NCERT Summary: Ashoka, The Emperor Who Gave Up War (Class 6)

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Lion Capital and Ashoka's Inscriptions
3. The Mauryan Empire and Principal Cities
4. The Mauryan Dynasty
5. Ashoka's Conquest of Kalinga
6. Ashoka's Inscription on the Kalinga War
7. Transformation in Ashoka's Attitude Towards War
8. Understanding Ashoka's Dhamma
9. Ashoka's Messages to His Subjects
10. Organisation of Edicts and Administration
11. Elsewhere: The Great Wall of China
12. Conclusion
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Introduction

Ashoka was a prominent emperor of the Mauryan dynasty who ruled a large part of the Indian subcontinent in the third century BCE. His grandfather, Chandragupta Maurya, established the Mauryan Empire with guidance from the scholar and statesman Chanakya, whose ideas were recorded in the treatise Arthashastra. Ashoka is especially remembered for changing from a policy of conquest to one of moral and administrative reform after the Kalinga war.

The Lion Capital and Ashoka's Inscriptions

The famous stone pillars and rock edicts erected across the empire are among Ashoka's most visible legacies. The four-lion capital from Sarnath, carved atop one such pillar, has become a national symbol in modern India. Ashoka used pillars and rocks to communicate official messages to his subjects.

• Languages and scripts: Most edicts were composed in local languages such as Prakrit and written in the Brahmi script. In the north-west, some inscriptions appear in other scripts and languages appropriate to local populations.
• Where they appear: Inscriptions and pillars have been found at many places across the subcontinent, showing the geographical reach of Ashoka's ideas and administration.
• Purpose: The edicts were meant to inform people about the emperor's policies, moral guidelines (dhamma), welfare measures and instructions to officials.

The Mauryan Empire and Principal Cities

The Mauryan Empire included important urban centres and trade routes. Some of the notable cities were:

• Pataliputra (near modern Patna) - the imperial capital and political centre.
• Taxila - an important gateway to north-west trade and contact with Central Asia.
• Ujjain - a key route between northern and southern parts of the subcontinent.

The empire was culturally diverse: people spoke different languages, practised varied diets and dressing styles, and included farmers, herders, forest dwellers and craftspeople. Natural resources from various regions - for example elephants and forest produce from the central and eastern tracts, and precious stones from the south - were integrated into the imperial economy.

The Mauryan Dynasty

• Rulers: The main early Mauryan rulers were Chandragupta Maurya, his son Bindusara, and Bindusara's son Ashoka.
• Extent of rule: Inscriptions and archaeological evidence show the empire's broad territorial extent and centralised administrative structures.
• Foreign accounts: Greek and other foreign writers such as Megasthenes visited and described the Mauryan court and capital, providing valuable external testimony about the empire.

Difference Between Empires and Kingdoms

• Size and resources: An empire covers a larger territory than a typical kingdom and therefore requires more resources and larger armies to protect and govern it.
• Officials and administration: Empires need more officials and a more complex administrative system to collect taxes, maintain law and order, and oversee distant provinces.

Ruling the Empire

• Direct control: Areas close to the capital, especially the region around Pataliputra, were directly managed by royal officials appointed by the emperor. These officials collected taxes from farmers, herders, traders and craftspeople and enforced the ruler's orders. Many officials received salaries, and a system of messengers and informers helped the central court monitor their conduct.
• Provincial administration: Distant regions were governed from provincial centres such as Taxila and Ujjain. Provincial governors - sometimes royal princes - managed local affairs while respecting local customs and rules to a degree.
• Control of resources: The Mauryan state controlled important trade routes, rivers and roads for transport, and collected tribute and taxes in the form of goods such as blankets, gold, stones, elephants, timber, honey and wax.
• Tribute versus tax: Tribute often consisted of gifts or items given by subordinate rulers or communities, typically collected as and when possible rather than by a routine tax system. Forested and peripheral regions retained relative autonomy but were expected to supply specific resources.
• Megasthenes on Pataliputra: The Greek ambassador Megasthenes left descriptions of the capital, royal processions and court practices. He reported elaborate security measures - such as testing royal food and rotating sleeping apartments - and described Pataliputra as a large city with walls, towers, gates, wooden and brick houses, gardened palaces and extensive royal establishments.

Ashoka's Conquest of Kalinga

Kalinga corresponded to parts of present-day coastal Odisha (Orissa) and was the scene of a major military campaign by Ashoka. Although Ashoka won the battle, the scale of violence and human suffering deeply affected him and led to a moral and political transformation.

