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English · हिन्दी · తెలుగు · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · ಕನ್ನಡ

Ashoka: the Kalinga war, dhamma and the edicts

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಣೆ

The Mauryan empire · Part 2 / 3 · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

Ashoka's rise and titles; the Kalinga war, Major Rock Edict XIII and the Separate Kalinga Edicts; his turn to Buddhism, the Bhabru and schism edicts, the third council and the missions; Lumbini, Nigali Sagar and the Barabar caves; what his dhamma taught and how officials, tours and welfare works spread it; the kinds and sites of the inscriptions, their languages and scripts; and the neighbours and Greek kings they name.

Each idea is explained first in Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Kannada and revise it in English.

ಮೊದಲ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಚಂದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ, ಬಿಂದುಸಾರ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯ ಕಟ್ಟಿದರು; ಈ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ನೈತಿಕ ಗುರಿ ಕೊಡಲು ಯತ್ನಿಸಿದ ಅಶೋಕ. ನಮ್ಮೊಂದಿಗೆ ನೇರವಾಗಿ ಮಾತಾಡಿದ ಮೊದಲ ಭಾರತೀಯ ರಾಜ — ಅಫ್ಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನದಿಂದ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದವರೆಗೆ ಬಂಡೆ, ಕಂಬಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಸಂದೇಶ ಕೆತ್ತಿಸಿದ, ಊರೂರಿನ ಗೋಡೆ ಮೇಲೆ ಬರೆದ ಪ್ರಕಟಣೆಗಳಂತೆ. ಕಳಿಂಗ ಯುದ್ಧ, ಬೌದ್ಧದತ್ತ ತಿರುವು, ಧಮ್ಮ ಎಂಬ ನಡವಳಿಕೆಯ ನಿಯಮ, ಅದನ್ನು ಹರಡಿದ ರೀತಿ, ಶಾಸನಗಳ ಬಗೆಗಳು, ಲಿಪಿಗಳು, ನೆರೆಯ ರಾಜರು — ಎಲ್ಲ ಈ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ. (→ English: Ashoka · dhamma · हिन्दी: अशोक · धम्म)

In exam EnglishPart 1 showed how Chandragupta and Bindusara built the empire; this part is about the ruler who tried to give it a moral purpose. Ashoka is the first Indian king who speaks to us directly, because he had his messages cut into rocks and polished pillars from Afghanistan to Karnataka and from Nepal to Odisha. Through them we can follow his early career, the war in Kalinga that changed him, his turn to Buddhism, and the code of conduct he called dhamma. We then look at how he spread that code through new officials, tours and welfare works, at the different kinds of inscriptions and where they stand, at the languages and scripts they use, and at the neighbouring peoples and Greek kings they name.

ರಾಜನಾಗುವ ಮೊದಲು ಅಶೋಕ ತಂದೆಯ ಕೈಕೆಳಗೆ ಪ್ರಾಂತ್ಯಾಧಿಕಾರಿ — ತಕ್ಷಶಿಲೆಯ ದಂಗೆ ಅಡಗಿಸಿದ, ಉಜ್ಜಯಿನಿಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ. ಬಿಂದುಸಾರ ಸುಮಾರು ಕ್ರಿ.ಪೂ. 273ರಲ್ಲಿ ತೀರಿದ ಮೇಲೆ, ಪಟ್ಟಾಭಿಷೇಕ ಸುಮಾರು ನಾಲ್ಕು ವರ್ಷ ನಂತರ — ಸಿಂಹಾಸನಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಹೋರಾಟ ನಡೆದ ಸೂಚನೆ. 'ಸಹೋದರರನ್ನು ಕೊಂದ' ಎಂಬ ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾ ಕತೆ ನಂಬಲರ್ಹವಲ್ಲ; ಅವನ ಶಾಸನಗಳೇ ಸಹೋದರರ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳನ್ನು ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ಶಾಸನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ 'ದೇವಾನಂಪಿಯ ಪಿಯದಸಿ' ಎಂಬ ಬಿರುದು; 'ಅಶೋಕ' ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರು ಮಸ್ಕಿ, ಗುಜರ್ರಾ ಶಾಸನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾತ್ರ — ಮನೆತನದ ಹೆಸರಿನ ಬದಲು ಮುದ್ದಿನ ಹೆಸರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸಹಿ ಹಾಕಿದಂತೆ. (→ English: Devanampiya Piyadasi · Maski · हिन्दी: देवानंपिय पियदसि · मास्की)

In exam EnglishBefore he became king, Ashoka served his father as a provincial governor: Buddhist texts send him to put down a revolt at Taxila and place him at Ujjain, the seat of the western province. Bindusara died around 273 BCE, and Buddhist tradition says Ashoka was formally crowned only about four years later, which suggests a struggle for the throne. The Sri Lankan chronicles even claim he killed many of his brothers, but his own edicts refer to the households of his brothers and sisters. In most inscriptions he does not use his personal name at all; he calls himself Devanampiya Piyadasi, 'beloved of the gods, of gracious look'. The name Ashoka appears in only a few minor rock edicts, notably at Maski in Karnataka and Gujarra in Madhya Pradesh, and these finds settled who Piyadasi was.

