Closeup of Ashoka
In the book, A History of India, Romila Thapar stresses the singular importance of kings in the history of India: "The protagonists of Indian history were the kings and the narration of events revolved around them" (Thapar 17). This significant role is clearly seen when studying King Ashoka, the third emperor of the Mauryan empire. To better understand King Ashoka and the revolutionary form of rule he established, I will look at one of Ashoka's ruling predecessors, Chandragupta Maurya, and compare Ashoka's and Chandragupta's underlying principles and philosophies by which they ruled. Through this comparison and examination of philosophies and principles, I will show the truly revolutionary form of rule Ashoka instituted, and the effect it had on the Mauryan Empire. The ruler Chandragupta Maurya ascended to the Nanda throne around 320 BC and ruled until 297 B.C (Thapar 70-71). The foundation for Chandragupta's rule was the Arthasastra, a political document written by Chandragupta's chief advisor, Kautilya, "the kingmaker" (Keay 80) in Orthodox tradtition. Kautilya was in fact Chandragupta's "guide and mentor both in acquiring a throne and keeping it" (Thapar 70), and his treatise, the Arthasastra, was certainly used by C
The Arthasastra outlines various ways of dealing with neighboring states, and among these are the Danda, which is a method of aggression, power, and punishment (Johnson 28). The Kalinga war became a turning point, then, a conversion for Ashoka. The historian Wolpert praises Ashoka in saying that he gave the diverse peoples of India their "first infusion of what we now call national ideology and culture" (36). Unlike the Arthasastra,, Dhamma was not defined in terms of rules and regulations, and was acceptable to people of different religions (Thapar 86). Through this philosophy of Dhamma, Ashoka sought unifying principles for the empire (Thapar 85). To quell discord and opposition, Ashoka emphasized controlling one's speech, and in Rock Edict XII Ashoka states that "the advancement of all sects is based on controlling one's speech" (Johnson 7). At this time, the Mauryan Empire had many different peoples, languages, and sects (Johnson 30). According to the Greek ambassador to the Mauryan court, Megasthenes, Chandragupta ruled and retained power primarily through force, in accordance with the Arthasastra (Watson 49). In his book, India: A History, John Keay writes that the Arthasastra "should indeed supply uniquely well informed and authoritative insights into the working of the Mauryan state" (Keay 80). In clear terms, Keay says, "If Dhamma was supposed to hold the empire together, it was an unmitigated failure" (100). Thapar writes that Dhamma was aimed at building up an attitude of mind in which social responsibility, the behavior of one person towards another, was considered of great relevance.
Common topics in this essay:
Ultimately Arthasastra,
Thapar Dhamma,
Romila Thapar,
Ashoka Ashoka's,
Keay Ashoka,
Mauryan Empire,
XII Ashoka,
Indus Ganges,
Arthasastra Watson,
IV Dhamma,
johnson 7,
mauryan empire,
social responsibility,
johnson 25,
keay 92,
kalinga war,
history india,
rock edict,
foundation chandragupta's rule,
dhamma ashoka,
thapar writes,
chandragupta's rule arthasastra,
7 kalinga war,
thapar 86 ashoka,
methods outlined arthasastra,
|
Acceptance Essays
