King Asoka and Buddhism - Urban Dharma

was largely absent. The phrase that donations were to be madeto brahmins and śramaṇas is not a restrictive request referringonly to the brahmin caste and the Buddhist monks. The compoundwas used as a short-hand to cover a variety of brahmanicaland śramanic sects. That he himself made such donationsis clear not only from the references to donations in theedicts but also from the fact that he made a major donation tothe Ājīvika sect even though the relations between Ājīvikasand the Buddhists were not cordial. I have already mentionedthat his references to heaven rather than to Nirvāna or to transmigrationwere also addressed to this larger body of belief.The functions of dhamma-mahāmattas are a further indicationof this wider concern. They are instructed to look tothe welfare of all sects and the ones listed are quite diverseand some such as the Jainas and Ājīvikas were disapproved ofby the Buddhist sangha. The Jainas on their side included theBuddhasāsana among what they regarded as the products offalse knowledge. The dhamma-mahāmattas are also expected toexplain dhamma to the various people in whose welfare they areinvolved. The officers of the administration are given the sameinstructions. It is curious that no mention is made of bhikkhusbeing associated in this work. If it had been the intention of theemperor to propagate a particular religious sect then surelythe functionaries of that sect would have been associated withexplaining its teachings. Even more telling is the fact that inthe Aramaic and Greek inscriptions the word dhamma is translatedas “good conduct” in the one case and as “pious conduct”in the other. Aśoka informs us that there are no brahmins andśramaṇas among the Yona (RE 13), the Hellenized kingdoms. Ifhe was concerned with the propagation of Buddhism it wouldhave been more effective to have specifically stated this.33