Asoka’s Policy of Dhamma Essay Example

the characteristics of the time in which he lived' and to refer to Buddhist, Brahmanical and various other texts where norms of social behaviour are explained.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

To understand the various aspects of the policy of Dhamma and the reasons for its formulation we would necessarily need to sketch the historical background against which it became possible for Asoka to enunciate it. In the next three sub-sections we shall deal with this historical background. The Mauryan period witnessed a change in the economic structure of the society. With the use of iron, resulting in surplus production, a changeover took place from a simple rural economy to a pattern of economy in which cities and towns also played an important part.

It has been generally argued that the use of the Northern Black Polished Ware P0ttery. i~an indicator of material prosperity of the period. The use of Punch-marked silver coins and some other varieties of coins, the conscious intervention of the State to safeguard trade routes and the rise of urban centres point to a structural change in the economy requiring necessary adjustments in the society. The commercial classes had also come to the forefront. The emergence of urban culture by its very logic demanded a more flexible social organisation.

The incorporation of tribes and peoples from the outlaying areas into the social fabric also presented a problem. The responsk of the Brahmanical social order based on the four-fold varna division was t o make the caste system more rigid and deny a higher status to the commercial class. The rigidity of the Brahmanical class sharpened the division within the society.

The lower orders turned to the various heterodox sects and this created . social tensions.

It was this situation which emperor Asoka inherited when he ascended the Mauryan throne. The Brahmanical hold over society, assiduously built through the later Vedic period, was coming under increasing attack. The privileges of the priests, the rigidity of the caste system and the elaborate rituals were being questioned. The lower orders among the four castes began to favour the new sects. The Vaisyas who were technically included in the higher category were treated as inferior to both Brahmanas and Kshatriyas. The opposition of the commercial class to Brahmanism was to give a filip to the other sects of the society.

Buddhism began as a schismatic movement from the more orthodox outlook of Brahmanism. Its basic tenet was an emphasis on misery and advocacy of the "middle path:'. It was a set gf ethical principles. Buddhism opposed the dominance of the Brahamanas and the concept of sacrifices and rituals. It thus appealed to the lower orders and to the emerging social classes. The human approach to relations in society preached by Buddhism further attracted different sections to Buddhism.

Polity You have already read that the Mahajanapadas of the sixth century B. C. , marked the beginning of the state system in many parts of India. This means that only a small section of society came t o have monopoly of power which they exercised over the rest of the socikty in various ways and for various purposes. There were monarchies in which the King was the supreme authority and there were gana-samghas in which the rulers were

a group of hereditary Kshatriyas or member of a clan. By the time, Asoka ascended the throne, the state system, over a period of more than two hundred years, had grown very elaborate and complex.

It was characterized by: The political supremacy of one region (Magadha) over a vast territory which comprised many previous kingdoms, gana-samghas and areas where no organised states had existed before. Existence, within this vast temtory, of various geographical regions, cultural areas, and of different faiths, beliefs and practices. Monopoly of force by a ruling class of which the emperor was the supreme head. Appropriation of a very substantial quantity of surplus from agriculture, commerce and other sources. Existence of an administrative apparatus.

The complexity of the state system demanded an imaginative policy from the emperor which required minimal use of force in such a large empire having diverse forms of economy and religions. It could not have been controlled by an army alone. A more feasible alternative was the propagation of a policy that would work at an ideological level and reach out to all sections of the society. The policy of Dhamma was such an endeavour.

DISTRIBUTION OF INSCRIPTIONS

Asoka used the medium of his Edicts to expound the policy of Dhamma. Study the map given in Unit 18 of this block. It shows to you the distribution of Asoka's inscriptions of various kinds such as: Major Rock Edicts Minor Rock Edicts Pillar Edicts and so on. Asoka engraved his . views about Dhamma on these edicts which were meant to be read by people of various areas. In doing so, Asoka was trying

to establish direct communication with his subjects. These inscriptions were written in different years of his rule. An examination of the principles as expressed in them would give us a clear idea of what Asoka meant by Dhamma. 8. An Asoknn lnsereption (Kandhnr)

The inscriptions can be divided into two categories. The smaller group of these inscriptions reveal that the king was a follower of Buddhism and were addressed to the Buddhist Church or the Samgha. In these there is declaration of Asoka's own relationship with the Buddhist order. In one of the inscriptions he mentions by their title some of the scriptures with which all Buddhists should be familiar with. Inscriptions of the other category are known as the Major and Minor Rock Edicts which were inscribed on rock surfaces. It included also the Pillar Edicts inscribed on specially erected pillars.

All sites of Asokan inscriptions were chosen carefully to ensure that they were accessible to a large number bf people. Thus, as has been pointed out, these edicts I i may be described as proclamations to the public at large. They explain the idea of Dhamma. We must make a distinction between Asoka's policy of Dhamma which stressed on social responsibility and Asoka's own commitment as a Buddhist. There has been a tendency in the past amongst historians to study the policy of Dhamma and Asoka as a Buddhist in the same context, without making any distinction.

A careful examination of the inscriptions would suggest that Asoka on the one hand declared his personal association with the Buddhist order and on the other he tried to teach, through the policy

of Dhamma, the importance of social responsibility and toleration amongst different members of the society. We will discuss this in detail in the subsequent sections.

DHAMMA - CAUSES

In examining the causes for the policy of Dhamma, we have already outlined the historical background, earlier in this Unit. We have suggested that the policy of Dhamma was an earnest attempt at solving some of the problems that a complex society faced. However, the policy was nurtured in the mind of Asoka and through it he attempted to resolve some of the tension$ within the society. Asoka's private beliefs and his own perceptions of how he should respond to the problems of his empire were responsible for the formulation of the policy of Dhamma. It is necessary for us to understand the immediate social environment in which Asoka grew up as it influenced him in the later years of his life.

The Mauryan kings are known to have adopted an eclectical outlook. Chandragupta took recourse to Jainism in his later years and Bindusara favoured the Ajivikas. Asoka himself adopted Buddhism in his personal life, though he never imposed Buddhism on his subjects. Before studying 'the actual contents of Dhamma let us briefly recapitulate the main points of the overall situation that shaped a policy such as this: By the time Asoka ascended the throne the Mauryan imperial system had become a complex phenomenon. The imperial system encompassed various cultures, beliefs and social and political patterns.

Asoka had to either maintain the structure by force, which would incur tremendous expenses, o r to define a set of social norms which would be

acceptable to all, cutting across all social practices and religious beliefs. Asoka found his answer in the policy of Dhamma. Asoka was aware of the tensions which the rise of heterodox sects like Buddhism, Jainism and Ajivikism had generated in society. They were all opposed to the domination of the Brahmanas in some way or the other and had a growing number of supporters.

But Brahmanas continued to have strong hold on society and some measure of hostility was inevitable. It was essential to bring about a climate of harmony and mutual trust in a situation such as this. There were obviously many areas within the empire where neither Brahmanical system nor following of the heterodox sects prevailed. Asoka himself refers to the country of the Yavanas where neither Brahmanical nor Sramanical culture was in vogue. Besides, there were many tribal areas in the empire where people were obviously not familiar either with Brahmanical o r heterodox ideas.

CONTENTS OF DHAMMA

The principles of Dhamma were so formulated as to be acceptable to people belonging to different communities and following any religious sect. Dhamma was not given any formal definition or structure. It emphasised on toleration and general behaviour.

Dhamma stressed on dual toleration-it emphasised on toleration of people themselves and also a n toleration of their various beliefs and ideas. Asoka also 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. Non-violence was to be practised by giving up war and conquests and also as a restraint on the killing of animals.