ಪಟ್ಟಾಭಿಷೇಕದ ಎಂಟನೇ ವರ್ಷ, ಸುಮಾರು ಕ್ರಿ.ಪೂ. 261ರಲ್ಲಿ, ಅಶೋಕ ಕಳಿಂಗದ (ಇಂದಿನ ಒಡಿಶಾ ಸುಮಾರಾಗಿ) ಮೇಲೆ ದಾಳಿ ಮಾಡಿದ. 13ನೇ ಬೃಹತ್ ಶಿಲಾಶಾಸನದ ಲೆಕ್ಕ: ಸುಮಾರು 1,50,000 ಜನ ಸೆರೆಯಾಳುಗಳು, ಸುಮಾರು 1,00,000 ಜನ ಸಾವು, ನಂತರ ಅದರ ಹಲವು ಪಟ್ಟು. ಅಶೋಕ ಪಶ್ಚಾತ್ತಾಪಪಟ್ಟ; ಶಸ್ತ್ರದಿಂದಲ್ಲ, ಧಮ್ಮದಿಂದ ಗೆಲುವೇ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಎಂದ (ಧಮ್ಮ-ವಿಜಯ) — ಯುದ್ಧದ ಭೇರಿಯ ಬದಲು ಧಮ್ಮದ ಕರೆ. ಆದರೆ ಪೂರ್ತಿ ಬದಲಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ: ಕಳಿಂಗ ಮತ್ತು ಸೈನ್ಯ ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಂಡ, ಕಾಡಿನ ಜನರಿಗೆ 'ತಪ್ಪು ಮಾಡಿದರೆ ಶಿಕ್ಷೆ' ಎಂದು ಎಚ್ಚರಿಸಿದ — ಬೆತ್ತ ಕೆಳಗಿಟ್ಟ ಮೇಷ್ಟ್ರು ಅದನ್ನು ಮೇಜಿನ ಮೇಲೇ ಇಟ್ಟಂತೆ. (→ English: Kalinga war · dhamma-vijaya · हिन्दी: कलिंग युद्ध · धम्म-विजय)

In exam EnglishEight years after his coronation, around 261 BCE, Ashoka invaded Kalinga, the coastal kingdom roughly matching present-day Odisha. Major Rock Edict XIII, written some years later, gives the cost in the king's own account: about 150,000 people carried away as captives, about 100,000 killed, and many times that number who died afterwards. Ashoka says that he felt deep remorse, and that the suffering of ordinary people caught in the war weighed on him. From then on he declared that the best conquest was conquest by dhamma (dhamma-vijaya), not by arms, and Major Rock Edict IV contrasts the old sound of the war drum with the new call of dhamma. The change had limits, though. He kept Kalinga and his army, and Major Rock Edict XIII itself warns the forest peoples on his borders that the king still has the power to punish them if they do wrong.

ಕಳಿಂಗಕ್ಕೆ ವಿಶೇಷ ಏರ್ಪಾಡು. ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ಎರಡು ತಾಣಗಳು — ಭುವನೇಶ್ವರ ಬಳಿ ಧೌಲಿ, ಗಂಜಾಂನಲ್ಲಿ ಜೌಗಡ — ಇವುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ 11, 12, 13ನೇ ಬೃಹತ್ ಶಾಸನಗಳಿಲ್ಲ; ಅಂದರೆ ಕಳಿಂಗದ ಜನರಿಗೆ ಅವರ ನೋವಿನ ಲೆಕ್ಕ ತೋರಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಗಾಯಕ್ಕೆ ಉಪ್ಪು ಸವರದೆ. ಬದಲಿಗೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಎರಡು ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕ ಶಾಸನಗಳು: 'ಎಲ್ಲ ಜನರೂ ನನ್ನ ಮಕ್ಕಳು'; ಕೋಪ, ಅವಸರ, ಕ್ರೌರ್ಯ ಬೇಡ; ಕಾರಣವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಸೆರೆ, ಹಿಂಸೆ ಬೇಡ; ನ್ಯಾಯದ ತೀರ್ಪು; ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆಗೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಕಳುಹಿಸುವೆ. (→ English: Separate Kalinga Edicts · Dhauli · Jaugada · हिन्दी: पृथक कलिंग अभिलेख · धौली · जौगड़)

