'Ashoka the Great\r'

'Ashoka From Wikipedia, the free cyclopaedia â€Å"Asoka” redirects here. For some other uses, see Ashoka (disambiguation). |Ashoka the spectacular | |Mauryan Samrat | |[pic] | |A Chakravatin (possibly Ashoka) for the first time century BC/CE.Andhra Pradesh, | |Amaravati. uphold at Musee Guimet | |Reign |273-232 BC | | enthronization |270 BC | |Full trace |Ashoka Bindusara Maurya | |Titles |Samrat.Other denominations admit Devanampriya Priyadarsi, | | |Dhammarakhit, D equipment casualtyarajika, Dhammarajika, Dhammaradnya, | | |Chakravartin, Samrat, Radnyashreshtha, Magadhrajshretha, | | |Magadharajan, Bhupatin, Mauryaraja, Aryashok, Dharmashok, | | |Dhammashok, Asokvadhhan , Ashokavardhan, | | |Prajapita,Dhammanayak, Dharmanayak | |Born |304 BC | |Birthplace |Pataliputra, Patna | |Died |232 BC (aged 72) | |Place of closing |Pataliputra, Patna | |Buried |Ashes immersed in theGanges River, possibly | | |atVaranasi, Cremated 232 BC, less than 24 hour s aft(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) death | |Predecessor |Bindusara | |Successor |Dasaratha Maurya | | flow |Maharani Devi | |Wives |rani Tishyaraksha | | |Rani Padmavati | | |Rani Kaurwaki | |Offspring |Mahendra,Sanghamitra,Teevala, Kunala | |Royal House |Mauryan dynasty | | get under bingles skin |Bindusara | |Mother |Rani Dharma or Shubhadrangi | | spiritual |Buddhism,Humanism | |beliefs | | Ashoka (Devanagari: ???? , IAST: Asoka, IPA: [a?? o? k? , 304â€232 BC), everydayly cognise as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor moth of the Maurya Dynasty who govern al proficient all of the Indian subcontinent from 269 BC to 232 BC. iodine of Indias greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over intimately of pre displace- daytime(prenominal) India afterward a consequence of military achievements. His conglomerate stretched from veritablePakistan, Afghanistan in the west, to the current Bangladesh and the Ind ian state of Assam in the east, and as removed south as Yankee Kerala andAndhra. He conquered the business leaderdom named Kalinga, which no wholeness in his dynasty had conquered starting from Chandragupta Maurya. His reign was headquartered in Magadha (present-day Bihar, India). 1]He embraced Buddhism from the prevalentVedic tradition after witnessing the mass deaths of the warf ar of Kalinga, which he himself had waged out of a inclination for conquest. He was afterwards on dedicated to the pro ampleation of Buddhism across Asia and constituted monuments marking some(prenominal)(prenominal) significant sites in the life story of Gautama Buddha. Ashoka was a devotee of ahimsa (nonviolence), love, truth,tolerance and vegetarianism. Ashoka is remembered in history as a philanthropicadministrator. In the history of India Ashoka is referred to as Samraat Chakravartin Ashoka- the emperor an dterfly of Emperors Ashoka. His name â€Å"asoka” means â€Å"without unhappiness” inSanskrit (a= no/without, soka= sorrow or worry).In his edicts, he is referred to as Devanampriya (Devanagari: ???????????? )/Devana? iya or â€Å"The Beloved Of The Gods”, and Priyadarsin (Devanagari: ?????????? )/Piyadassi or â€Å"He who regards every nonpareil with affection”. A nonher statute title of his is Dhamma (prakrit: ????? ), â€Å"Lawful, Religious, immaculate”. Renowned British  designer and social critic H. G. Wells in his bestselling twain-volume work, The Outline of History (1920), wrote of emperor Ashoka: In the history of the humankind there see been yards of kings and emperors who called themselves ‘t inheritor highnesses, ‘their majesties, and ‘their exalted majesties and so on. They shone for a outline moment, and as quickly disappe ared. But Ashoka shines and shines brightly like a bright star, level unto this day.along with the  legislations of Ashoka, his invention is related in the later flake century Asokavadana(â€Å"Narrative of Asoka”) and Divyavadana (â€Å" presage narrative”), and in the Sri Lankan text Mahavamsa(â€Å"Great Chronicle”). subsequently two thousand familys, the influence of Ashoka is seen in Asia and especially the Indian subcontinent. An emblem excavated from his empire is today the bailiwick Emblem of India. In the History of Buddhism Ashoka is considered near afterGautama Buddha. |Contents | | [ present] | Biography Early life |[pic] |This article needs additional citations for verification. | | | transport