Definition

The word Dhamma is the Prakrit form of

the Sanskrit word Dharma. The word Dharma has
multiple meanings in the literature and thought of
ancient India. The best way to understand what
Ashoka means by Dhamma is to read his edicts,
which were written to explain the principles of
Dhamma to the people of that time throughout the
empire.
Dhamma was not a particular religious faith or
practice, or an arbitrary formulated royal
policy. Dharma related to generalized norms of social
behavior and activities; Ashoka tried
to synthesize various social norms which were
current in his time. It cannot be understood by
assuming it is one of the various religions that existed
at that time. To understand why and how Ashoka
formulated Dharma and its meaning, one must
understand the characteristics of the time in which he
lived.

Historical Background
Socio-economic conditions
The Mauryan period saw a change in the economic
structure of the society. The use of iron resulted in
surplus production, and the economy changed from
being a simple, rural economy to a pattern of
economy in which urban centres became important. It
has been generally argued that the use of the
Northern Black Polished Ware pottery is an indicator
of material prosperity in the period. The use of Punch-
marked silver coins and some other varieties of coins.
The commercial classes had come to the forefront of
society. The emergence of urban culture demanded a
flexible social organization. The incorporation of
tribes and peoples from the outlying areas into the
social fabric also presented a problem.
The response of the Brahmanical social order, which
was based on the four-fold varna division, was to
make the caste system more rigid and deny a higher
status to the commercial class. The rigidity of the
Brahmanical class system sharpened the divisions
within the society. The lower orders turned to
various heterodox sects and this created social
tensions. It was this situation which emperor Ashoka
inherited when he ascended the Mauryan throne.

Religious conditions
The Brahmanical hold over society, 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 sects began to favour
new sects. The vaishyas, who were technically included in
the higher social category, were treated as inferior to
both Brahmans and Kshatriya. The opposition of the
commercial class to Brahmanism was to give a fillip to the
other sects of the society. Buddhism began as
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 of ethical
principles. Buddhism opposed the dominance of the
Brahmans and the concept of sacrifices and rituals. It thus
appealed to lower social orders and to emerging social
classes. The human approach to relations in society
preached by Buddhism further attracted different sections
to itself

Polity
The Mahajanapada of sixth century B.C. marked the
beginning of the state system in many parts of India. Only
a small section of society came to have a monopoly of
power, which they exercised over the rest of the society.
There were gana-samghas in which the rulers were a
group of hereditary Kshatriya or members of a clan. By the
time Ashoka ascended the throne, the state system had
grown very elaborate. 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 previously existed;
 Existence within this vast territory of 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 surpluses

from agriculture, commerce and other sources.

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 Dharma was such an endeavour.

Distribution of inscriptions
Ashoka expounded his policy of Dhamma through his
edicts.[20] By engraving his views about Dhamma on
these edicts, Ashoka tried to directly communicate
with his subjects.[21] These inscriptions were written in
different years of his life.[22] The inscriptions can be
divided into two categories. A small group of
inscriptions reveal that the king was a follower of
Buddhism and were addresses to the Buddhist
church—the samgha. These inscriptions are
declarations of Ashoka's relationship with the
Buddhist order.[23] Inscriptions of the other category
are known as the Major and Minor Rock Edicts, which
were inscribed on rock surfaces. This larger group
includes the Pillar Edicts inscribed on specially
erected pillars.
All the sites of Ashokan inscription were chosen
carefully to ensure that they were accessible to large
numbers of people. These edicts are proclamations to
the public at large. They explain the idea of Dhamma.
One must make a distinction between Ashoka's policy
of Dhamma which stressed social responsibility and
Ashoka's own commitment as a Buddhist.An
examination of the inscriptions suggests that Ashoka
declared his personal association with a Buddhist
order and on the other he tried to teach, through the
policy of Dhamma, the importance of social
responsibility and tolerance amongst different
members of the society.

Dhamma causes
The policy of Dhamma was an earnest attempt at
solving some of problems and tensions faced by a
complex society.[28] Ashoka's private empire were
responsible for the formation of the policy. The
immediate social environment in which Ashoka grew
up influenced him in later years. The Mauryan kings
adopted an eclectical outlook. Chandragupta took
recourse to Jainism in his later years
and Bindusara favoured the Ājīvika. Ashoka adopted
Buddhism in his personal life, though he never
imposed Buddhism on his subjects.[21]
By the time Ashoka ascended the throne, the Mauryan
imperial system had become complex, encompassing
various cultures, beliefs and social and political
patterns. Ashoka had to either maintain the structure
by force—which would incur tremendous expenses—
or to define a set of social norms which would be
acceptable to all social practices and religious
beliefs. He was aware of the tensions which
the heterodox sects—Buddhism, Jainism
and Ajiviksim—had generated in society. They were
all opposed to the domination of the Brahmans and
had a growing number of supporters. But Brahmans
continued to control society and hostility was
inevitable. It was essential to bring about a climate of
harmony and mutual trust. In many tribal areas,
people were unfamiliar with Brahmanical or heterodox
ideas. To make the empire survive and to bring some
cohesion within the empire in the midst of this
diversity, some common patterns of behaviour and
common approaches to the society's problems were
needed.