In exam EnglishKalinga itself received special treatment. At Dhauli near Bhubaneswar and Jaugada in Ganjam district, the two Major Rock Edict sites inside the conquered land, Major Rock Edicts XI, XII and XIII are left out, so the people of Kalinga were never shown the king's account of their own suffering. In their place stand two Separate Edicts addressed to the officials in charge of the region. In them Ashoka declares that all people are his children, and that he wishes for them the same welfare and happiness in this world and the next that he wishes for his own sons. He tells the officials to avoid anger, haste and cruelty, not to imprison or torture people without cause, and to be fair in judging cases, and he promises to send inspectors to check on them.

ಅಶೋಕ ಒಮ್ಮೆಲೇ ಅಲ್ಲ, ನಿಧಾನವಾಗಿ ಬೌದ್ಧದತ್ತ — ಒಂದು ಕಿರು ಶಾಸನದಲ್ಲಿ: ಎರಡೂವರೆ ವರ್ಷ ಉತ್ಸಾಹವಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಉಪಾಸಕ, ಸಂಘ ಹತ್ತಿರವಾದ ಮೇಲೆ ಒಂದು ವರ್ಷಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ಚುರುಕು. ಹೊಸದಾಗಿ ಜಿಮ್ ಸೇರಿ ಮೊದಲು ಸೋಮಾರಿಯಾಗಿ, ನಂತರ ನಿಯಮಿತವಾಗಿ ಹೋದಂತೆ. ಬೈರಾಟ್ ಬಳಿ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಭಾಬ್ರು ಶಾಸನ ಸಂಘಕ್ಕೇ — ಬುದ್ಧ, ಧಮ್ಮ, ಸಂಘದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಗೌರವ, ಓದಬೇಕಾದ ಬೌದ್ಧ ಭಾಗಗಳ ಪಟ್ಟಿ. ಸಾರನಾಥ, ಸಾಂಚಿ, ಅಲಹಾಬಾದ್ ಕಂಬಗಳ 'ಸಂಘಭೇದ' ಶಾಸನಗಳು: ಸಂಘ ಒಡೆಯುವವರನ್ನು ಹೊರಹಾಕಬೇಕು. ಮೂರನೇ ಸಂಗೀತಿ, ಮಹಿಂದ-ಸಂಘಮಿತ್ರೆ ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾಕ್ಕೆ — ಇದು ಬೌದ್ಧ ಇತಿಹಾಸ ಗ್ರಂಥಗಳ ಮಾತು. (→ English: Bhabru edict · schism edict · sangha · हिन्दी: भाब्रू अभिलेख · संघभेद अभिलेख · संघ)

In exam EnglishAshoka's own words describe a gradual turn to Buddhism. In a minor rock edict he says he had been a lay follower for more than two and a half years without much zeal, and then, after drawing close to the sangha for over a year, became truly active. The Bhabru edict, found near Bairat in Rajasthan, is addressed to the sangha itself: in it he declares his respect for the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha and recommends a list of Buddhist passages for study. The schism edicts on the pillars at Sarnath, Sanchi and Allahabad order that monks or nuns who split the order should be expelled. Buddhist chronicles add that a third council met at Pataliputra under the monk Moggaliputta Tissa and sent missions abroad, among them Ashoka's son Mahinda and daughter Sanghamitta to Sri Lanka, and other monks to Suvarnabhumi in Southeast Asia.

ಅಶೋಕ ಬುದ್ಧನ ತಾಣಗಳನ್ನು ಗೌರವಿಸಿದ. 8ನೇ ಬೃಹತ್ ಶಾಸನ: ಪಟ್ಟಾಭಿಷೇಕದ ಹತ್ತನೇ ವರ್ಷ ಬೋಧಗಯಾ (ಸಂಬೋಧಿ)ಗೆ ಹೋದ, ವಿಹಾರ ಯಾತ್ರೆಗಳ ಬದಲು ಧಮ್ಮ ಯಾತ್ರೆಗಳು. ನೇಪಾಳದ ರುಮ್ಮಿಂದೇಯಿ (ಲುಂಬಿನಿ) ಕಂಬ: 20ನೇ ವರ್ಷ ಬಂದು, ಹಳ್ಳಿಗೆ 'ಬಲಿ' ತೆರಿಗೆ ಮನ್ನಾ, ಬೆಳೆಯ ಪಾಲು (ಭಾಗ) ಎಂಟನೇ ಒಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಇಳಿಕೆ — ಗುರುವಿನ ಹುಟ್ಟೂರಿಗೆ ರಿಯಾಯಿತಿ. ನಿಗಲಿ ಸಾಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಬುದ್ಧ ಕೋನಾಗಮನನ ಸ್ತೂಪ ವಿಸ್ತರಿಸಿದ. ಆದರೂ ಒಂದೇ ಧರ್ಮವಲ್ಲ: ಬರಾಬರ್ ಬೆಟ್ಟದ ಗುಹೆಗಳನ್ನು ಆಜೀವಿಕರಿಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟ. (→ English: Rummindei pillar · Barabar caves · stupa · हिन्दी: रुम्मिनदेई स्तंभ · बराबर गुफाएँ · स्तूप)

