He dedicated his entire later life to the cause of Buddhism and at the same time carried out public welfare works of great magnitude. For him subjects were like his own offspring. He always wished for their physical and spiritual well being. He laid roads, sank well and built inns for the convenience of the common folk. Ashoka planted trees by roadsides, opened the treatment centres for sick people and animals also. No one during that era could think of animal welfare as passionately as Ashoka.
Ashoka truly was the greatest conqueror of hearts. In the words of Dr. Bhandarkar—Ashoka was possessed of lofty ideals not employed his shrewdness and calculative powers to raise the Buddhism from the narrow provincial sect that it was to the position of a world wide religion.’’
Another writer from the Western world H.G. Wells wrote—‘It is not every age, it is not every nation that can produce a king like this type. Ashoka still remains without parallel in the history of the world. Amidst the tens of thousands of names of the monarches that crowd the columns of history the name Ashoka shines like a star.’
Emperor Ashoka ruled his empire for forty years and expanded his spiritual empire to the four corners of the world with love and compassion.
In 232 B.C. Ashoka breathed his last leaving behind a glorious legacy the posterity of Jambudweep (India) will always go on cherishing.
To day, the three lion and chakra statue atop the Sarnath has become the symbol of modern India. It is the seal of India and the emblem of the nation.
Our flag also carries Ashoka Chakra in the centre.
