King Asoka and Buddhism - Urban Dharma

in Kalinga, is interestingly omitted in Kalinga itself. This andthe fourteenth edict are replaced by two separate edicts whichmake no reference to his remorse. Possibly it was not consideredpolitically apposite to make this confession to the peopleof Kalinga. The Separate Edicts are addressed to the officersof the Mauryan administration and call upon them to concernthemselves with the welfare of the people. Tours of inspectionare initiated and judicial officers are required to be impartial.The well-known statement that “all men are my children”occurs in these edicts as well as the simile that the officers ofthe state are to the subjects as nurses are to children, lookingafter their well being.The rock and pillar edicts also refer to a new categoryof officers instituted by Aśoka, whom he referred to as thedhamma-mahāmattas or officers of dhamma (RE 5, 12; PE 1, 7).Their functions were again linked to the welfare of his subjects.They were in part concerned with what would today becalled “the weaker sections of society” — the aged, the infirm,women and children. They were also sent on diplomatic missionsto the neighbouring Hellenistic kingdoms of west Asia,for their major function was the propagation of dhamma. Inthis connection they were also required to attend to the welfareof various religious sects and among these are mentionedthe sangha, brahmins, Ājīvikas and Nirgranthas. There is aninsistence in the inscriptions that donations are to be made toall religious sects (RE 8, 12; PE 7). Royal patronage, it is generallyassumed, if it is to be politically effective, should beimpartial. Such an attempt at impartiality is suggested by themaking of donations to religious sects without attention to thehostilities prevailing among them. The dhamma-mahāmattasappear to have been powerful officers with special privileges,31