In exam EnglishAshoka also honoured the places linked with the Buddha. Major Rock Edict VIII says that ten years after his coronation he went to Sambodhi, the site of the enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, and replaced the old royal pleasure tours with tours of dhamma. The pillar at Rummindei, the ancient Lumbini in Nepal, records that he came there in the twentieth year of his reign because the Buddha was born there; he set up a stone pillar, exempted the village from the tax called bali and lowered its share of the crop (bhaga) to one-eighth. A pillar at Nigali Sagar, also in Nepal, says he enlarged the stupa of an earlier Buddha, Konakamana. Yet Ashoka did not favour one faith alone. He had cave shelters cut in the Barabar hills of Bihar and gave them to the Ajivikas, a rival order of ascetics.

ಅಶೋಕನ ಧಮ್ಮ ಅಂದರೆ ಬೌದ್ಧ ಧರ್ಮವಲ್ಲ; ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಸರಳ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯಗಳು — ತಂದೆತಾಯಿಯ ಮಾತು ಕೇಳುವುದು, ಹಿರಿಯರು-ಗುರುಗಳಿಗೆ ಗೌರವ, ಬಂಧುಗಳು, ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರು, ಶ್ರಮಣರಿಗೆ ದಾನ, ಗುಲಾಮರು-ಕೆಲಸಗಾರರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ನಡತೆ, ಜೀವಿಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅಹಿಂಸೆ. 12ನೇ ಶಾಸನ: ಇತರ ಧರ್ಮಗಳನ್ನೂ ಗೌರವಿಸು, ಮಾತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಯಮ, ಸ್ವಧರ್ಮ ಹೊಗಳುತ್ತಾ ಇತರರನ್ನು ತೆಗಳಬೇಡ. ಆರ್ಯಸತ್ಯಗಳು, ನಿರ್ವಾಣ, ಒಬ್ಬ ದೇವರು — ಯಾವುದೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕೂಡುಕುಟುಂಬದಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲ ಧರ್ಮದವರೂ ಒಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಬಾಳಲು ಮಾಡಿದ 'ಮನೆ ನಿಯಮಗಳಂತೆ'. (→ English: dhamma · tolerance · ahimsa · हिन्दी: धम्म · सहिष्णुता · अहिंसा)

In exam EnglishThe dhamma that Ashoka preached is not the same as Buddhism, though it shares much of its spirit. It is a set of plain duties for everyone: obedience to parents, respect for elders and teachers, generosity to friends, relatives, Brahmanas and shramanas, kind treatment of slaves and servants, and ahimsa towards living creatures. Major Rock Edict XII adds the most quoted idea, tolerance among sects: people should honour other faiths as well as their own, guard their speech and avoid praising their own sect while running down others, so that the essence of every faith may grow. The dhamma says nothing about the four noble truths, nirvana or monastic life, and it names no single god. Historians therefore read it as a practical ethic for a huge empire of many peoples and beliefs.

