what did king Ashoka dedicate his life to

Ashoka was the tertiary ruler of the Maurya Dynasty and ruled nearly the entire Indian subcontinent from c. 268 to 232 BCE. Let's take a await at his life history, empire, rule, administration and Dhamma.

Title: Devanam Priyadarshi

Birth: 304 B.C.

Birthplace: Pataliputra (modern day Patna)

Dynasty: Maurya

Parents: Bindusara and Devi Dharma

Reign: 268 –232 B.C.

Symbol: Lion

Religion: Buddhism

Spouse: Asandhimitra, Devi, Karuvaki, Padmavati, Tishyaraksha

Children: Mahendra, Sanghamitra, Tivala, Kunala, Charumati

Ashoka was the third ruler of the illustrious Maurya dynasty and was i of the well-nigh powerful kings of the Indian subcontinent in aboriginal times. His reign between 273 BC and 232 B.C. was one of the almost prosperous periods in the history of India. Ashoka's empire consisted virtually of Republic of india, Southern asia and beyond, stretching from present 24-hour interval Transitional islamic state of afghanistan and parts of Persia in the west, to Bengal and Assam in the east, and Mysore in the southward. Buddhist literature document Ashoka every bit a cruel and ruthless monarch who underwent a change of heart after experiencing a particularly gruesome war, the Boxing of Kalinga. Later the state of war, he embraced Buddhism and dedicated his life towards dissemination of the tenets of the organized religion. He became a benevolent rex, driving his assistants to brand a simply and bountiful surround for his subjects. Owing to his benevolent nature as a ruler, he was given the title 'Devanampriya Priyadarshi'. Ashoka and his glorious rule is associated with one of the most prosperous time in the history of India and as a tribute to his non-partisan philosophies, the Dharma Chakra adorning the Ashok stambh has been made a role of the Indian National Flag. The keepsake of the Republic of India has been adapted from the Panthera leo Capital letter of Ashoka.

Early Life

Ashoka was born to Mauryan King Bindusara and his queen Devi Dharma in 304 B.C. He was the grandson of the not bad Chandragupta Maurya, the founder emperor of the Maurya Dynasty. Dharma (alternatively known as Subhadrangi or Janapadkalyani) was the daughter of a Brahmin priest from the kindom of Champa, and was assigned relatively low position in the royal household attributable to politics therein. By virtue of his mother's position, Ashoka also received a low position among the princes. He had only i younger sibling, Vithashoka, merely, several elder half-brothers. Correct from his childhood days Ashoka showed great promise in the field of weaponry skills as well as academics. Ashoka's begetter Bindusara, impressed with his skill and noesis, appointed him every bit the Governer of Avanti. Here he met and married Devi, the girl of a tradesman from Vidisha. Ashoka and Devi had 2 children, son Mahendra and daughter Sanghamitra.

Asoka apace grew into an excellent warrior full general and an acute statesman. His command on the Mauryan army started growing day by day. Ashoka'due south elder brothers became jealous of him and they assumed him being favoured by King Bindusara as his successor to the throne. King Bindusara's eldest son Sushima convinced his male parent to send Ashoka far away from the capital city of Pataliputra to Takshashila province. The excuse given was to subdue a revolt by the citizens of Takshashila. However, the moment Ashoka reached the province, the militias welcomed him with open up arms and the uprising came to an terminate without any fight. This detail success of Asoka made his elder brothers, especially Susima, more insecure.

Accession to the Throne

Susima started inciting Bindusara against Ashoka, who was and so sent into exile past the emperor. Ashoka went to Kalinga, where he met a fisherwoman named Kaurwaki. He fell in love with her and later, made Kaurwaki his second or third married woman. Soon, the province of Ujjain started witnessing a violent uprising. Emperor Bindusara called back Ashoka from exile and sent him to Ujjain. The prince was injured in the ensuing battle and was treated by Buddhist monks and nuns. It was in Ujjain that Asoka beginning came to know nigh the life and teachings of Buddha.

In the following year, Bindusura became seriously sick and was literally on his deathbed. Sushima was nominated successor past the king simply his autocratic nature made him unfavourable among the ministers. A grouping of ministers, led past Radhagupta, chosen upon Ashoka to presume the crown. Post-obit Bindusara's expiry in 272 B.C., Ashoka attacked Pataliputra, defeated and killed all his brothers, including Sushima. Among all his brothers he merely spared his younger brother Vithashoka. His coronation took place four years after his ascent to throne. Buddhist literatures describe Ashoka as a cruel, ruthless and bad-tempered ruler. He was named 'Chanda' Ashoka significant Ashoka the Terrible, due to his disposition at that fourth dimension. He was attributed with building Ashoka'southward Hell, a torture chamber manned past an executioner to punish offenders.

