Did Ashoka’s embracing Buddhism: promoting Ahimsa Weaken India?
Ram Puniyani
Past is used by communal politics
for their present political agenda. In India on one hand we have the use of
medieval history where the Muslim Kings are presented as ‘aggressors due to
whom Hindu society had to suffer’, on the other now we are witnessing the distortion
of ancient history being marshaled to undermine Buddhism vis a vis Brahmanism.
The figure chosen to make this
point by communal forces is that of Emperor Ashoka. Incidentally Noble Laureate
Amrtya Sen regards Ashoka and Akbar as the two greatest Emperors to have ruled
India. A publication from RSS progeny, Rajasthan Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad claims
that it was due to Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism and his promotion
of ahimsa that India’s borders opened up to foreign invaders. It also goes on
to say those followers of Buddhism under Ashoka played a seditious role, they assisted
Greek invaders with the goal that they would destroy “Vedic religion” and restore
Buddhism. Here, what is being referred to as Vedic religion is Brahmanism as
such.
Interestingly the article regards
Ashoka to be a great ruler till he embraced Buddhism, while most of the
thinkers show that his humane policies, making him a great emperor, were
brought in after he embraced Buddhism. There are many components of this formulation
which are concocted as per the political requirement of Brahmanical Hinduism. One
of these concoctions is the very notion of India being the state from times
immemorial. One understands that India as a nation state emerged during
freedom struggle. The earlier formations were kingdoms, Empires. The boundaries
of these kingdoms were not fixed and depending on the bravery and other
associated factors kings were expanding their area of rule or had to retreat
into smaller areas or even getting decimated at times. Even before Ashoka came
to power Alexander
had attacked India. Such forays of kings into other territories are not unknown.
Mauryan Empire was a major Empire the sub continent has seen.
So many dynasties have ruled
large parts of the subcontinent, no single ruler has ruled whole of what is
India today. So why is Ashoka being targeted today? Ashoka was successor to
Bindusar, from Maurya lineage. Chandragupta Maurya had built the Empire and
Ashok’s annexed Kalinga (modern Orissa) into his kingdom. This battle was very
bloody and as is famously known the bloodshed shook Ashoka and he decided to
embrace Buddhism. From this point on the transformation of an aggressive
insensitive king to a very humane person began with the embracing
of Buddhism. He undertook the measures for welfare of the people, opposed
the Brahmanical rituals and opened the gates of his palace for listening to
woes the people of his empire. Inspired by the teachings of Buddhism he took
steps towards building a compassionate state, the guardian state.
His ideas and polices are
deciphered from the number of edicts carved on pillars and stones which are
vast in number. What emerge from these edicts are very compassionate and
impressive norms being propagated as back as in the period of third Century BC.
What is remarkable is that though he embraced Buddhism he accepted the
diversity as the norm of society. One of his edicts says that a ruler must
accept the diversity of his subjects’ belief. He did transform Buddhism in to a
World religion. The spread of his ideas was not through force but through moral
appeal and persuasion. His message was to reduce suffering and to pursue peace,
openness and tolerance. This is why he is regarded as Great contrary to the
said articles’ claim that he was great till he embraced Buddhism.
Ashoka’s was the largest Empire
in the history of the sub continent. His Dhamma was a moral code for the ruler
as well as for the subjects who were exhorted to follow the moral path. His
Rock Edict XII is something which we need to remember in current times as well
as it has great relevance even today. It is a call for religious tolerance and
civility in public life or as he puts it, ‘restraint in speech’, “not praising one’s own religion or
condemning the religion of the others without good cause…Contact between
religions is good.” (Sunil Khilanani, Incarnations, ‘India in 50 Lives’ page 52).
‘He did not foist his faith, Buddhism on his subjects…He is important in
history for his policy of peace, non aggression and cultural conquest’. (R.S.
Sharma, Ancient India, NCERT, 1995, 104) Ashoka inspired the leaders of freedom
movement for his principles of justice and non-violence. He did represent the
agenda which symbolized cultural and religious pluralism which were central to
the ideology of Gandhi and Nehru in particular. His symbols of four lions adorn
Indian currency and the wheel has become part of Indian flag.
The problem with Ashoka’s rule
was not the military one. His Empire continued till 50 more years. In 205 BC
Greek Emperor Antiocus attacked from North West and established his rule in
some part (North-West: Punjab, Afghanistan). The bigger problem was from within
the empire. This is related to Brahminical counter reaction to the spread of
Buddhism. Ashoka had put a ban on the slaughter for rituals. This led to
reduction in the income of Brahmans. The spread of Buddhism led to the erosion
of Varna-caste system. What the communal forces are calling as Vedic religion is
as such the dominant stream which was prevalent then, Brahmanism.
These factors led to the counter
revolution. Pushyamitra Shung, a Brahman, the Chief Commander of Brihadrath,
who was Ashok’s grandson, led the counter revolution. He killed the Emperor and
founded the Shunga dynasty in Sindh part of Ashoka’s empire. The counter
revolution launched in the society led to the disappearance of Buddhism from
this land. Ambedkar writes, “Emperor Ashoka proclaimed complete ban on killing
animals. So nobody engaged Brahmans to perform rites and rituals. The Brahman
priests were rendered jobless. They also lost their former importance and
glory. So the Brahmans revolted against the Maurayan Emperor Brihadrath under
the leadership of Pushyamitra Shung, a samvedi Brahmin and the army Chief of
Brihadrath.” (Writings and Speeches, Vol 3 P 167) Eighth Century onwards Shankara led the
ideological battle against the philosophy of Buddhism. Buddhism urged the
people to focus on the life in this World. The Shankara’s philosophy called
this World as illusion and restored Brahmanism here in full glory. Due to
ideological and social counter revolution Buddhism disappeared from this land
around 1200 AD.
So why is Ashoka’s reign coming
under criticism now? Ashoka embraced Buddhism and this was a setback to the Brahmanical
system. Brahmanism is the dominant part of Hindu religion as understood today. Ashoka
talked of non-violence and promoted pluralism. All these stand totally against
the Hindu nationalist agenda of sectarian
nationalism where violence is part of the politics. This wants to promote
neo Brahmanical values. So on one hand there is the attempt to co-opt Dalits
and other hand the aim is to keep the ideological message of social hierarchy loud
and clear and so Buddhism is attacked. The symbols of casteless ideology of
Buddhism and accompanying respect for pluralism and peace are being attacked as
a part of Hindu nationalist agenda, the garb in which it is presented is
‘weakening of India’ due to non-violence. As such Maurayan was an Empire, not a
nation state, empires rise and fall due to social political factors of the
time. Despite adopting non-violence the Empire continued well till 50 more
years. The weakness starts coming in due to Brahmanical counter-revolution. The
forays of communalists in the ancient Indian history are an attempt more to
denigrate the Buddhist values under the garb of attacking Ashoka.
