King Asoka and Buddhism - Urban Dharma

unit of a new order of magnitude in India, the first, for example,in which there were speakers of Indo-Aryan languages(derivatives of Sanskrit) so far apart that their dialects musthave been mutually incomprehensible.Aśoka’s precise dates are controversial. Eggermont, thescholar who has devoted most attention to the problem, proposes268–239 B.C. 1For our purposes, there are two Aśokas: the Aśoka knownto modern historians through his inscriptions, and the Aśokaof Buddhist tradition. We shall say something about each inturn and then try to reconcile the two.1. Aśoka’s InscriptionsAśoka left a large number of inscriptions on rocks and pillars.He dictated his edicts to scribes in Pāṭaliputta and hadthem carved in conspicuous places throughout his vast kingdom.They record a personality and a concept of rule uniquenot merely in Indian but perhaps in world history. The idea ofputting up such inscriptions probably came to Aśoka from theAchaemenid empire in Iran; but whereas Darius has boastedof winning battles and killing people, and considered his enemiesproducts of the forces of evil, Aśoka recorded his revulsionfrom violence and his wish to spare and care for evenanimals. He had begun in the usual warlike way, but aftera successful campaign in Kalinga (modern Orissa) he had achange of heart. He publicly declared his remorse for the sufferingshe had caused in the war and said that henceforth hewould conquer only by righteousness (dhamma) 2 This remarkableconversion from what every proper Indian king consideredhis dharma to a universalistic dhamma of compassion and,ethical propriety presumably coincided with the conversion to2