History Optional (Mauryan Empire) by Shivlal Gupta

Model Answer

Question #1.“Ashoka’s Dhamma was aimed at generation of mutual respect & concord among people belonging to different sects or religious communities”. Comment 15 marks

Approach:

• Briefly introduce by explaining Ashoka’s Dhamma.
• Discuss how Ashoka’s Dhamma was aimed at generation of mutual respect & concord among people belonging to different sects or religious communities.
• Discuss how Ashoka’s Dhamma had political rationale for the propagation of dhamma.
• Conclusion

Hints:

Ashoka’s connection with Buddhism is reflected in Buddhist texts and in his inscriptions. Most of Ashoka’s inscriptions are about dhamma (the Prakrit form of dharma). The inscriptions are quite eloquent and precise about what dhamma consisted of, historians have different assessments of its nature, especially its relationship with Ashoka’s personal faith in the Buddha’s teaching.

• One of the important aspects of Ashoka’s dhamma was the generation of mutual respect and concord among people belonging to different sects or religious communities. This clearly indicates that dhamma did not consist in the promotion of a particular sect, Buddhist or otherwise. This aspect of dhamma has often been referred to as ‘religious toleration’, a very poor understanding of Ashoka’s policy. Rock edict 12 makes it clear that the king expected people to exercise restraint in criticizing other sects and in praising their own. But he was also asking for something much more positive. He was urging people to honour and try to understand the dhamma of others. He considered it possible to promote the essentials of the different dhammas of different people through such means.

Moreover, the good conduct and social responsibilities that were part of dhamma were anchored to certain key relationships. The ceremony of dhamma is described as consisting in proper courtesy to slaves and servants, respectful behaviour towards elders, restraint in one’s dealings with all living beings, and liberality to shramanas and Brahmanas. Rock edict 11 refers to the gift of dhamma being the best of all gifts. It is said to comprise the following: proper courtesy to slaves and servants, obedience to mother and father, liberality (i.e., generosity) towards friends, acquaintances, and relatives as well as to Brahmanas and shramanas, and abstaining from killing living beings. Pillar edict 2 describes dhamma as consisting of the least amount of sin, performing many virtuous deeds, compassion, liberality, truthfulness, and purity.

• However, RomilaThaparhas underlined the political rationale behind the propagation of dhamma. She minimizes the Buddhist element in Ashoka’s dhamma and asserts that there need be no connection between the personal beliefs of a statesman and his public proclamations. Dhamma was an ideological tool used by Ashoka to weld and consolidate his far-flung empire. Due to lack of support in the early years of his reign, he sought the support of non-orthodox elements and saw the practical advantages of adopting and propagating dhamma, which was basically an ethical concept that focused on the relationship between the individual and society. However, it failed as as a unifying strategy

Conclusion:

Historians hold different views about the nature of the dhamma of Ashoka’s inscriptions. It has been seen as a sort of ‘universal religion’, containing certain common elements in many religious traditions. It has been interpreted as a form of raja-dharma (the dharma of a king), consisting of the political and moral principles emphasized in the Brahmanical and Buddhist traditions. It has been understood as a form of the Buddhist upasakadhamma (the Buddha’s teaching for the laity). It has also been seen as all these things rolled into one.

Question #2. Ashoka was 'neither a naïve nor an extreme pacifist; his policies were in sync with pragmatic political considerations'. Critically analyse (10 marks)

Approach

• The question focuses on the dhamma policy of Ashoka and its interpretation.
• Introduction (Summary of key demand of the question, along with necessary facts).
• Conclusion by summing up the gist of the answer.

Dhamma (a Prakrit form of the Sanskrit word dharma) is a set of edicts that formed a policy of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka, who succeeded to the Mauryan throne in modern-day India around 269 B.C.E. Ashoka is considered one of the greatest kings of ancient India for his policies of public welfare.

Ashoka pleaded for tolerance of different religious sects in an attempt to create a sense of harmony.The policy of Dhamma also laid stress on non-violence, which was to be practiced by giving up war and conquests and also as a restraint on the killing of animals.

Ashoka was 'neither a naïve nor an extreme pacifist', his policies were in sync with pragmatic political considerations:

• Ashoka’s pacifist policy has also been seen as responsible for the decline of the Maurya empire. However, Ashoka’s pragmatism is reflected in the fact that he did not disband the army, that he did not abolish capital punishment, and that he was quite capable of giving stern warnings to tribal communities.
• Thapar  has underlined the political rationale behind the propagation of dhamma. She minimizes the Buddhist element in Ashoka’s dhamma and asserts that there need be no connection between the personal beliefs of a statesman and his public proclamations. Dhamma was an ideological tool used by Ashoka to weld and consolidate his far-flung empire. Due to lack of support in the early years of his reign, he sought the support of non-orthodox elements and saw the practical advantages of adopting and propagating dhamma, which was basically an ethical concept that focused on the relationship between the individual and society. However, it failed as as a unifying strategy.

Historians hold different views about the nature of the dhamma policy of Ashoka. It has been seen as a sort of ‘universal religion’, containing certain common elements in many religious traditions. It has been interpreted as a form of raja-dharma (the dharma of a king), consisting of the political and moral principles emphasized in the Brahmanical and Buddhist traditions. It has been understood as a form of the Buddhist upasaka dhamma (the Buddha’s teaching for the laity). It has also been seen as all these things rolled into one.