After he became the empperor, Ashoka launched brutal assaults to expand his empire, which lasted for around eight years. Although the Maurya Empire that he inherited was quite sizable, he expanded the borders exponentially. His kingdom stretched from Iran-Transitional islamic state of afghanistan borders in the West to Burma in the due east. He annexed the whole of Southern India except Ceylon (mod twenty-four hour period Sri Lanka). The merely kingdom outside his grasp was Kalinga which is the mod mean solar day Orissa.

The Boxing of Kalinga and Submission to Buddhism

Ashoka launched an attack to conquer Kalinga during 265 B.C. and the boxing of Kalinga became a turning point in his life. Ashoka personally led the conquest and secured victory. On his orders, the whole of province was plundered, cities were destroyed and thousands of people were killed.

The morn afterwards the victory he went out to survey united states of things and encountered nothing except burnt houses and scattered corpses. Having brought face to face with the consequences of war, for the kickoff time he felt overwhelmed with the brutality of his deportment. He saw flashes of the destruction that his conquest had wrought even after returning to Pataliputra. He experienced an utter crisis of faith during this menstruation and sought penance for his past deeds. He vowed never to practise violence again and devoted himself completely to Buddhism. He followed the directives of Brahmin Buddhist gurus Radhaswami and Manjushri and started propagating Buddhist principles throughout his kingdom. Thus Chandashoka morphed into Dharmashoka or the pious Ashoka.

Assistants of Ashoka

The administration of Ashoka after his spiritual transformation was focused solely on the well-existence of his subjects. The emperor was at the helm of the administration following the established model put forward by Mauryan Kings before Ashoka. He was closely assisted in his administrative duties past his younger brother, Vithashoka and a group of trusted ministers, whom Ashoka consulted before adopting any new administrative policy. The most of import members of this advisory council included the Yuvaraj (Crown Prince), the Mahamantri (Prime Minister), the Senapati (general), and the Purohita (priest). Asoka's reign saw introduction of a large number of benevolent policies as compared to his predecessors. He adopted a paternalistic view on administration and proclaimed "All men are my Children", as axiomatic from the Kalinga edict. He also expressed his indebtedness to his subjects for bestowing with their beloved and respect, and that he considered information technology his duty to serve for their greater adept.

His kingdom was divided into Pradesha or provinces which were subdivided into Vishyas or subdivisions and Janapadas, which were further subdivided into villages.The five chief provinces under Ashoka'southward reign were the Uttarapatha(Northern Province) with its majuscule at Taxila; Avantiratha (western province) with its headquarters at Ujjain; Prachyapatha (eastern province) with its centre at Toshali and the Dakshinapatha (southern province) with its capital every bit Suvarnagiri. The central province, Magadha with its majuscule at Pataliputra was the authoritative centre of the empire.  Each province was granted partial autonomy at the hand of a crown prince who was responsible for decision-making the overall law enforcement, just the emperor himself retained much of the fiscal and administrative controls. These provincial heads were contradistinct from time to time to prevent any one of them exerting power over a long period of time. He appointed several Pativedakas or reporters, who would written report to him the general and public affairs, leading the king to have necessary steps.

Although Ashoka built his empire on the principles of non-violence, he followed the instructions outlined in the Arthashastra for the characters of the Perfect King. He introduced legal reforms like Danda Samahara and Vyavahara Samahara, clearly pointing out to his subjects the fashion of life that is to be led by them. The overall judicial and administration were overseen by Amatyas or civil servants whose functions were clearly delineated by the Emperor. The Akshapataladhyaksha was in accuse of currency and accounts of the entire assistants. The Akaradhyaksha was in-charge of mining and other metallurgical endeavours. The Sulkadhyaksa was in accuse of collecting the taxes. The Panyadhyaksha was controller of commerce. The Sitadhyaksha was in charge of agronomics. The emperor employed a network of spies who offered him tactical advantages in diplomatic matters. The administration conducted regular census along with other information equally caste and occupation.