ಅಶೋಕ ಧಮ್ಮವನ್ನು ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ನೀತಿಯಾಗಿಸಿದ. 1ನೇ ಶಾಸನ: ರಾಜಧಾನಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಜ್ಞಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಾಣಿ ಹತ್ಯೆ ನಿಷೇಧ, ಹಾನಿಕರ 'ಸಮಾಜ' ಉತ್ಸವಗಳಿಗೆ ವಿರೋಧ; ರಾಜ ಅಡುಗೆಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ದಿನಕ್ಕೆ ಎರಡು ನವಿಲು, ಒಂದು ಜಿಂಕೆ ಮಾತ್ರ, ಶೀಘ್ರದಲ್ಲೇ ಅದೂ ಇಲ್ಲ. 3ನೇ ಶಾಸನ: ರಜ್ಜುಕರು, ಪ್ರಾದೇಶಿಕರು, ಯುಕ್ತರು ಐದು ವರ್ಷಕ್ಕೊಮ್ಮೆ ಸಂಚರಿಸಿ ಧಮ್ಮ ಬೋಧಿಸಬೇಕು. 5ನೇ ಶಾಸನ: ಪಟ್ಟಾಭಿಷೇಕದ 13ನೇ ವರ್ಷ ಧಮ್ಮ ಮಹಾಮಾತ್ರರು ಎಂಬ ಹೊಸ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳು — ಎಲ್ಲ ಪಂಥಗಳ ನಡುವೆ, ಕೈದಿಗಳು, ವೃದ್ಧರು, ಬಡವರ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ. 2ನೇ ಶಾಸನ: ಮನುಷ್ಯರಿಗೆ, ಪ್ರಾಣಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸೆ, ಬಾವಿಗಳು, ನೆರಳಿನ ಮರಗಳು — ಇಂದಿನ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ಯೋಜನೆಗಳಂತೆ. (→ English: dhamma mahamatta · rajuka · हिन्दी: धम्म महामात्र · रज्जुक)

In exam EnglishAshoka turned his ethic into state policy. Major Rock Edict I bans the killing of animals for sacrifice in the capital and frowns on samajas, festive gatherings he thought harmful, and it says the royal kitchen now kills only two peacocks and a deer, and soon none. Major Rock Edict III orders the rajukas, pradeshikas and yuktas to tour their areas every five years to teach dhamma as well as to do their usual work. Major Rock Edict V records that, thirteen years after his coronation, he created a new rank of officers, the dhamma mahamatta, to work among people of all sects, look after the welfare of prisoners, the old and the poor, and settle disputes. Major Rock Edict II lists welfare works: medical care for people and animals, medicinal plants, wells and shade trees along the roads, not only in his own lands but in those of his neighbours.

ಶಾಸನಗಳು ಕೆಲವು ಗುಂಪುಗಳು (ಕೆಳಗಿನ ಪಟ್ಟಿ ನೋಡಿ). 14 ಬೃಹತ್ ಶಿಲಾಶಾಸನಗಳು — ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಅಂಚುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಪಟ್ಟಣ-ದಾರಿಗಳ ಬಳಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಬಂಡೆಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ: ಶಾಹಬಾಜ್‌ಗಢಿ, ಮಾನ್ಸೆಹ್ರಾ, ಕಾಲ್ಸಿ, ಗಿರ್ನಾರ್, ಸೋಪಾರಾ, ಧೌಲಿ, ಜೌಗಡ, ಯರ್ರಗುಡಿ. ಕಿರು ಶಿಲಾಶಾಸನಗಳು (ಮತಾಂತರದ ಕತೆ) — ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಸ್ಕಿ, ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಗಿರಿ, ಸಿದ್ದಾಪುರ; ರೂಪನಾಥ್, ಸಹಸ್ರಾಮ್, ಬೈರಾಟ್. ಏಳು ಸ್ತಂಭ ಶಾಸನಗಳು ಗಂಗಾ ಬಯಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ; ಫಿರೋಜ್ ಷಾ ತುಘಲಕ್ ತೋಪ್ರಾ, ಮೀರತ್ ಕಂಬಗಳನ್ನು ದೆಹಲಿಗೆ ತಂದ — ಏಳೂ ಇರುವುದು ದೆಹಲಿ-ತೋಪ್ರಾ ಒಂದೇ. ಹೆದ್ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಫಲಕಗಳು, ಊರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸಣ್ಣ ಫಲಕಗಳು ಇರುವಂತೆ. (→ English: Major Rock Edicts · Pillar Edicts · हिन्दी: बृहद् शिलालेख · स्तंभ लेख)