Ashoka's Inscription on the Kalinga War

The edicts record Ashoka's own reflections on the Kalinga war. Key points recorded in his inscription are:

• "After eight years of my reign, I conquered Kalinga."
• Casualties and captives: The campaign resulted in the capture of about 150,000 people and the death of over 100,000.
• Deep sorrow: Ashoka declared that the suffering caused by the conquest brought him great sorrow.
• Compassion for all affected: He noted that many kinds of people, including Brahmins and monks, had suffered or been killed, and that kind people had lost their loved ones.
• Policy change: He resolved that governing by dhamma - moral persuasion and ethical conduct - was better than conquest by force, and he left this inscription for posterity as an admonition to his successors to avoid war and to promote dhamma.

Transformation in Ashoka's Attitude Towards War

The Kalinga war marked a decisive change in Ashoka's outlook. The human cost he witnessed convinced him that expansion through slaughter was not a legitimate goal. From that point, he promoted non-violence, welfare measures and moral instruction as central pillars of governance.

Understanding Ashoka's Dhamma

Dhamma, as promoted by Ashoka, was a set of ethical and social principles intended to guide the behaviour of his subjects and officials. Although influenced by Buddhist values such as compassion and non-violence, Ashoka's dhamma was not restricted to Buddhist religious practice. Instead it emphasised practical moral conduct that could be accepted by people of different faiths.

• Issues addressed: Ashoka sought to reduce communal conflicts, curb practices he considered harmful (for example, certain forms of animal sacrifice), discourage the mistreatment of slaves and servants, and resolve disputes within families and communities.
• Dhamma mahamatta: To spread and implement dhamma, Ashoka appointed special officers called dhamma mahamatta. Their duties included educating people about moral conduct, advising local officials and reporting on social conditions.
• Inscription instructions: Ashoka ordered many edicts to be set up on rocks and pillars and asked provincial officers to ensure that people who could not read were informed orally about the contents.
• International outreach: Ashoka sent envoys and messengers to neighbouring and distant lands - including regions such as Syria, Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka - to propagate his ideals and establish friendly relations.
• Welfare measures: Public works included building and repairing roads, digging wells, planting trees, providing rest houses or wayside shelters, and organising medical care for people and animals.

Ashoka's Messages to His Subjects

Ashoka used his edicts to communicate social and moral guidance directly to the people. The following themes appear repeatedly in his messages:

• Rituals and practical ethics: While acknowledging existing rituals associated with illness, marriage and journeys, Ashoka emphasised that outward rituals are less important than practising kindness, truthfulness and respect in daily life.
• Treatment of dependents: He urged gentleness towards servants and slaves and respect for elders and teachers.
• Compassion for all living beings: He promoted humane treatment of animals and discouraged gratuitous violence.
• Support for religious teachers: Ashoka recommended giving gifts to Brahmins and Buddhist monks and encouraged mutual respect among different religious communities.
• Religious tolerance: He warned against praising one's own faith while demeaning others, and advised people to study and understand other religious beliefs to strengthen their own moral outlook.

Organisation of Edicts and Administration 

For a fuller picture of Ashoka's administrative and inscriptional programme, it helps to note the broad types of edicts and officials used in the empire:

• Types of edicts: Scholars generally distinguish between major rock edicts, pillar edicts and minor edicts. Major edicts set out broad moral and administrative principles; minor edicts often contain personal messages or directives to specific localities.
• Officials and information flow: A centralised bureaucracy relied on provincial governors, district officials and messengers to implement policies and collect information. The dhamma mahamatta formed a moral-policing and educational arm of the state rather than a purely judicial one.

Elsewhere: The Great Wall of China

While Ashoka's policies emphasised moral suasion and welfare, other imperial states used different strategies to secure their borders. The Great Wall of China is a major example of a defensive approach from roughly the same broad historical period.

• Historical context: Construction and consolidation of the Great Wall began in various phases over many centuries; one major phase of construction took place after China's unification around the third century BCE under the first emperor, and the wall was expanded and rebuilt over the next two millennia.
• Structure and length: The wall is constructed of stone and brick in many sections, extends for thousands of kilometres (commonly cited totals are around 6,000-7,000 km when all segments are added), and included roads and patrolways along its top.
• Labour and surveillance: Large numbers of workers built the wall, and watchtowers or signal towers were placed at regular intervals for surveillance and communication.
• Contrast with Ashoka: Where Chinese emperors invested in physical fortifications to defend against external threats, Ashoka chose a policy of moral persuasion, diplomatic outreach and welfare within and beyond his frontiers.

Conclusion

Ashoka remains an important figure in Indian history because he combined the power of an expansive empire with a conscious attempt to govern through ethical ideals. His edicts reveal an emphasis on compassion, tolerance and public welfare, and they represent an early instance of a ruler seeking to communicate directly with his subjects about moral and administrative conduct. These measures, alongside the material remains such as pillars and rock inscriptions, provide valuable evidence for understanding governance, society and statecraft in ancient India.