Religious Policy: Ashoka's Dhamma

Ashoka made Buddhism the land faith effectually 260 B.C. He was perhaps the showtime emperor in history of Bharat who tried to constitute a Buddhist polity by implementing the Dasa Raja Dharma or the x precepts outlined by Lord Buddha himself every bit the duty of a perfect ruler. They are enumerated as:

1.To be liberal and avert selfishness

2. To maintain a high moral character

three. To exist prepared to sacrifice one'southward own pleasance for the well-being of the subjects

4. To be honest and maintain absolute integrity

5. To be kind and gentle

half-dozen. To lead a simple life for the subjects to emulate

vii.  To exist complimentary from hatred of any kind

viii. To exercise non-violence

ix.  To do patience

x. To respect public stance to promote peace and harmony

Based on these ten principles preached by Lord Buddha, Ashoka dictated the practice of Dharma that became the backbone of his philanthropic and tolerant administration. Dharma was neither a new religion nor a new political philosophy. It was a way of life, outlined in a lawmaking of deport and a fix of principles that he encouraged his subjects to adopt to pb a peaceful and prosperous life. He undertook the propagation of these philosophies through publication of 14 edicts that he spread out throughout his empire.

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Ashoka's Edicts:

1. No living being were to exist slaughtered or sacrificed.

ii. Medical care for human too every bit animals throughout his Empire

3. Monks to tour the empire every five years teaching the principles of dharma to the common people.

4. One should ever respect one's parents, priests and monks

five. Prisoners to be treated humanely

6. He encouraged his subjects to report to him their concerns regarding the welfare of the assistants at all times no matter where he is or what he is doing.

7. He welcomed all religions as they want self-control and purity of heart.

8. He encouraged his subjects to give to monks, Brahmans and to the needy.

9. Reverence for the dharma and a proper attitude towards teachers was considered better than spousal relationship or other worldly celebrations, past the Emperor.

10. Emperor surmised that glory and fame count for nothing if people exercise not respect the dharma.

11. He considered giving the dharma to others is the all-time gift anyone can have.

12. Whoever praises his ain religion, due to excessive devotion, and condemns others with the thought "Let me glorify my ain faith," only harms his own religion. Therefore contact (between religions) is good.

13. Ashoka preached that conquest by the dhamma is superior to conquest by force but if conquest by forcefulness is carried out, information technology should be 'abstinence and calorie-free punishment'.

14. The 14 edicts were written so that people might act in accordance with them.

He got these 14 edicts engraved in stone pillars and slabs and had them placed at strategic places effectually his kingdom.

Role in Dissemination of Buddhism

Throughout his life, 'Asoka the Keen' followed the policy of non-violence or ahimsa. Fifty-fifty the slaughter or mutilation of animals was abolished in his kingdom. He promoted the concept of vegetarianism. The caste system ceased to exist in his eyes and he treated all his subjects as equals. At the aforementioned fourth dimension, each and every person was given the rights to liberty, tolerance, and equality.

The third council of Buddhism was held nether the patronage of Emperor Ashoka. He also supported the Vibhajjavada sub-school of the Sthaviravada sect, now known as the Pali Theravada.

He sent missionaries to far of places to propagate the ethics of Buddhism and inspire people to alive past the teachings of Lord Buddha. He even engaged members of the royal family, including his son and daughter, Mahendra and Sanghamitra, to carry out duties of Buddhist missionaries. His missionaries went to the below mentioned places - Seleucid Empire (Middle Asia), Egypt, Republic of macedonia, Cyrene (Libya), and Epirus (Hellenic republic and Albania). He as well sent dignitaries all over his empire to propagate his ideals of Dhamma based on Buddhist philosophy. Some of these are listed every bit follows:

• Kashmir - Gandhara Majjhantika
• Mahisamandala (Mysore) - Mahadeva
• Vanavasi (Tamil Nadu) - Rakkhita
• Aparantaka (Gujarat and Sindh) - Yona Dhammarakkhita
• Maharattha (Maharashtra) - Mahadhammarakkhita
• "Country of the Yona" (Bactria/ Seleucid Empire) - Maharakkhita
• Himavanta (Nepal) - Majjhima
• Suvannabhumi (Thailand/ Myanmar) - Sona and Uttara
• Lankadipa (Sri Lanka) - Mahamahinda

Demise

Later ruling over the Indian subcontinent for a period of approximately twoscore years, the Great Emperor Asoka left for the holy abode in 232 BC. After his death, his empire lasted just 50 more than years.

Ashoka's Legacy

Buddhist Emperor Asoka built thousands of Stupas and Viharas for Buddhist followers. One of his stupas, the Great Sanchi Stupa, has been declared as a World Heritage Site by UNECSO. The Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath has a iv-lion capital, which was later adopted as the national emblem of the modern Indian commonwealth.

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Source: https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-history/ancient-india/ashoka.html

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