help improve this article by adding reliable references.Unsourced | | |material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009) | Ashoka was born to the Mauryan emperor Bindusara and his Queen ‘Dharma (although sh e was a Brahmin or Shubhadrangi, she was undervalued as she wasnt of august blood). Ashoka had several elder siblings (all half-brothers from other wives of Bindusara). He had however one younger sibling, Vitthashoka (a untold loved brother from the same mother). Because of his emblematic intellect and warrior s killings, he was said to direct been the favorite of his grand render Chandragupta Maurya. As the legend goes, when Chandragupta Maurya leave his empire for a Jain living, he threw his sword away. Ashoka ound the sword and kept it, in spite of his grandfathers warning. Ashoka, in his adolescence, was uncivil and naughty.He was a fearsome hunter. He was akshatriya and was give all royal military trainings and other Vedic knowledge. According to a legend, he killed a Lion with just a wooden rod. Ashoka was very comfortably know for his sword fighting. He was very heroic and this do him a terrific fighter. Ashoka was a frightening warrior and a heartless common. Because of this type he was sent to destroy the tumult of Avanti. Rise to power [pic] [pic] Maurya pudding stone at the age of Ashoka. The empire stretched from Iran to Bangladesh/Assam and from Central Asia (Afganistan) to Tamil Nadu/South India.Developing into an impeccable warrior general and a shrewd statesman, Ashoka went on to command several regiments of the Mauryan army. His growing popularity across the empire make his elder brothers wary of his chances of macrocosm content by Bindusarato become the near emperor. The eldest of them, Susima, the traditional heir to the throne, persuaded Bindusara to send Ashoka to gentle an ascent inTaxshila, a urban center in the spousal relationship-west District of Pakistani Punjab region, for which Prince Susima was the Governor. Taxshila was a highly volatile place because of the war-like Indo-classic creation and mismanagement by Susima himself. This had led to the fundamental law of different militias causing unrest. Ashoka complied and left for the disruptive area.As sensitives of Ashokas visit with his army trickled in, he was welcomed by the revolting militias and the uprising terminate without a conflict. (The province revolted once much during the rule of Ashoka, ex transactionly this time the uprising was crushed with an iron fist) Ashokas success made his stepbrothers much wary of his intentions of becoming the emperor and more incitements from Susima led Bindusara to send Ashoka into exile. He went intoKalinga and endureed there incognito. There he met a fisher woman named Kaurwaki, with whom he brute(a) in love. Recently prove inscriptions depute that she would later become either his second or third queen. Meanwhile, there was again a violent uprising in Ujjain.Emperor Bindusara summoned Ashoka out of exile after two years. Ashoka went into Ujjain and in the ensuing battle was injured, only if his generals quel led the uprising. Ashoka was treated in privacy so that loyalists of the Susima stem could not harm him. He was treated by  Buddhistic monks and nuns. This is where he first learned the teachings of the Buddha, and it is withal where he met Devi, who was his personal nurse and the daughter of a merchant from adjacent Vidisha. later on recovering, he married her. It was quite insufferable to Bindusara that one of his sons should marry a Buddhist, so he did not allow Ashoka to stay in Pataliputra  moreover instead sent him back to Ujjain and made him the governor of Ujjain.The future(a) year passed quite peacefully for him, and Devi was rough to deliver his first sister. In the meanwhile, Emperor Bindusara died. As the news of the unborn heir to the throne spread, Prince Susima planned the execution of the unborn child; however, the assassin who came to kill Devi and her child killed his mother instead. Ashoka beheads his elder brother to get hold the throne. In this phase of his life, Ashoka was cognise for his unquenched crave for wars and campaigns launched to conquer the lands of other rulers and became known as Chandashok (terrible Ashoka), the Sanskrit word chanda  nub cruel, fierce, or rude, Chandi-devi being associated with Kali.Ascending the throne, Ashoka