Asoka, Buddhism and Policy of Dhamma

ASOKA (273-232 B.C.
King Asoka was originally a Saivite, but later he became a Buddhist. It is said that he fought against his brothers and killed many of them to capture the Mauryan throne after the death of his father Bindusara.

Asoka became very famous for his attempts to spread Buddhism through out the world. Initially he was also ambitious to consolidate his empire. He waged a war against the province of Kalinga and subjugated them. Kalinga was an important territory for the Mauryans as its subjugation allowed the Mauryans to maintain contact with territories in east Asia. In the war it is said that thousands of people lost their lives. This war is regarded as a turning point in the personal life of Asoka as he decided not to continue to commit needless violence and bloodshed.

POLICY OF DHAMMA
Asoka started the policy of issuing inscriptions in different parts of his empire, which were his orders and suggestions to the people of his empire. Brahmi was the script and language that used in these inscriptions, although we find the use of Aramaic script for north western India.

With these, he initiated the policy of dhamma which included the main principles of all the religions of India. It is suggested that with Asoka's dhamma policy, it was very easy to administer a huge empire without the use of force.

Through the inscriptions, he suggested certain moral principles to the people. Freedom was given to the people to follow their own religion. He appointed an official called dhamma mahamatas to implement his policy of peace and non violence in his empire. Dhamma mahamatas were given special powers to interfere in the personal life of the people.

It is suggested that with the policy of dhamma it was possible for the king to maintain administration with little effort as the people were asked to follow certain moral principles. He discouraged the killing of animals particularly animal sacrifices performed by brahmanas. It is said that this policy went against the interest of brahmanas. But Asoka insisted that equal respect should be given to both brahmanas and buddhists.

Asoka also tried to propagate Buddhism not only in India but also in other regions of the world. In fact, he wanted to become a Buddhist monk, but due to some reason he remained the member of Buddhist sangha.

He called for unity among the Buddhist monks and gave many donations to the Buddhist to construct their monuments. He threatened the Buddhists with punishment if they tried to divide the Buddhist sangha. He sent the Buddhist missions to Ceylon. The king of Ceylon called Tissa became Buddhist and declared Buddhism as the state religion. Asoka also sent the missions to other parts of the world and claimed he conquered the whole world with help of his message of peace. This conquest is known as dharma vijaya.

Reference:
  1. Romila Thapar, Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas, OUP, Delhi, 1987.