Asoka An Enlightened Ruler Essay

Was Asoka a ruthless conqueror or an enlightened ruler?

Asoka, an emperor born in 304 BC, earns the title as an “enlightened ruler.” He guarded his citizens during the Conquest of Kalinga by teaching them how to properly govern, and conquer land non-aggressively, which helped them become a conjoined country. During his reign, he did few malevolent things but he surpassed them with the positive deeds. Some of those accomplishments included providing services for the men he murdered, allowing the citizens who were to be killed to speak with their family, and laboring hard for his people and their futures.
Asoka’s conquest in Kalinga caused many deaths in order to protect his people. During the year 261 BC, he proceeded to fight in a conquest in Kalinga. Thus these acts instructed him to create The Edicts of Asoka. The Edicts and a map from various sources state that ”Kalingans killed in battle: 100,000; Died of disease, hunger: 100,000; driven out of the country after the battle: 100,000.” Although he murdered hundreds of thousands of Kalingans, he believed that every soul deserved to be honored. Asoka did this by holding a service for all the lost souls. The

Edicts of Asoka also states that he said,“There is nothing better than providing welfare for the whole world.” For the lives he took in battle, he felt that he was in debt to their souls. According to his own edicts, around 300,000 people were killed due to his acts, and he felt that he had to take responsibility for those killings. Thus he did everything and anything that would discharge himself from that debt.
Asoka spread Buddhism to work with his people to help them learn how to properly govern by negotiating with the locals about their ways. Asoka traveled and learned from a monk that would later have a great impact on his life. The two sat under a Bodhi Tree and conversed about how the Buddha had found enlightenment. In the PBS documentary, The Story Of India, it stated that “the power of ideas and the power of remorse came together in a unique way.” This gave Asoka a whole new understanding of history and how it came together. This new perspective caused him to work hard on new projects. In 1994, the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru gave a speech about his viewpoint of Asoka and Buddhism. It said, “[Asoka] labored hard at public business and declared he was ready for it.” Which proves how devoted Asoka was to Buddha and his teachings. His perspective on being so devoted to Buddha’s teaching caused his people to respect him, which is all Asoka wanted.
Asoka used the idea of conquering land in an admirable manner during the Conquest of Kalinga.

Romila Thapar stated in Oxford University Press that, “Asoka ceased to indulge in wars of aggression,” thus Asoka was enlightened. He chose to protect his people and only take the lives that were too weak. Nevertheless, he did not stop thinking about the idea of war and all the lives that he did take. The Edicts of Asoka states that “[those who were killed] would weigh heavily on the mind of the Beloved of the Gods, Asoka.” Thus he was enlightened in more ways than one. He believed anyone who sinned should always be forgiven for what they had done. And if they repent, they will be given forgiveness and eternal life. If they did not repent, they would be killed, which resembles how he may have an evil side to

him.
Asoka was an enlightened ruler because of the way he treated his people. He respected them and their lives as his own. When he spread Buddhism to them, he did it to teach them about new aspects of life and government. In the modern world, our current leaders do not allow us, as people, to make decisions like Asoka did. Asoka cared about every life that was taken or every life that passed of disease. Thus, Asoka was an enlightened and practical ruler.