History of Ashoka (273-232 BC)

Today in this article we are going to tell you about the history of Ashoka (273-232 BC).

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History of Ashoka (273-232 BC)

After the death of Bindusara, his worthy son Ashok Priyadarshi was born in 273 AD. He ascended the throne of the Maurya Empire. In his records, the state enumeration has been done in the period of Abhishek (269 BC). His name Ashoka is found in the writings of Maski and Gurjara.

In the Puranas, he has been called Ashok Vardhan. According to Divyavadan and Sinhalese legends, Ashoka was the deputy king of Avanti during his father's reign. When Bindusara fell ill, he came to the capital Pataliputra. According to Sinhalese legends, Ashoka attained the throne by killing 99 brothers. But the war of succession is not supported by independent evidence.

The family of the surviving brothers is mentioned in the inscriptions of Ashoka. It is also known from the archival evidence that Ashoka's brothers lived in different parts of his reign, while some of his brothers were also governors of different regions.

The name of Ashoka's mother is found in Divyavadan, Subhadrangi, who was the daughter of a Brahmin of Champa. In the southern traditions, she is called Dharma, who was the chief queen. Some authors attribute it to the daughter of Seleucus,

Her name is found in Mahabodhivash as Vedishmahadevi. And he is said to be of Shakya caste. From it Ashoka's sons Mahendra and Sanghamitra were born and she was his first wife. The name of one of his wives is mentioned in Divyavadana. But Ashoka's inscription only mentions the name of his wife Karuvaki, who was the mother of Tevar.

Two brothers of Ashoka, Susim and Vigtashoka are mentioned in the Divyavadana. In the Northern Buddhist tradition, this war is told only between Ashoka and his elder brother Susim.

The means adopted by Ashoka for the propagation of Buddhism were-

1. The pilgrimage is beginning,
2. appointment of state office bearers,
3. appointment of brahma matras,
4. display of divine forms,
5. religion hearing and sermon arrangements,
6. Acts of philanthropy,
7. engraving scripture,
8. Sending missionaries abroad etc.

Ashoka started Dharma Yatras to propagate Buddhism. In the 20th year of his consecration, he went to Lumbini village and reduced the tax there to 1\8. These actions of Ashoka had a very positive effect on the public and he was attracted towards Buddhism,

For the promotion of Buddhism in his vast empire, Ashoka appointed high officials of his empire. According to column articles 3 and 7, he ordered the office bearers of Yushta, Rajjuk, Pradeshik and Yukta to go among the public and preach and preach. For the propagation of religion, Ashoka made arrangements for Dharmashravan and Dharmapradesh in the empire.

In the 13th year of the consecration, for the propagation of Buddhism, Ashoka created a new class of office bearers, which was called Dharmamahamtra. His work was to strengthen the unity of religion by erasing the distinction between different religious sects, to popularize Dhamma, Ashoka did many works for the welfare of human and animal race.

He first banned the killing of animals and birds and made separate arrangements for the treatment of humans and animals. Trees should be planted on the roads, they should be planted in Amravatika, wells should be dug at a distance of half a kos and rest houses should be built. It is known from the sixth pillar of Ashoka that Ashoka started writing his scriptures 12 years after his state consecration (269 BC) (about 257 BC).

The language of these writings was Pali in Sanskrit, which was the language of the common people during this period, due to which the religion became very popular. Ashoka sent the spread of emissaries abroad for the promotion of Buddhism far and wide. In his second and 13th inscriptions, he has written the names of the countries where he had sent milk. The states on the southern border are named after Chola, Pandya, Keralaput.

The Thirteenth Inscription in 5 Yemen kings-

1. Antiok (Syrian King)
2. Turmay (Egyptian King),
3. Antikini (Macedonian king),
4. Mug (Sirin) and
5. The names of Alikasundara (Eparis) are found. In whose kingdoms his missionaries went.

Antioch was the king of West Asia (Syria) Antiox Theseus (BC 261-246) and Ptolemy Philadelphus was the ruler of Turmian Egypt.

Ashoka's Dhamma

• Dhamma is a Prakrit word and Sanskrit word is synonymous with Dharma.
• The description of the Dhamma propounded by Ashoka is found in the second and seventh pillar inscriptions of Ashoka.
• The ideals propounded by Ashoka for the moral advancement of man have been called Dhamma. Ashoka started Dharma Yatra at the place of Vihara Yatras.

Ashok's foreign policy

• Ashoka's Dhamma also influenced his foreign policy and he established his relations with his neighbors on the basis of principles of peace and co-existence.
• The Egyptian king Ptolemy Philadelphus, a contemporary of Ashoka, sent his ambassador to his court.
• He had sent his missionaries to the five Yavana kingdoms. Its main purpose was to inform the people there about the Dhamma policy of the emperor.
• He also sent his missionaries to the four Tamil kingdoms Chola, Pandya, Satiyaput and Kerala Putta and Tamraparni on the southern border.
• Ashoka was keen to maintain cordial relations with his neighboring states on the basis of peace, tolerance and fraternity.

Emperor Ashoka in his last days

According to Buddhist texts (Divyavadan), as glorious was the reign of Ashoka, its end was equally tragic.

Once when he was about to give a big gift to Kukkutaram Vihara, his relatives instigated the prince Samprati against him. Samprati ordered the warehouseman not to give any amount to the Sangh as per the orders of the emperor. The amount given for the sustenance of the emperor was also drastically cut and finally only half amla was given for his sustenance.

Ashoka did not have real control over the administration and this great emperor came to an end under extremely unfortunate circumstances. Tibetan writer Taranath and Chinese traveler Hensang have also supported this point with some modifications. According to some legends, Ashoka probably lived in 269 BC. Almost from the date of his coronation, the police ruled for 35 years.

Ashoka (273 – 232 AD, Pu,) was the greatest ruler of the Maurya dynasty. 250 AD during his reign, BC. The third Buddhist council was organized at Pataliputra. He visited pilgrimages related to Buddhism. Sri Lanka, Nepal send delegation to promote Buddhism. In this sequence, Indian culture spread abroad. He sent his son and daughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka.

Ashoka adopted the policy of public welfare. He appointed dhamma-maha matras to provide financial grants and facilities to various classes. To keep the administration orderly, officers named Rajuk were reinstated. Thus Ashoka first presented the ideal of a welfare state and promoted harmony and morality among all the subjects. Some historians have criticized Ashoka on the basis that his policy led to the decline of the Maurya Empire.

According to these scholars, Ashoka's peace-loving policy destroyed the military might of the empire, while his inclination towards Buddhism angered the Brahmins. Both these reasons helped in the downfall of the Maurya Empire. But there were other reasons for the decline of the Maurya Empire. In fact, the decline of the empire started after the death of Ashoka due to the incompetence of Ashoka's successors, the weakness of the central administration, the tyranny of the provincials and rebellions against them, invasions of the Hindu Greek rulers, the vastness of the empire, etc.

184 BC I kill the last Mauryan ruler Brihadratha Pushyamitra Shunga took over the kingdom.