THE HUMANE MONARCH - Ashoka story

Ashoka is unique among the Eastern Monarchs. He started as an incomparable warrior and ended up as the noblest human being.He was the third emperor of the Mauryan dynasty and one of the greatest rulers of ancient India. He was an emperor from 273 BC until his death. He was the son of Bindusara and the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya. As the crown prince, he was the Viceroy of Ujjain. He was inhuman and brutal during the early years of his rule. He killed his brothers and ascended the throne.

He conquered Kalinga after a fierce battle.The resulting bloodshed made him aware of the futility of warfare.This battle proved to be the turning point of his life He was the only military monarch who abandoned warfare after victory.He decided to win people’s heart through love and compassion. He conquered men’s heart by the Law of Duty and Dharma and embraced Buddhism and became an ardent Buddhist. He made Buddhism the state religion. He faithfully followed Buddhism and tried his best to spread the Dharma. He sent missionaries to Ceylon and several other countries to spread the religion. He set up a number of monasteries. He built as many as 8,400 Buddhist Vihars during his life time. After becoming a Buddhist, he led an austere life. He gave up eating meat and his favourite sport hunting. He introduced several welfare measures for the benefit of the people. He built hospitals, dug wells and planted trees. He loved all beings. So he opened animal sanctuaries. He banned the killing of birds and the slaughtering of animals. Asoka inscribed the Buddha’s teachings on rocks, pillars and cave walls. They are called edicts. He lived up to the teachings of the Buddha. He instructed his Governors and officials to be just and merciful in their governance. He gave comfort and solace to his subjects through his words and deeds. He disapproved and condemned the meaningless rituals prevalent in the society. He became a Buddhist monk and the people saw in him a saintly father.

“All men are my children. I will work for the welfare of
all folk”. - These are the words of Asoka.