Chandragupta Maurya
In 326 B.C. India was faced with a crisis. The imperial crown of Magadha and the neighbouring provinces was worn by a king who was “detested and help cheap” by his own people.
The new Indian leader was a young man who bore the name of Chandragupta. The family to which the young leader belonged is named Maurya. The mother or grandmother of Chandragupta, was the wife of a Nanda king.
While still a lad he is said to have met Alexander in the Punjab, but having offended the king by his boldness of speech, and orders being given to kill him, he saved himself by a speedy flight. In the place of his refuge he is said to have been joined by a personage who had left his home in Taxila. This was the famous Chanakya or Kautilya, who went at first to Pataliputra but, being insulted by the reigning Nanda king repaired to the Vindhya forest where he met Chandragupta. With the help of treasure found underground he gathered an army for the young Maurya.
Having collected an army, Chandragupta, “solicited the Indians to support his new sovereignty”. Thereafter he went to war with the prefects of Alexander and fought vigorously with them. Chandragupta acquired the throne when Seleukos, a general of Alexander, was laying the foundations of his greatness.
The first Maurya is known to have been in possession of Malwa and Kathiawar. Westward of Avanti, Chandragupta’s rule extended as far as Surashtra.
Towards the close of the reign of Chandragupta, the Maurya empire received a further extension in the north-west. Seleukos, the general of Alexander, who had made himself master of Babylon, gradually extended his empire from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus and even tried to regain the provinces to the east of that river. He failed and had to conclude a treaty with Chandragupta by which he surrendered a large territory. The inclusion of a part at least of the Kabul valley within the Maurya empire is attested by the evidence of the Asokan inscriptions.
Bindusara
The successor of Chandragupta Maurya was his son Bindusara. He probably reigned from 300 B.C. to 273 B.C.
Bindusara seems to have retained undiminished the empire of his father. Tradition credits him with the suppression of a revolt in Taxila. Whether he effected any new conquests is not known for certain. His empire must have embraced not only the greater part of northern India but also a considerable portion of the Deccan, probably as far south as the Chitaldrug district of Mysore.
In foreign affairs Bindusara maintained the friendly relations with West established by his father. He received as ambassador a Greek named Deimachos.
Bindusara had many children, both sons and daughters. One of the sons, Ashoka, seems to have held successively the important viceroyalties of Taxila and Ujjain. Tradition avers that when the emperor fell sick Asoka left the government of Ujjain and came to Pataliputra, the imperial capital. When his father died, he seized the sovereignty of the city, and put his eldest brother to death. He is said to have slain ninety-nine brothers born of different mothers.
Asoka
The reign of Bindusara probably terminated in, or within a few years of, 273 B.C. Some four years later according to tradition his successor was solemnly enthroned at Pataliputra and died after a reign of thirty-six of thirty-seven years, in or about 232 B.C. The name of the new king was Asoka. He is, howerver, generally mentioned in his inscriptions as Devanampiya Priyadarsi.
The Kalinga war proved a turning-point in the career of Asoka and produced results of far-reaching consequence in the history of India and of the whole eastern world. The sight of misery and bloodshed in the Kalinga campaign smote the emperor’s conscience and awakened his sincere feelings of repentance and sorrow. It made Asoka intensely devoted to the practice of Dharma the love of Dharma and the instruction of the people in Dharma. It also led to a momentous change in foreign policy.
Asoka had doubtless inherited the traditional devotion of Hindu kings of gods (devas) and the Brahmanas. His favourite deity was Siva. Shortly after the Kalinga war he seems to have been greatly influenced by Buddhist teaching. He became a lay worshipper of the Buddha, but for some time did not show much zeal for the new faith. He then went out to Sambodhi, taken by some to refer to Bodh-Gaya, and also established intimate relations with the Buddhist Sangha or order of monks. Contact with the place of enlightenment of the Blessed One. His new-born zeal showed itself in many ways. He made a deep study of the Buddhist scriptures and undertook many tours. In the course of these tours he visited the people of the country, instructing them in Dharma and questioning them about Dharma. The royal preacher was highly pleased with the result of his tours.
Asoka’s dharma
In one of his inscriptions, Asoka made an open confession of his faith in the Buddha. He went on pilgrimage to the places of the Blessed One’s nativity and enlightenment and worshipped at the former place. He declared that whatever had been spoken by the Buddha, all that was quite well spoken. He took much interest in the exposition of the Buddhist Dharma so that it might long endure.
But with all his faith in buddhism, Asoka was not intolerant of other religions. He sought, it is true, to put an end to practices and institutions that he considered to be opposed to the fundamental principles of morality which, according to him, constituted the “essence of all religions”. But he never became an enemy of the Devas and the Brahmanas, or of any other religious fraternity.
In short, Asoka was one of the most remarkable personalities in the history of India. He was tireless in his exertions, and unflagging in his zeal—all directed to the promotion of the spiritual and moral welfare of his people. He was the statesman who conducted successfully great military campaign. He preached and practised the virtues of concord, toleration and non-violence. The example of the pious Maurya king exercised an ennobling influence on succeeding generations.
Shopping Cart