Edicts
The principles of Dhamma were formulated to be
acceptable to people belonging to
different communities and following any religion.
Dhamma was not given any formal definition or
structure. It emphasized tolerance of people and the
notion of showing consideration towards slaves and
servants; there is stress on obedience to elders;
generosity towards the needy, Brahmans and
Sarmanas. 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. However, Ashoka realized that a
certain display of his political might may be necessary
to keep the primitive forest-dwelling tribes in check.

Ashoka's Edict at Maski, Raichur district, Karnataka.

This Edict Confirmed the Name Ashoka for
"Devanampiya Piadassi"
The policy of Dhamma also included other welfare
measures, like the planting of trees and digging of
wells. Ashoka attacked ceremonies and sacrifices as
meaningless. A group of officers known as Dhamma
mahamattas were instituted to implement and
publicize the various aspects of Dhamma. Ashoka
made them responsible for carrying his message to
various sections of society, However, they gradually
developed into a type of priesthood of Dhamma with
great powers and soon began to interfere in politics.
Ashoka's Edict at Gujarra, Madhya Pradesh
The aspects of Dhamma were developed
chronologically.

 Major Rock Edict I prohibits animal sacrifice and

holidays of festive gathering.
 Major Rock Edict II relates to measures of social
welfare. It mentions medical treatment for men and
animals, construction of roads, wells and tree
planting.
 Major Rock Edict III declares that liberality
towards Brahmans and Sramanas is a virtue, and
that respecting one's parents is a good quality.
 Major Rock Edict IV comments that because of
the policy of Dhamma the lack of morality and
disrespect towards Sramanas and Brahmans,
violence, unseemly behaviour to friends, relatives
and others, and evils of this kind have been
checked. The killing of animals to a large extent was
also stopped.
 Major Rock Edict V refers to the appointment of
Dhamma-mahamatta for the first time in the twelfth
year of his reign. These special officers were
appointed by the king to look after the interests of
 all sects and religions and spread the message of
Dhamma.
 Major Rock Edict VI is an instruction to Dhamma-
mahamattas. They are told that they could bring
their reports to the king at any time. The second
part of the Edict deals with speedy administration
and the transaction of smooth business.
 Major Rock Edict VII is a plea for tolerance
amongst all sects. It appears from the edict that
tensions among the sects were intense perhaps in
open antagonism. The plea is a part of the overall
strategy to maintain unity.
 Major Rock Edict VIII states that Dhammayatras
(tours) would be undertaken by the emperor. The
earlier practice of the emperor going out on hunting
expeditions was given up. Dhammayatras enabled
the emperor to come into contact with various
sections of people in the empire
 Major Rock Edict IX attacks ceremonies
performed after birth, illness, marriage and before
going on a journey. A censure passed against
ceremonies observed by wives and mothers.
Ashoka instead lays stress on practice of Dhamma
and the uselessness of ceremonies.
 Major Rock Edict X denounces fame and glory
and reasserts the merits of following the policy of
Dhamma.
 Major Rock Edict XI is a further explanation of the
policy of Dhamma. It emphases the respect of
 elders, abstaining from killing animals, and liberality
towards friends.
 Major Rock Edict XII is another appeal for
tolerance among sects. This edict reflects the
anxiety the king felt because of conflict between
sects and carries his plea for harmony.
 Major Rock Edict XIII is of paramount importance
in understanding the Ashokan policy of Dhamma.
The Rock Edict pleads for conquest by Dhamma
instead of war. This is logical culmination of the
thought processes which began from the first Rock
Edict, and by conquest what is perhaps meant is the
adaptation of the policy of Dhamma by a country,
rather than its territorial control.
 Major Rock Edict XIV Ashoka said, My dominions
are wide, and much has been written, and I shall
cause still more to be written. And some of this has
been stated again and again because of the charm
of certain topics and in order that men should act
accordingly.
Texts of the edicts
 "When he had been consecrated eight years
the Beloved of the Gods, the king
Piyadasi Ashoka conquered Kalinga. A
hundred and fifty thousand people were
deported, a hundred thousand were killed and
many times that number perished.
Afterwards, now that Kalinga was annexed,
the Beloved of the Gods very earnestly
practised "Dhamma", desired "Dhamma". On
conquering Kalinga the Beloved of the Gods
felt remorse, for, when an independent
country is conquered the slaughter, death,
and deportation of people in extremely
grievous to the Beloved of the Gods, and
weighs heavily on his mind. What is even
more deplorable to the Beloved to the Gods is
that those who dwell there, whether
Brahmans, Sarmanas, or those of other sects,
or householders who show obedience to their
superiors, obedience to their mother and
father, obedience to their teachers and
behave well and devotedly to their friends,
acquiescence, colleagues, relatives, slaves
and servants—all suffer violence, murder and
separation from their loved ones. Even those
who are fortunate to have escaped, and
whose love is undiminished , suffer from the
misfortunes of their friends, acquaintances
 colleagues and relatives. This participation of
all men in suffering weighs heavily on the
mind of Beloved of the Gods.