In exam EnglishThe inscriptions fall into a few clear groups, set out in the table below. The fourteen Major Rock Edicts were cut on large rock faces near towns and routes at the edges of the empire, from Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra in the northwest to Kalsi in the Himalayan foothills, Girnar in Gujarat, Sopara on the western coast, Dhauli and Jaugada in Kalinga and Yerragudi in Andhra Pradesh. The shorter Minor Rock Edicts, which carry the personal account of his conversion, are spread widely, with a cluster in Karnataka at Maski, Brahmagiri and Siddapur and others at Rupnath, Sahasram and Bairat. The seven Pillar Edicts stand on polished sandstone pillars in the Ganga plain, at Lauriya-Araraj, Lauriya-Nandangarh, Rampurva and Allahabad, and on two pillars that Firuz Shah Tughlaq carried to Delhi from Topra and Meerut in the fourteenth century; only the Delhi-Topra pillar carries all seven. Minor pillar inscriptions mark sacred sites such as Lumbini and Sarnath.
The kinds of Ashokan inscriptions
KindWhat it containsMain sites
Major Rock Edicts (14)Dhamma, officials, welfare, Kalinga (XIII), tolerance (XII), neighbours (II, XIII)Shahbazgarhi, Mansehra, Kalsi, Girnar, Sopara, Dhauli, Jaugada, Yerragudi
Separate Kalinga Edicts (2)'All people are my children'; fair treatment by officialsDhauli, Jaugada
Minor Rock EdictsAshoka's personal turn to Buddhism; the name Ashoka at Maski and GujarraMaski, Brahmagiri, Siddapur, Rupnath, Sahasram, Bairat, Gujarra
Bhabru edictFaith in Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha; Buddhist texts recommendedBairat (Rajasthan)
Pillar Edicts (7)Late summary of dhamma; Pillar Edict VII only at Delhi-TopraDelhi-Topra, Delhi-Meerut, Allahabad, Lauriya-Araraj, Lauriya-Nandangarh, Rampurva
Minor pillar inscriptionsSchism edicts; pilgrimage recordsSarnath, Sanchi, Allahabad (schism); Rummindei, Nigali Sagar
Cave inscriptionsCaves given to the AjivikasBarabar hills (Bihar)

ತನ್ನ ಮಾತು ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಅರ್ಥವಾಗಲಿ ಎಂದು ಅಶೋಕ ಪ್ರತಿ ಪ್ರದೇಶದ ಭಾಷೆ, ಲಿಪಿ ಬಳಸಿದ. ಬಹುತೇಕ ಶಾಸನಗಳು ಪ್ರಾಕೃತದಲ್ಲಿ, ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಿ ಲಿಪಿ (ಎಡದಿಂದ ಬಲಕ್ಕೆ, ಮುಂದಿನ ಭಾರತೀಯ ಲಿಪಿಗಳ ತಾಯಿ). ವಾಯವ್ಯದ ಶಾಹಬಾಜ್‌ಗಢಿ, ಮಾನ್ಸೆಹ್ರಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಅದೇ ಪ್ರಾಕೃತ ಖರೋಷ್ಠಿ ಲಿಪಿ (ಬಲದಿಂದ ಎಡಕ್ಕೆ, ಅರಮೈಕ್ ಲಿಪಿಯಿಂದ ಬಂದದ್ದು). ಕಂದಹಾರ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಗ್ರೀಕ್-ಅರಮೈಕ್ ದ್ವಿಭಾಷಾ ಶಾಸನ; ತಕ್ಷಶಿಲೆ, ಲಗ್ಮಾನ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅರಮೈಕ್. ಬಸ್ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣದ ಫಲಕಗಳು ಎರಡು-ಮೂರು ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆದಿರುವಂತೆ. 1837ರಲ್ಲಿ ಜೇಮ್ಸ್ ಪ್ರಿನ್ಸೆಪ್ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಿಯನ್ನು ಓದಿದ. (→ English: Brahmi script · Kharoshthi script · Prakrit · हिन्दी: ब्राह्मी लिपि · खरोष्ठी लिपि · प्राकृत)

In exam EnglishAshoka wanted his words understood, so he used the languages and scripts of each region. Most inscriptions are in Prakrit, the spoken language of the time, written in the Brahmi script, which runs from left to right and is the ancestor of most later Indian scripts. In the far northwest, at Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra, the same Prakrit is written in the Kharoshthi script, which runs from right to left and came from the Aramaic script used in the old Persian provinces. Further west, at Kandahar in Afghanistan, there is a bilingual inscription in Greek and Aramaic, and other Aramaic inscriptions have been found at Taxila and Laghman, for subjects who read those languages. Knowledge of Brahmi was lost over the centuries. In 1837 James Prinsep, secretary of the Asiatic Society, deciphered it, which opened all of Ashoka's records to modern readers.
Languages and scripts of Ashoka's inscriptions
ScriptDirectionLanguageWhere
BrahmiLeft to rightPrakritMost of the empire
KharoshthiRight to leftPrakritNorthwest: Shahbazgarhi, Mansehra
GreekLeft to rightGreekKandahar (Afghanistan)
AramaicRight to leftAramaicKandahar, Taxila, Laghman

