Rock and Pillar Edicts of Asoka

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

Asoka emerges from the edicts as a ruler deeply concerned with the welfare of his subjects and impartial with respect to class. The inscriptions prove that Asoka had deep commitments to health care, environmental protection, and animal welfare. Indeed, his vision was far ahead of his times. His path of dhamma and ahimsa (nonviolence), as enumerated and described in the edicts, is very much relevant to the contemporary world. The emphasis on state morality and the state's duty to protect its subjects also has bearing on present-day considerations of the role of government, especially in light of international terrorism. There were many monarchs in ancient and medieval Indian history, but very few were like the great Asoka. The prescriptions, virtues, and ideals in the edicts became a frame of reference for future rulers and individuals alike.

In the Rock and Pillar edicts, the personality, perception, and philosophy of Asoka unfold to a great extent. After the Kalinga War, the emperor set an agenda for the state, society, and individual, leaving messages in the form of inscriptions on rocks, boulders, pillars, and caves throughout the empire. The proselytizing zeal of Asoka put Buddhism on a high pedestal not only on the Indian Subcontinent but abroad as well. Some archaeological scholars initially held the view that the inscriptions were pointers of territorial extent of a pan-Indian empire, but this view has been contested. Generally, the edicts were inscribed in populated areas, demonstrating that they were intended for larger public audiences, although some edicts were inscribed in comparatively inaccessible areas.

The inscriptions fall into eight groups: the Minor Rock Edicts, the Bhabru Edict, the Fourteen Rock Edicts, the Kalinga Rock Edicts, the Cave Inscriptions, the Tarai Pillar Inscriptions, the Seven Pillar Edicts, and the Minor Pillar Edicts. The Bhabru Edict calls out seven passages of Buddhist scripture for special attention. The Cave Inscriptions are concise dedications of cave dwellings for the use of a particular monastic order. The very brief Tarai Pillar Inscriptions document Asoka's pilgrimage to spots sacred to Buddhism. It is the remaining edicts that merit close analysis and explication.

Fourteen Rock Edicts

The edicts engraved on rocks and pillars throughout Asoka's empire served as messages of dhamma, heralding a path of self-righteousness based on moral and ethical principles, as inspired by Buddhism to an extent. The emperor thus propagated certain ethical principles intended to govern the individual and his role in society. In the edicts, he lays stress on respect for father, mother, teachers, elders, Brahmans, monks, friends, the poor, and so forth. Such ideals as honesty, truthfulness, liberalism, and compassion are held to guide the life of a person. An individual is advised to abandon cruelty, anger, pride, and jealousy. In these inscriptions Asoka advocates ahimsa, or “nonviolence,” stressing sanctity of life. A spirit of religious tolerance is upheld as an important aspect of society.

Thus, in edict 1, Asoka says that “no living beings are to be slaughtered or offered in sacrifice,” and in edict 2 he prescribes medical treatment for humans and animals. Edict 3 emphasizes the need for instruction in dhamma, and in edict 4 he “promotes restraint in the killing and harming of living beings, proper behavior towards relatives, Brahmans [Hindus] and ascetics, and respect for mother, father and elders.” Edict 4, like many of the edicts, concludes with a statement that the edict is written so that Asoka's successors will remember it and enforce it.

With edict 5, Asoka turns to the treatment of prisoners. He notes that he sends out his “Mahamatras,” or senior officials, to instruct people in dhamma. Part of this instruction involves the need to treat prisoners humanely, ultimately with a view to their release. In edict 6 he turns to administration, noting that he has instructed his officials to make reports to him whenever and wherever necessary, for “there is no better work than promoting the welfare of all the people.” Edict 7 takes up the issue of religion, with Asoka insisting that “all religions should reside everywhere.” He addresses religion later as well—in edict 12, where he promotes contact between religions and urges his people not to see one religion as superior to all others, concluding that “one should listen to and respect the doctrines professed by others.”

