Evident From The Edicts example essay topic

The Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka, is famous for his Rock and Pillar edicts. But how much can we really know about Ashoka and his empire from these edicts, particularly as almost no other evidence exists for Ashoka's reign? It is a fair assessment that up until the early part of the twentieth century, when the definitive link between Ashoka and that of the "Devanampiya Piyadassi (Beloved of the Gods Piyadassi) " character inscribed on the edicts was established, very little was either known about Ashoka or cared for by historians. However, it must be said that the Mauryan Empire itself was an era of significant historical value not without a good deal of historical and archaeological evidence to substantiate its importance. In addressing the issue of what the edicts in particular reveal to us about Ashoka and the period of his reign one needs to acknowledge undoubtedly what is being stated, but perhaps moreover one needs to pay attention to the inherent meanings, the intended meanings and the contextual meanings of the inscriptions themselves.

The ultimate thematic concern of the edicts in general is that of the principle of Dhamma. A definition of Dhamma itself is given in the 2nd Pillar Edict as: "having few faults and many good deeds, mercy, charity, truthfulness and purity". In this context one may deduce that the notion of Dhamma is a type of ethos for social morality or ethical behaviour. Furthermore, the term is said to be a fundamental philosophy of Buddhist doctrine, the practice of which leads to one's advancement in both a spiritual and material sense. That Ashoka was a proclaimed Buddhist is evident from the edicts, "I have been a Buddhist layman for more than two and a half years, but for a year I did not make much progress. Now for more than a year I have drawn closer to the Order and become more ardent".

There are fewer examples of a more personal self-proclamation to be found and yet one cannot help but consider the motive behind it. Surely Ashoka, had taken seriously to Buddhism, he at least says so. However, he says so, publicly. This implies that he either was a firm believer who had a need to use his position as a platform to preach a doctrine which he had come to accept as the ultimate truth and as such, to share with and enlighten his people or he was a very sensible and intuitive leader who had a tremendous amount of foresight in adopting the principles of a profound philosophy that he saw could be used to strategically unify and mould his empire both socially and politically. Perhaps it was a little of both. In this light it is difficult to determine absolutely whether the edicts are a window into the personal psyche of a character who could be termed as a raja rsi (sage-king) or whether it is in a more mundane sense just an example of a medium for ancient propaganda.

The 7th Pillar Edict states, "The advancement of Dhamma amongst men has been achieved through two means, legislation and persuasion. But of these two, legislation has been less effective and persuasion more so". This is testimony to Ashoka's own adherence to the principle of Dhamma and belief in its success. Where he could use force he instead opts to use a more delicate approach to affect his subjects. Ultimately the edicts provide us with evidence of a king exercising his will. That the edicts are to be found so far and wide across the sub-continent illustrates that Ashoka was either powerful enough to have made his proclamations throughout a very vast empire over which he had much control or that his message was considered harmless to those who were in authority in the further regions.

The more elaborate polished stone pillars after all were found in the regions nearer to Pataliputra, the Magadha n capital, whereas the simpler Minor and Major Rock edicts were more dispersed. The problem posed by the edicts is similar to that posed by all artifacts. It is the problem of context. Yes, in one sense they do provide us with a very insightful and profound view of Ashoka and his policies in so far as he chose to propagate them but in another they are only remnants of what can only imagine to be a fuller past and so perhaps reveal a very much about a very little. Whatever the verdict, the edicts offer us a platform for perspective and that from the historian's point of view is very valuable indeed.

Bibliography

1. Thappar, Romilla The Penguin History of Early India From the Origins to AD 1300, Penguin Books Ltd, London, 20022.
Thappar, Romilla Asoka and the Decline of the Mauryas, Oxford 19613.
Wol pert, Stanley A New History of India, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1982.