Ashoka, one of India’s most illustrious emperors, managed to reign over the majority of the Indian subcontinent through his military conquests and attempts at sustaining unification. Having been recently converted to Buddhism, Ashoka saw the future of his empire in the harmony and serenity of its teachings. Once Ashoka had brought such an inconceivable amount of individuals together, the most burdensome undertaking had yet to come, maintaining peace amongst them. Ashoka’s response to this daunting task was to conceive and distribute an assortment of edicts to the people of the Mauryan Empire, which would expeditiously make his religious beliefs known. Emperor Ashoka’s Edicts were created to solve many of the widespread issues that were faced by his empire, through the creation of a more peaceful and respectful public. These proclamations would come to outline and spread Buddhism through the understanding of Dhamma, teach the people about morality and peace, and defend both humans and animals alike. Ashoka, a deeply virtuous man, did whatever he could for the betterment of his people.
When Ashoka, the Beloved of the Gods, first became king of the Mauryan Empire he was a cruel and savage ruler. Ashoka’s conquering of Kalinga lead to a hundred thousand deaths, not counting the death’s of his own men, nor all of the people who were inadvertently affected by this horrifying war. But, once Kalinga was annexed into the Mauryan Empire, Ashoka began to feel guilty for his actions, prompting him to adopt and spread the teachings of Buddhism, specifically that of the Dhamma (Thapar 255). This Buddhist teaching, which upheld order, called for an end to war and violence, as well as sacrifices and unnecessary festivals (Thapar 250). The Dhamm...
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...e spread this idea to his citizens.
All in all, Emperor Ashoka’s Edicts were created to solve many of the widespread issues that were faced by his empire, through the creation of a more peaceful and respectful public. Ashoka made it his mission to unite his people through the Buddhist principles of peace and non-violence towards all. These proclamations would come to outline and spread Buddhism through the understanding of Dhamma, teach the people about morality and peace, and defend both humans and animals alike. Ashoka was able to bring his citizens together in such a way that to refuse would end up harming them in the long run. He was tired of the constant violence, and was now ready for a new era of unity and prosperity.
Works Cited
Thapar, Romila. "Appendix V." Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas. Delhi: Oxford University
Press, 1997. 250-66. Print.
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Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
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Ashoka converted to Buddhism after he experienced a bloody war in Kalinga, and wanted to purify himself. He then became Buddhist and wanted his empire to follow his lead of living a life of purity, moral values, and nonviolence. Ashoka proceeded to send missionaries, people sent on a religion mission, around to spread Buddhism around India and to Sri Lanka. Missionaries that Ashoka sent to Sri Lanka included his son, Mahinda, and some of his close friends (Sen, “Ashoka and His Empire”). This spreading of Buddhism by missionaries serves as a way to un...
"Buddha and Ashoka: Crash Course World History #6." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Mar. 2012. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
challenge to the modern historiography. Writer-politician Arun Shourie re-reads history of Christian missionary works and conversion movements of Dalits from point of Indian nationalism, identity, culture, language and race to erase the memories of Christian contributions and Dalit reaction to Hinduism. Breaking India by Rajiv Malhotra, a highly imaginative self contradicting work, vehemently attacked on Christianity and its works among Dalits and down trodden communities in India terming the works as dividing India and serving Western interests without understanding the oppressive-colonial nature of Hinduism. The challenges of Hindutva, the programs of Ghar Wapsi, and Shuddhi, communalized history textbooks and glorification of Hindu martyrs