually found in the bordering areas of the Mauryan realm; the Pillar Edicts are found in the Ganga plains, the very heartland of the Mauryan empire, while the Minor Rock Edicts (in a set of two, MRE II only in peninsular India) are not specific to any region/area. In other words, MREs are distributed all over the empire. The set of 14 Rock Edicts are usually found as a whole, though in Odisha the contents of RE XI, XII and XIII have been omitted. The omission, particularly in the case of the RE XIII in Odisha, seems to have been deliberate and not accidental as our discussions of the RE XIII below will demonstrate. Odisha has yielded, instead, two other Rock Edicts, almost as replacement of the contents of the RE XIII. Dhauli near Bhubaneswar (ancient Tosali) and Jaugada in Ganjam district (ancient Samapa) have yielded two different 2 REs, which are commonly known as Kalinga Rock Edicts I and II or as Separate Rock Edicts (SRE) I and II, since their contents are not found in the set of 14 Rock Edicts and these are restricted only to two Odishan sites. However, the discovery of a fragmentary Aśokan inscription, with similarities of contents of SRE, from Sannathi (Gulbarga dist, Karnataka), in the 1980s shows the possibility that the contents of the SREs could have been meant for areas beyond Kalinga. This supports Sircar’s proposition to label the Aśokan edicts at Dhauli and Jaugada not as Separate Rock Edicts, but as Rock edits XV and XVI. 2. ROCK EDICT XIII of AŚOKA : This takes us to a discussion on the RE XIII as this reveals the most important political event of Aśoka’s reign and its far reaching consequences on later part of Aśoka’s reign. The edict opens with the Beloved of the God’s, Priyadarsi’s (i.e Aśoka’s) conquest of Kalinga following a devastating war in which 150,000 men and animals were killed and 100,000 men were taken away (possibly as war-captives) and many more than these numbers died during and as a result of the war. Kalinga was conquered by the Maurya empire when eight years had elapsed since Aśoka’s coronation (i.e. in his thirteenth regnal year or 261-260 BCE). This was the last addition to the Mauryan territory which reached its maximum extent. Ancient Kalinga could have embraced Odisha and adjoining regions of Andhra Pradesh. The edict explicitly records deep remorse of the emperor for having perpetrated the violence in the Kalinga war; he thereafter eschewed war for good. The conquered area of Kalinga was however retained and not given up. It is quite clear that Aśoka did not wish this account of the destruction in Kalinga to be engraved in the Kalinga territory and hence, the RE XIII is not found in Odisha. Though the Maurya ruler clearly deplored the violent conquest of Kalinga he also categorically mentioned that when an unconquered country is conquered such violence could take place. Aśoka discontinued after the Kalinga war all aggressive designs and upheld and promoted the policy of Dhamma which also figures prominently in RE XIII. The contents of RE XIII, particularly on Dhamma may be better appreciated by referring to similar contained in other Aśokan edicts. One of the salient features of Aśoka’s Dhamma is avoidance of violence, including cessation of wars and non-killing of living beings for hunting and culinary purposes. That is why he prefers the conquest by Dhamma to victory in war. Dhamma stands for a very broad-based policy of Piety, cutting across religious sects; it emphasizes on the practice of certain virtues and avoidance of a number of vices—none of these has any sectarian overtone. For upholding Dhamma, which is the essence of his rulership and governance, Aśoka forbade some rituals and petty festivals like samāja. In the RE XIII specifically, Dhamma embraces brāhmaṇa and Śramaṇa, adherents of different faiths and householders who are exhorted to take care of parents, preceptors and elders. Seemly behavior to slaves and servants, courtesy to friends and relatives and non-violence are stressed herein. It is extremely significant that he stressed on the virtue of practicing firm devotion which in the light of his Greek edict implies firm devotion to king’s interests. Thus, Aśoka considered total allegiance on the part of his subjects as a constituent element of his Dhamma. Elaborating on his idea of the conquest by Dhamma, the RE XIII highlights the propagation of Dhamma both within his realm (Rajavishaya) and beyond its borders (Anta/Pracanta). In this context are listed people living within the realm: Yonas and Kambojas (Hellenized people of West Asiatic origin, for whom were issued Aramic and Greek edicts); Nābhaka- Nābhapaṁtikas (probably in Maharashtra and Madhyapradesh), Bhojas (Berar, near Nagpur, Maharashtra), the Andhras (in eastern Deccan) and Pulindas (probably in eastern Madhyapradesh). This edict also states the people, areas and kingdoms beyond the confines of the empire: the Cholas (Kaveri valley), Padas/Pandyas (Vaigai valley around Madurai), Satiyaputa/Satyaputra (southern Karnataka-Northern Tamilnadu), Keralaputa (Kerala) and Tambapmni (Tamraparni or Sri Lanka). Also mentioned are five Yavana or Greek rulers viz. Antiyoka (Antiochus Theos II 261-246 BCE), Turamaya (Ptolemy 3 Philadelphos 285-247 BCE), Amtikini (AntigonusGonatus 277-239 BCE of Macedonia) Maka (Megas of Cyrene, North Africa 272-255 BCE) and Alikasudara (Alexander of Epirus 252- 244 BCE). As these five Greek rulers were contemporaries of Aśoka, he can easily be situated in the 3rd century BCE. It is significant that Aśoka was aware of the limits of his realm where were engraved his edicts; the areas beyond his realm, explicitly stated,have not yielded any Aśokan edict. So the record suggests that extent of the vast Mauryaempire embracing greater parts of the subcontinent and some areas in Afghanistan. Aśoka thus extols the virtues of conquest by Dhamma which he expects his successors to follow and continue. The conquest through Dhamma, according to RE XIII, ensures happiness to people—his greatest achievement and satisfaction- in both this and the other world. Aśoka however did not entirely rule out the application of arms for conquests. While he exhorts that his successors should think of conquest by arms, he still considered that if people in future would be conquered by arms, the people should be treated with forbearance. This in a way leaves open the option to take to warlike activities, if unavoidable. So Aśoka cannot be considered as following an exclusively pacific policy. This is in keeping with his very stern warning to the forest dwellers (āṭavikas), figuring in the RE XIII. He entreated and urged forest-dwellers to turn from evil ways with regard to their duty. In other words, he warns them not to stray away from the path of Dhamma. Though full of remorse for the violence in the Kalinga war, Aśoka was full of authority. He cautioned the āṭavikas that he had the power to punish them and that they should behave properly so that they were not killed. The stern threat issued by the Maurya emperor is never repeated in other inscriptions. The RE XIII widely distributed, along with other REs, in the frontier regions of the Maurya realm, spoke of his a)Kalinga conquest, b) his deep remorse and adoption of the policy of Dhamma, c) some of salient features of his Dhamma, d) terms to designate his realm and the areas beyond the realm, e) peoples, areas and kings beyond his jurisdiction, f) his advice to successors and h) his stern voice against the forest dwellers.