Edicts 8 and 9 deal with issues surrounding entertainment and ceremony. In edict 8 Asoka suggests that instructing people in dhamma is superior to hunting expeditions and pleasure tours, while in edict 9 he dismisses ceremonies, calling dhamma itself a ceremony, for it promotes “proper behavior towards servants and employees, respect for teachers, restraint towards living beings, and generosity towards ascetics and Brahmans.” He restates this point in edict 11. In edict 10, he maintains that glory and fame are worthless without the practice of dhamma. Finally, in edict 13, Asoka takes up the issue of the conquest of the Kalinga, expressing remorse for having done so at the cost of much turmoil and bloodshed. He advises future generations of rulers that if they undertake military conquests, “they be done with forbearance and light punishment, or better still, that they consider making conquest by Dhamma only.”

Kalinga Rock Edicts

The two Kalinga Rock edicts deal with the administration of justice. In the first, Asoka refers to his “judicial officers” in Tosali, a city in eastern India, telling them to “act with impartiality” and to reject “envy, anger, cruelty, hate, indifference, laziness or tiredness,” any of which can lead to poor judicial administration. In the second edict, Asoka refers to Samapa, near the Kalingan border, and expresses concern for the state of mind of people in unconquered territories: “My only intention is that they live without fear of me, that they may trust me and that I may give them happiness, not sorrow.” He urges his administrators in the border regions to tell the people: “The king is like a father. He feels towards us as he feels towards himself. We are to him like his own children.” Of course, all this is to be achieved through the practice of dhamma.

Minor Rock Edicts

The three Minor Rock edicts are more general in nature. The first is philosophical, suggesting the need to be “zealous” in the pursuit of dhamma and in the desire to do good. “Even the humble,” concludes Asoka, “if they are zealous, can attain heaven.” The second edict makes clear one way to achieve the good: “Father and mother should be respected and so should elders, kindness to living beings should be made strong and the truth should be spoken.” In the third edict, Asoka provides the Sangha, or members of the Buddhist community, a reading list of Buddhist texts that can instruct them in dhamma.

Seven Pillar Edicts

The Seven Pillar Edicts tend to be philosophical. They continue to emphasize dhamma, saying, in the first edict, that “Happiness in this world and the next is difficult to obtain without much love for the Dhamma” and noting that all of his officers, of whatever rank, practice dhamma. In the second pillar edict, Asoka raises the philosophical question “What constitutes Dhamma?” and states that it includes “little evil, much good, kindness, generosity, truthfulness and purity.” Edict 3 urges people to turn away from evil, along with violence, anger, cruelty, pride, and jealousy, all of which produce evil.

Edict 4 returns to the topic of the administration of justice, with officials enjoined to work for the “welfare, happiness and benefit of the people in the country.” Asoka gets specific when he calls for “uniformity in law and uniformity in sentencing.” He goes on to grant an amnesty of sorts when he calls for a three-day stay for those in prison who have been tried and sentenced to death. This will allow time for their relatives to appeal their sentences and for the condemned to prepare for the next world. Asoka's sense of justice extends to the animal kingdom, for in edict 5 he points out that he has protected a variety of animal species.

In edicts 6 and 7, Asoka comments on his overall intentions. In edict 6 he asks how he himself can look to the welfare of his people, noting that he has honored all religions. In edict 7 he comments specifically on the edicts. He reflects that when he asked himself how he could encourage people in the practice of dhamma, he came to the conclusion that the best way to do so would be through the promulgation and recording of the edicts: “It is for this purpose that proclamations on Dhamma have been announced and various instructions on Dhamma have been given and that officers who work among many promote and explain them in detail.”

Minor Pillar Edicts

The two Minor Pillar edicts are examples of the kinds of edicts Asoka issued to address local affairs or local issues. The first simply records the fact that he visited the birthplace of the Buddha. The second deals with the Sangha and orders that anyone who “splits” the Sangha, or causes division among them, cannot be admitted to the Sangha and must be made to live separately.