 "This inscription of Dhamma has been

engraved so that any sons or great sons that I
may have should not think of gaining new
conquests, and in whatever victories they
may gain should be satisfied with patience
and light punishment. They should only
consider conquest by Dhamma to be a true a
conquest, and delight in Dhamma should be
their whole delight, for this is of value in both
this word and next."
This is Ashoka's testament against war. It graphically
depicts the tragedy of war and shows why he turned
against it. It is a unique event in the annals of the
ancient world because one does not knows of any
other contemporary monarch who renounced war.
Ashoka embarked on the policy of Dhamma after
Kalinga war.

Dhamma and The Mauryan

state
Ashoka's Dhamma was not simply a collection of
high-sounding phrases. He consciously tried to adopt
it as a matter of state policy; he declared that "all men
and my children" and "whatever exertion I make, I
strive only to discharge debt that I owe to all living
creatures." It was totally new and inspiring ideal of
kingship. In the Arthashastra, the king owed nothing
to anyone. His only job was to rule the state
efficiently. Ashoka renounced war and conquest by
violence and forbade the killing of many
animals. Ashoka set an example of vegetarianism by
almost stopping the consumption of meat in the royal
household. Since he wanted to conquer the world
through love and faith, he sent many missions to
propagate Dhamma. Such missions were sent to far
off places like Egypt, Greece and Sri Lanka. The
propagation of Dhamma included many measures of
people's welfare. Centers of the treatment of men and
beasts founded inside and outside of empire. Shady
groves, wells, orchards and rest houses were laid out.
This kind of charity work was a radically different
attitude from the king of the Arthashastra, who would
not incur any expenses unless they brought more
revenues in return.
Ashoka also prohibited useless sacrifices and certain
forms of gatherings which led to waste, indiscipline
and superstition. To implement these policies he
recruited a new cadre of officers called
Dhammamahamattas. Part of this group's duties was
to see that people of various sects were treated fairly.
They were especially asked to look after the welfare of
prisoners. Many convicts—who were kept in fetters
after their sentence had expired—were to be released.
Those sentenced to death were to given grace for
three days. Ashoka also started Dhamma yatras. He
and his high officials were to tour the country
propagating Dhamma and establishing direct contact
with his subjects. Because of such attitudes and
policies, modern writers like Kern called him "a monk
in a king's garb."

Interpretations
The Ashokan policy of Dhamma has been the subject
of controversy and debate amongst scholars; Some
have said that Ashoka was a partisan Buddhist and
have equated Dhamma with Buddhism. It has also
been suggested that it was the original Buddhist
thought that was being preached by Ashoka as
Dhamma. This kind of thinking is based on some
Buddhist chronicles. It is believed that the Kalinga war
was a dramatic turning point where out of remorse for
the death and destruction of war, Ashoka decided to
become Buddhist. The Buddhist records credit him
with the propagation of Buddhism in India and aboard.
As an emperor, Ashoka did not favour Buddhism at
the expenses of other religions.
According to Ramesh Chandra Majumdar, Dhamma
was not the policy of a heretic but a system of beliefs
created out of different religious faiths.. There has
been some discussion among historians about the
results Ashoka's propagation of Dhamma. Some
historians believe that Ashoka's ban of sacrifices and
the favour that he showed to Buddhism led to a
Brahmanical reaction, which in turn led to the decline
of Mauryan empire. Others believe that stopping of
wars and the emphasis on non-violence crippled the
military might of the empire, leading to its collapse
after the death of Ashoka.
According to Romila Thapar, Ashoka's Dhamma is a
superb document of his essential humanity and an
answer to the socio-political needs of the
contemporaneous situation. It was not anti-
Brahmanical because respect for the Brahmans and
Sarmanas is an integral part of his Dhamma. His
emphasis on non-violence did not blind him to the
needs of the state. He warned the forest tribes that
although he hates to use coercion, he may be required
to resort to force if they continued to create trouble.
By the time Ashoka stopped war, the entire Indian
sub-continent was under his control. In the south he
was on friendly terms with the Cholas and Pandyas.
Sri Lanka was an admiring ally. Thus, Ashoka's
decline of war came when his empire had reached its
natural boundaries. The plea for tolerance was a wise
course of action in an ethnically diverse, religiously
varied, and class divided society. Ashoka's empire
was a conglomerate of diverse groups; farmers,
pastoral nomads and hunter-gatherers, there were
Greeks, Kambojas, and Bhojas and hundreds of
groups with different traditions. In this situation a plea
for tolerance was needed. Ashoka tried to transcend
the parochial cultural traditions with a board set of
ethical principles.[61][62]
Ashoka's "Dhamma" could not survive him; as such it
was a failure. However, he was not establishing a new
religion but was trying to impress upon the society
the need for ethical and moral principles.
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