expanded his empire over the next eight years, from the present-day boundaries and regions of Burmaâ€Bangladesh and the state of Assam in India in the east to the territory of present-day Iran / Persia and Afghanistan in the west; from the Pamir Knots in the north al just about to the peninsular of southern India (i. e. Tamilnadu / Andhra pradesh). success of Kalinga Main article: Kalinga War temporary hookup the early part of Ashokas reign was manifestly quite bloodthirsty, he became a companion of the Buddhas teaching after his conquest of Kalinga on the east coast of India in the present-day state o f Orissa. Kalinga was a state that prided itself on its sovereignty and democracy. With its monarchical parliamentary democracy it was quite an exception in antiquated Bharata where there existed the concept of Rajdharma. Rajdharma means the employment of the rulers, which was intrinsically entwined with the concept of bravery and Kshatriya dharma.The pretence for the start of the Kalinga War (265 BC or 263 BC) is uncertain. nonpareil of Susimas brothers might book fled to Kalinga and found official refuge there. This enraged Ashoka immensely. He was advised by his ministers to attack Kalinga for this act of treachery. Ashoka then asked Kalingas royalty to submit sooner his supremacy. When they defied this diktat, Ashoka sent one of his generals to Kalinga to make them submit. The general and his forces were, however, completely routed through the skilled discretion of Kalingas commander-in-chief. Ashoka, baffled at this defeat, attacked with the greatest i mpingement ever recorded in Indian history until then.Kalinga put up a stiff resistance, but they were no foregather for Ashokas brutal strength. The whole of Kalinga was plundered and destroyed. Ashokas later edicts state that closely 100,000 deal were killed on the Kalinga side and 10,000 from Ashokas army. Thousands of men and women were deported. Buddhist alteration |[pic] |This article needs additional citations for verification. | | | amuse help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced | | |material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009) | [pic] [pic] A similar tetrad-spot â€Å"Indian king of beasts” Lion Capital of Ashoka atop an ntact Ashoka Pillar at Wat U Mong near Chiang Mai, Thailandshowing another larger Dharma Chakra /Ashoka Chakra atop the four lions design to be missing in the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath Museum which has been adopted as the National Emblem of Ind ia. As the legend goes, one day after the war was over, Ashoka ventured out to roam the city and all he could see were burn down houses and scattered corpses. This sight made him throw away and he cried the famous monologue: What arouse I done? If this is a success, whats a defeat then? Is this a victory or a defeat? Is this referee or injustice? Is it gallantry or a rout? Is it valor to kill innocent children and women? Do I do it to widen the empire and for prosperity or to destroy the others kingdom and splendor?One has unconnected her husband, individual else a father, someone a child, someone an unborn sister…. Whats this debris of the corpses? Are these marks of victory or defeat? Are these vultures, crows, eagles the messengers of death or evil? The brutality of the conquest led him to adopt Buddhism and he utilize his position to propagate the relatively new religion to new heights, as distant as ancient Rome and Egypt. He made Buddhism his state religion ar ound 260 BC, and propagated it and preached it within his domain and worldly concernwide from about 250 BC. Emperor Ashoka undoubtedly has to be credit with the first serious attempt to build up a Buddhist form _or_ system of government. [pic] [pic] Ashokan Pillar at VaishaliProminent in this cause were his son VenerableMahindra and daughter Sanghamitra (whose name means â€Å"friend of the Sangha”), who conventional Buddhism in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He strengthened thousands of Stupas and Viharas for Buddhist followers. The Stupas of Sanchi are world famous and the stupa named Sanchi Stupa was built by Emperor Ashoka. During the covering parting of Ashokas reign, he pursued an official policy of nonviolence (ahimsa). Even the unnecessary whacking or mutilation of people was immediately abolished. Everyone became defend by the kings law against sport