ಶಾಸನಗಳು ಗಡಿಯಾಚೆಯ ಲೋಕವನ್ನೂ ತೋರಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. 2ನೇ ಶಾಸನ ದಕ್ಷಿಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಜೆಗಳಲ್ಲದ ನೆರೆಯವರನ್ನು ಹೆಸರಿಸುತ್ತದೆ: ಚೋಳರು, ಪಾಂಡ್ಯರು, ಸತಿಯಪುತ್ರರು, ಕೇರಳಪುತ್ರರು, ತಾಮ್ರಪರ್ಣಿ (ಶ್ರೀಲಂಕಾ) — ಅಂದರೆ ದೂರದ ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಸಾಮ್ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. 13ನೇ ಶಾಸನ ಐವರು ಗ್ರೀಕ್ ರಾಜರು: ಆಂಟಿಯೋಕಸ್ II, ಟಾಲೆಮಿ II, ಆಂಟಿಗೋನಸ್ ಗೊನಾಟಸ್, ಮಗಸ್, ಅಲೆಕ್ಸಾಂಡರ್ — ಅವರವರೆಗೆ ಧಮ್ಮ ತಲುಪಿತು ಎಂಬುದು ಅಶೋಕನ ಹೇಳಿಕೆ. ಪಾಶ್ಚಾತ್ಯ ಲೇಖಕರು ಇದನ್ನು ಹೇಳುವುದಿಲ್ಲ; ಆದರೆ ಗ್ರೀಕ್ ಲೋಕದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮೌರ್ಯ ಆಸ್ಥಾನಕ್ಕೆ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿದಿತ್ತು — ನೆರೆ ದೇಶಗಳ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಿದಂತೆ. (→ English: Cholas · Pandyas · Keralaputras · हिन्दी: चोल · पांड्य · केरलपुत्र)

In exam EnglishThe edicts also map Ashoka's world beyond his borders. Major Rock Edict II names the peoples to the south who were not his subjects: the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Satiyaputras and the Keralaputras, together with Tamraparni, which is taken to be Sri Lanka. This shows that the far south lay outside the empire. Major Rock Edict XIII names five Greek kings in the west whom Ashoka claims to have reached with his dhamma: Antiochus II of Syria, Ptolemy II of Egypt, Antigonus Gonatas of Macedonia, Magas of Cyrene and Alexander of Epirus or Corinth. Western writers say nothing of such missions, so the claim may be larger than the result, but the list shows how well informed the Mauryan court was about the Hellenistic world.

ಅಶೋಕನ ಆಳ್ವಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂರು ಎಳೆಗಳು: ಕಳಿಂಗ ಯುದ್ಧ — ಇನ್ನು ಶಸ್ತ್ರವಿಜಯ ಬೇಡ, ಧಮ್ಮವಿಜಯ; ಬೌದ್ಧ ಶ್ರದ್ಧೆ — ದಾನಗಳು, ಯಾತ್ರೆಗಳು, ಸಂಘಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂದೇಶಗಳು; ಧಮ್ಮ — ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ, ದಯೆ, ಸಹಿಷ್ಣುತೆ ಎಂಬ ಸರಳ ನೀತಿ, ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳು, ಸಂಚಾರ, ಕಲ್ಯಾಣ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಿಂದ ಜಾರಿ. ಶಾಸನಗಳೇ ಪುರಾವೆ: ಗಡಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬೃಹತ್ ಶಿಲಾಶಾಸನಗಳು, ನಡುವೆ ಕಂಬಗಳು, ದೂರದ ಪ್ರಜೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಖರೋಷ್ಠಿ, ಗ್ರೀಕ್, ಅರಮೈಕ್. ಅಲಹಾಬಾದ್ ಕಂಬದ ಮೇಲೆ ನಂತರ ಸಮುದ್ರಗುಪ್ತ, ಜಹಾಂಗೀರ್ ಕೂಡ ಬರೆಸಿದರು — ಒಂದೇ ಗೋಡೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಮೂರು ತಲೆಮಾರಿನ ಹೆಸರುಗಳು. ಆಡಳಿತ, ತೆರಿಗೆ, ಪತನ — ಮೂರನೇ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ. (→ English: dhamma-vijaya · Allahabad pillar · हिन्दी: धम्म-विजय · इलाहाबाद स्तंभ)

In exam EnglishAshoka's reign joins three threads. The Kalinga war led him to give up further conquest and to speak of conquest by dhamma; his Buddhist faith shaped his gifts, pilgrimages and messages to the sangha; and his dhamma, a simple ethic of duty, kindness and tolerance, became a policy carried out by officials, tours and welfare works across a diverse empire. The inscriptions are the proof of all three, and their placing tells its own story: big rock edicts at the frontiers and on trade routes, pillar edicts in the heartland, and messages in Kharoshthi, Greek and Aramaic for distant subjects. One famous Allahabad pillar shows how long they lasted: besides Ashoka's edicts it carries the praise of the Gupta king Samudragupta and an inscription of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. How the empire was run, how it raised revenue and why it fell apart after him are the subjects of Part 3.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. Which of Ashoka's inscriptions describes the Kalinga war and the king's remorse after it?

