Fwd: King Asoka

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IndiaArchaeology, "kishore mohan"

<kishore_future> wrote:

 

 

King Asoka (Asoka Vardhana Maurya) was a great king, who has been

praised no end. After a change of heart, witnessing the bloody

havoc created by war on Kalinga (southern Orissa), he followed the

principles of Dhamma. He ardently believed that ethical behaviour

should take precedence over the rituals and those rituals, pleasures

and festivals which harm animals and people must be discouraged.

 

He initiated several welfare measures, avoided meat and preached

morality. Respect for elders, Brahmins, ascetics, respect for people

in general and upliftment of down trodden sections were some of his

teachings repeated several times.

 

Buddhism has appropriated him through their literature while puranic

literature does not recount any of his stories. I doubt whether

there is any other literature except which forms part of Buddhist

literature which speaks about Asoka. On the other hand, the

archaeological proofs of Asoka include rock/pillar/cave edicts and

coins.

 

However, the edicts talk of Asoka as Devanam Priya /priyadarsi and

only the edict at Maski, Karnataka connects Asoka with the name

Priyadarsi.

 

In the history, there was no single Asoka. For that matter, even

there were multiple Devanampriya/priyadarsi's.

 

It is not really conclusive who is Asoka/Priyadarsi/Devanampriya who

was associated with the edicts. The literature,especially that of

Bauddhists, is another facet which has to be reconciled.

 

This post does not concern itself with identifying the king of edicts

but only try to list various personalities whose name is

asoka/priyadarsana/devanampriya. The group members are invited to

add to the information.

 

As mentioned earlier, there is more than one Asoka. Within Mauryan

dynasty itself, there seem to be two more Asokas called Vigatasoka,

one of them being a contemporary of our Asoka and was also called

Tissa and the second , being of two or three generations later.

 

D D Kosambi talks of Kalasoka, the last of Sisunaga dynasty which

ruled Magadha. His coins were in circulation even during the days of

Mauryan Asoka. It is widely believed that during the time of this

Kalasoka, the second Bauddhist conference had taken place.

 

On the otherhand, Kalhana in his Raja Tarangini , talks of Kalasoka

being a ruler of Kashmir and belonging to Nandigondiya dynasty. (I-

101.1-2) Being a pacifist and a Bauddhist, he lost his kingdom to his

enemies. His son Jalouka has regained it. Construction of Srinagar is

attributed to him, though the accepted history says that it was

Mauryan Asoka who had

built Srinagar for his daughter, who loved the beauty of Lake Dal.

 

The Bauddhist literature talks of a Candasoka, who after his

conversion became Dharmasoka.

 

Asokaditya is another name of Samudragupta.

 

Coming to priyadarsi, Chandragupta Maurya, who is the grand father

of Asoka was called priya dasana in Mudraraksasa. Dasana seems to be

a common name and some puranas talk of a Mauryna king Dasona who has

ruled for 8 years, some generations later to Asoka.

 

On the other hand, Asoka's grand son Dasaratha, who has ruled the

western part of Magadha, probably even while Asoka was alive, has

called himself, Devanam priya.

 

There was a sinhalese king called Devanam priya Tissa. He was a

renowned Buddhist king.

 

Second point that needs close look is who has sent the parties of

Monks to various foreign countries. Asoka is famous for sending out

parties of preachers to various parts of his kingdom and beyond

including his daughter and son. But again, Buddhist literature

ascribes this to Mogaliputta Tissa, who was perhaps a contemporary

of Mauryan Asoka and under whose aegies, the third council had taken

place.

 

The time of Asoka is another point which has to be resolved, because

though the names mentioned in his edicts are identified with kings of

yore belonging to 300bce to 246 bce, thus dating asoka to the third

century, these identifications are not without fault and there are

viable and alternative suggestions available. Moreover, some of the

dates mentioned by Buddhist literature do not fit with the accepted

chronology(cf Rommila Thapar )

 

 

 

 

 

kishore

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