capture and branding. Limited hunting was permitted for consumption reasons but Ash oka also promoted the concept of vegetarianism.Ashoka also showed benevolence to those imprisoned, allowing them leave for the outside a day of the year. He attempted to raise the skipper ambition of the common man by building universities for study, and water transit and irrigation systems for flip and agriculture. He treated his subjects as equals careless(predicate) of their religion, politics and caste. The kingdoms surrounding his, so considerably overthrown, were instead made to be well- valuateed allies. He is acclaimed for constructing hospitals for animals and renovating major roads throughout India. After this transformation, Ashoka came to be known as Dhammashoka (Sanskrit), meaning Ashoka, the follower of Dharma.Ashoka defined the main principles of dharma (dhamma) as nonviolence, tolerance of all sects and opinions, obedience to parents, respect for the Brahmans and other religious teachers and priests, liberality towards friends, humanistic word of servants, and generosity towards all. These principles suggest a general ethic of behaviour to which no religious or social group could object. Some critics say that Ashoka was afraid of more wars, but among his neighbors, including theSeleucid Empire and the Greco-Bactrian kingdom established by Diodotus I, none could match his strength. He was a contemporary of both Antiochus I Soter and his successor Antiochus II Theos of the Seleucid dynasty as well as Diodotus I and his son Diodotus II of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom.If his inscriptions and edicts are well studied one finds that he was familiar with the Hellenic world but never in cultism of it. His edicts, which talk of friendly relations, give the names of both Antiochus of the Seleucid empire and Ptolemy III of Egypt. The fame of theMauryan empire was widespread from the time that Ashokas grandfather Chandragupta Mauryadefeated Seleucus Nicator, the reveal of the Seleucid Dynasty. [pic] [ pic] Stupa of Sanchi. The source of much of our knowledge of Ashoka is the legion(predicate) inscriptions he had carved on pillars and rocks throughout the empire. Emperor Ashoka is known as Piyadasi (in Pali) or Priyadarshi (in Sanskrit) meaning â€Å"good looking” or â€Å"favored by the gods with good bless”.All his inscriptions establish the imperial touch and show compassionate loving. He addressed his people as his â€Å"children”. These inscriptions promoted Buddhist morality and promote nonviolence and adherence to Dharma (duty or suitable behavior), and they talk of his fame and conquered lands as well as the neighboring kingdoms holding up his might. One also gets some primary knowledge about the Kalinga War and Ashokas allies gain some useful knowledge on the civil administration. The Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath is the most popular of the relics left by Ashoka. do of sandstone, this pillar records the visit of the emperor to Sarnath , in the third century BC.It has a four-lion gravid (four lions standing back to back) which was adopted as the emblem of the modern Indian republic. The lion typeizes both Ashokas imperial rule and the kingship of the Buddha. In translating these monuments, historians learn the bulk of what is assumed to substantiate been true fact of the Mauryan Empire. It is difficult to fall whether or not some demonstrable events ever happened, but the stone etchings clearly depict how Ashoka wanted to be thought of and remembered. Ashokas own words as known from his Edicts are: â€Å"All men are my children. I am like a father to them. As every father desires the good and the happiness of his children, I heed that all men should be happy always. Edward DCruz interprets the Ashokan dharma as a â€Å"religion to be used as a symbol of a new imperial symmetry and a cementing force to weld the divers(prenominal) and heterogeneous elements of the empire”. Also, in the Edic ts, Ashoka mentions Hellenic kings of the period as converts to Buddhism, although no Hellenic historical record of this event remain: The conquest by Dharma has been won here, on the borders, and even six hundred yojanas (5,400â€9,600 km) away, where the Greek king Antiochos rules, beyond there where the four kings named Ptolemy, Antigonos, Magas andAlexander rule, likewise in the south among the