  1. Major Rock Edict II
  2. Major Rock Edict XII
  3. Major Rock Edict XIII
  4. Pillar Edict VII
Show answer

Answer: C. Major Rock Edict XIII

Answer (c). Major Rock Edict XIII records the losses in Kalinga and Ashoka's remorse. Major Rock Edict II (a) deals with welfare works and the southern neighbours, XII (b) with tolerance among sects, and Pillar Edict VII (d) is a late summary of his dhamma work found only on the Delhi-Topra pillar.

Q2. Consider the following statements:
1. At Dhauli and Jaugada, Major Rock Edict XIII is omitted.
2. The Separate Kalinga Edicts declare that all people are the king's children.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: C. Both 1 and 2

Answer (c). Both are correct: at the two sites inside Kalinga, Major Rock Edicts XI to XIII are left out and two Separate Edicts stand in their place, declaring that all people are the king's children. Options (a) and (b) each drop a true statement, and (d) rejects both.

Q3. Ashoka's personal name 'Ashoka' (rather than only the title Devanampiya Piyadasi) appears in the inscription at:

  1. Girnar
  2. Maski
  3. Kalsi
  4. Dhauli
Show answer

Answer: B. Maski

Answer (b). The minor rock edict at Maski in Karnataka names him Ashoka; Gujarra in Madhya Pradesh is another such site. Girnar (a), Kalsi (c) and Dhauli (d) carry Major Rock Edicts, which use only the title Devanampiya Piyadasi.

Q4. Match the inscription with its subject:
A. Major Rock Edict XII 1. Appointment of dhamma mahamattas
B. Major Rock Edict V 2. Tolerance among sects
C. Rummindei pillar 3. Caves given to the Ajivikas
D. Barabar inscriptions 4. Tax relief for Lumbini
Select the correct code:

  1. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
  2. A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3
  3. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
  4. A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3
Show answer

Answer: A. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

Answer (a). Edict XII is about tolerance, Edict V about the new dhamma mahamattas, the Rummindei pillar about Lumbini's tax relief and the Barabar inscriptions about caves given to the Ajivikas. Option (b) swaps XII and V, (c) swaps Rummindei and Barabar, and (d) gives tax relief to Edict V and the mahamattas to Rummindei.

Q5. Ashoka's edicts at Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra are written in which script?

  1. Brahmi
  2. Kharoshthi
  3. Greek
  4. Aramaic
Show answer

Answer: B. Kharoshthi

Answer (b). These northwestern sites use Kharoshthi, written from right to left, for the Prakrit text. Brahmi (a) is used in most of the empire but not here; Greek (c) and Aramaic (d) appear at Kandahar and, for Aramaic, also at Taxila and Laghman.

Q6. Consider the following statements about Ashoka's dhamma:
1. It required subjects to accept the four noble truths.
2. It asked people to honour other sects and to restrain their speech.
3. Officers called dhamma mahamattas were appointed to promote it.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 only
  3. 1 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: B. 2 and 3 only

Answer (b). Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Statement 1 is wrong: the dhamma is a general ethic and says nothing about the four noble truths, nirvana or monastic life. So (a), (c) and (d), which include statement 1, are wrong.

Q7. Which of the following peoples are named in Ashoka's Major Rock Edict II as neighbours lying outside his empire?
1. Cholas
2. Pandyas
3. Keralaputras
4. Satavahanas
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1, 2 and 3 only
  3. 2, 3 and 4 only
  4. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer

Answer: B. 1, 2 and 3 only

Answer (b). The edict names the Cholas, Pandyas, Satiyaputras and Keralaputras, with Tamraparni. The Satavahanas rose to power only after the Mauryas and are not named, so (c) and (d) are wrong; (a) leaves out the Keralaputras.

Q8. Who deciphered the Brahmi script of Ashoka's inscriptions in 1837?

  1. William Jones
  2. Alexander Cunningham
  3. James Prinsep
  4. John Marshall
Show answer

Answer: C. James Prinsep

Answer (c). James Prinsep, secretary of the Asiatic Society, deciphered Brahmi in 1837. William Jones (a) identified Sandrokottos with Chandragupta in 1793, Alexander Cunningham (b) founded the Archaeological Survey, and John Marshall (d) is linked with the Harappan excavations.

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