King Asoka and Buddhism - Urban Dharma

within his dominions. The frontier region, whose people theEmperor wanted to win over, had therefore to be located inwestern Kalinga (i.e. away from the sea). What it implies is thatAśoka had not annexed the whole of Kalinga to his empire andthe area he calls “unconquered (avijita)” frontiers was actuallythe major part of Kalinga. In such a situation, the openingwords of RE XIII, namely, “the country of the Kalingas wasconquered by King Priyadarśī” — which is repeated in modifiedform twice more in the text — would have been challengedin Kalinga.Even if one explains thus the omission of RE XIII in thetwo Kalinga sites, one is faced with a further difficulty in tryingto understand why RE XI and RE XII are also excludedfrom the series in these sites. RE XI is a straightforward declarationof the principles of moral conduct that Aśoka wantedto propagate in his dominions. But the emphasis is on the giftof Dharma (i.e. propagation of Dharma through precept andexample). It runs as follows:Thus saith King Priyadarśī, Beloved of the Gods:There is no such gift as the gift of Dharma, no such act of dividingas the separation of Dharma from what is not Dharma, andno such kinship as kinship through Dharma. These comprisethe following, viz., proper courtesy to slaves and servants, obedienceto mother and father, liberality to friends, acquaintancesand relatives as well as to the Brāhmaṇas and śramaṇas, andabstention from the slaughter of living beings.In respect of this, whether one is a person’s father, or son, orbrother, or master, or friend, or acquaintance, one ought to sayto him: “This is meritorious. This ought to be done.” If he actsin this manner, happiness in this world is attained by him andendless merit is produced for him in the next world by the saidgift of Dharma.” (Emphasis mine.)61