IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : Modern India -ASOKA'S POLICY OF DHAMMA

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

Modern India 1857-1964

ASOKA'S POLICY OF DHAMMA

Structure

Objectives
Introduction
Historical Background
21.2.1 Socio-Economic Background
21.2.2 Religious Conditions
21.2.3 Polity
Distributiop of Inscriptions
Dhamma - Causes
Contents of Dhamma
Asoka's Dhamma as State Policy
Dhamma - Interpretations
Let Us Sum Up
Key Words
Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

21.0 OBJECTIVES

This Unit deals with Asoka's Policy of Dhamma. After reading this Unit you will be able to understand:

the historical background of the formulation of the policy of Dhamma,
the way Dhamma figures prominently in Asokan Edicts,
the essence of Asoka's policy of Dhamma as explained by him and as manifested in his welfare activities, paternal attitude, etc.,
the distinction between Asoka as an individual-a believer in Buddhism and Asoka as an emperor initiating a state policy, and
the various means employed by Asoka to propagate his policy of Dhamma-the role of the Dhamma mahamatras.

21.1 INTRODUCTION

Asoka Maurya, succeeded to the Mauryan throne around 269 B.C. Many historians consider him as one of the greatest kings of the ancient world. His policy of Dhamma has been a topic of lively discussion among scholars. The word Dhamma is the Prakrit form of the Sanskrit word Dharma. Dharnma has been variously translated as piety, moral life, righteousness and so on, but the best way to understand what Asoka means by Dhamma is to read his edicts. The edicts were written primarily to explain to the people throughout the empire the principles of Dhamma. This is why most of the edicts have something or the other to say about Dhamma, about how keen Asoka W;S that his subjects should practise Dhamma and how keen he was that the affairs of the state too were carried out according to the principles of Dhamma. To make principles of Dhamma accessible and understandable to all, he put up edicts or inscriptions at the important points throughout the empire and sent messengers of Dhamma outside the empire.
It must be clearly understood that Dhamma was not any particular religious faith or practice; so we should not translate Dhamma (or its Sanskrit equivalent Dharma) as religion. It was also not an arbitrarily formulated royal policy. Dhamma related to norms of social behaviour and activities in a very general sense and in his Dhamma Asoka attempted a very careful synthesis of various norms which were current in his time. To understand why and how Asoka formulated Dhamma and what he meant hy it, one has therefore to understand 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.