Cholas, the Pandyas, and as far as Tamraparni (Sri Lanka). â€Edicts of Ashoka, Rock Edict 13 (S. Dhammika)Ashoka also claims that he boost the development of herbal medicine, for human and inhuman animals, in their territories: Everywhere within Beloved-of-the-Gods, fag Piyadasis [Ashokas] domain, and among the people beyond the borders, the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Satiyaputras, the Keralaputras, as far as Tamraparni and where the Greek king Antiochos rules, and among the kings who are neighbors of Antiochos , everywhere has Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi, made prep for two types of medical exam treatment: medical treatment for human beings and medical treatment for animals. Wherever medical herbs suitable for humanness or animals are not getable, I befool had them imported and grown.Wherever medical root or fruits are not available I have had them imported and grown. Along roads I have had rise dug and trees planted for the benefit of humans and animals. â€Edicts of Ashoka, Rock Edict 2 The Greeks in India even seem to have play an active agent role in the university extension of Buddhism, as some of the emissaries of Ashoka, such as Dharmaraksita, are described in Pali sources as leading Greek (Yona) Buddhist monks, active in spreading Buddhism (the Mahavamsa, XII[2]). Death and legacy Ashoka ruled for an estimated forty years. After his death, the Mauryan dynasty lasted just fifty more years. Ashoka had many wives and children, but many of their nam es are lost to time.Mahindra and Sanghamitra were twins born by his first married woman, Devi, in the city of Ujjain. He had entrusted to them the business organisation of making his state religion, Buddhism, more popular across the known and the unknown world. Mahindra and Sanghamitra went into Sri Lanka and born-again the King, the Queen and their people to Buddhism. They were naturally not handling state affairs after him. In his old age, he seems to have come under the spell of his youngest wife Tishyaraksha. It is said that she had got his son Kunala, the regent in Takshashila, blinded by a chanceful stratagem. The official executioners spared Kunala and he became a temperamental singer accompanied by his front-runner wife Kanchanmala.In Pataliputra, Ashoka hears Kunalas song, and realizes that Kunalas misfortune may have been a punishment for some old sin of the emperor himself and condemns Tishyaraksha to death, restoring Kun ala to the court. Kunala was succeeded by his son, Samprati, but his rule did not last long after Ashokas death. The reign of Ashoka Maurya could easily have disappeared into history as the ages passed by, and would have had he not left behind a record of his trials. The testimony of this wise king was discovered in the form of gorgeously sculpted pillars and boulders with a variety of actions and teachings he wished to be published etched into the stone.What Ashoka left behind was the first indite lyric in India since the ancient city of Harappa. The actors line used for inscription was the then current spoken form called Prakrit. In the year 185 BC, about fifty years after Ashokas death, the last Maurya ruler, Brhadrata, was assassinated by the commander-in-chief of the Mauryan gird forces, Pusyamitra Sunga, while he was taking the support of Honor of his forces. Pusyamitra Sunga founded the Sunga dynasty(185 BC-78 BC) and ruled just a fragmented part of th e Mauryan Empire. Many of the northwestern territories of the Mauryan Empire (modern-day Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan) became the Indo-Greek Kingdom.When India gained independence from the British Empire it adopted Ashokas emblem for its own, placing the Dharmachakra (The Wheel of Righteous Duty) that crowned his many columns on the  yield of the newly independent state. In 1992, Ashoka was bedded #53 on Michael H. Harts list of the most influential figures in history. In 2001, a semi-fictionalized portrayal of Ashokas life was produced as a motion picture under the title Asoka. King Ashoka, the third monarch of the Indian Mauryan dynasty, has come to be regarded as one of the most exemplary rulers in world history. The British historian H. G. Wells has written: â€Å"Amidst the tens of thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history … the name of Asoka shines, and shines almost alone, a star. â€Å"\r\n'