- most powerful Mauryan King
- frist Charavartin Samrat
- 3 phases of his life
- Chandashoka: aggressive, brutal phase
- Kamashoka: physical pleasure phase
- Dhammashoka: propagation of Dhamma (moral, ethical code of conduct)
Source 📖
- most imp sources: rock edicts, inscriptions
- langs: Prakrit, Greek, Aramic
- scripts: Brahmi, Kharosthi, Greek Aramic
- James Princep first person to decipher Ashokan inscriptions
- in majority of inscriptions, Ashoka referred as Devanam Piya Piyadasi (beloved of Gods)
War story ⚔️
- in his 9th regnal year, Ashoka led a campaign of Kalinga to control all major ports of East India
- fought on banks of river Daya on site of river Dhauli (Odisha)
- Ashoka moved by scene of massacre & brood red color of Daya river
- decided: abandon polity of Bherigosh (military annexation) and will follow Dhammagosh (socio cultural annexation)
Buddhism 🙇♀️ 🛐
- embarked on path of Buddihsm
- 250BC: convened 3rd Buddhist council it Patliputra
- led to compilation of Abhidhamma Pitak
- started sending Buddhist missions to diff parts of world
- sent son Madhendra and doughter Sanghamitra to Sri Lanka to propagate buddism
- also sent missions to East Asia (Myanmar, Thailand etc), East Asia, Central Asia
The end 😔
- strong army created by Ashoka become burden on weak successors after Ashoka’s death
- 185BC: last Maurya ruler, Brihadrath was assassinated by his minister Pushyamitra Shunga