Dearest Sir,
I wished to share the marital bliss all my life with you. But you denied me that chance or wish. Now the whole life and the world looks a purposeless exercise to me. When you took leave of me at Vidisha a promise was made that you will stay away from bloodshed. You failed to keep that promise. Infact you are getting deeper and deeper into the blood shedding business. You know how I hate violence.
I have been forced to take the decision that I will never again come to you to prove a emotional hurdle in your path. So, I am sending your son and daughter to you. Take good care of them. As far as I am concerned please don’t cry for me. I am going into the fold of Buddha by renouncing all worldly relationships and the attachments. As Sangha Buddhist nun I will pray for you. May the spirit of Buddha show you the right path.
A Buddhist nun,
ex-Vidisha
Ashoka sat frozen with the unfolded letter in his hands, his eyes staring at the words of the letter in stupor. Tears refused to materialise to melt away his grief. Ashoka had lost the most precious treasure of his life. He did not get even a chance to beg for her pardon.
Ashoka again gathered his children in his arms and in their closeness he tried to salvage some consolation. For him everything now had a different meaning than the past.
Ashoka in sangha fold
The events had completely transformed the life and the mindset of Ashoka. He was now a different person, completely detached from the world. He would be brooding all the time or mentally analysing the events of his life. It was not yet clear what he was going to do with his life.
One day, Ashoka sat by the window watching the outside scene with vacant eyes and expressionless face. He did that most of the time, perhaps hoping to find some inspiration out there. Then, he saw a teenager Buddhist monk walking past by the palace.
That monk had something special that attracted the attention of Ashoka. His face was glowing with some inner energy or was it a spiritual aura?
Ashoka called out to the sentry to bring the monk to his presence. The sentry approached the monk and talked to him. The monk accompanied the sentry to meet the Emperor Ashoka.
Moments later the young monk was fearlessly facing Ashoka. He asked, ‘‘Emperor! Did you wish to see me?’’
Ashoka replied, ‘‘I did, O holy sir! I wanted to talk to you. Would you please introduce yourself?’’
‘‘You can see that I am Buddhist monk.’’
‘‘I can see that, holyman. I wished to know your name…and that of your father. You look familiar.’’
‘‘In childhood my mother used to call me Nyagrodha,’’ the monk revealed and added, ‘‘My father’s name was ‘Rashim’ according to my mother. He was brutally murdered by his mighty cousin brother because he had sided with the brothers of the mighty one in their power struggle. Then I was in the womb.’’
Ashoka wiped the sweat off his face. He had began to perspire. He asked, ‘‘Did your mother ever mention Rashim being the administrator of Ujjaini once.’’
The monk nodded his head, ‘‘She did mention something like that.’’
‘‘Oh, Oh!’’ Emperor Ashoka groaned and revealed, ‘‘Holy sir, Rashim was my cousin brother. So…you are my cousin brother’s son!’’
‘‘May be.’’
‘‘Then you hate me. Don’t you?’’
‘‘Why would I hate you?’’
‘‘Because I am the murderer of your father,’’ Ashoka said sadly. ‘‘Would you wish to punish me?’’ ‘‘No, Emperor…I have renounced those relationships and effects thereof. Then, Buddha has said the pardon is the biggest punishment for hatred, jealousy and sins, the worst forms of violence. Only love and pardon can win them.’’
‘‘How did you gain such sublime knowledge in so young an age?’’ Ashoka asked wondrously.
‘‘Emperor! Buddha’s teachings contain the sublime wisdom that brings peace to the minds.’’
‘‘Holy sir! My mind is very tormented. I yearn for peace. How shall I get it?’’
‘‘Come into the fold of Buddha.’’
‘‘Will you guide me into it, holy sir?’’
‘‘Surely.’’ The monk instructed, ‘‘ I will say the initiation words. You shall repeat after me.’’
Emperor Ashoka bowed his head, ‘‘I will.’’
‘‘Say:
‘‘Buddham Sharnam Gachchhami.’’
‘‘ Buddham Sharnam Gachchhami.’’
‘‘Sangham Sharnam Gachchhami.’’
‘‘Sangham Sharnam Gachchhami.’’
‘‘Dharmam Sharnam Gachchhami.’’
‘‘Dharmam Sharnam Gachchhami.’’
And with that Ashoka became a follower of Buddha.
After becoming a Buddhist, Emperor Ashoka took a vow on his own—‘‘From this moment I bid farewell to arms. I will gain victories through forgiveness, mercy and non-violence.’’
His pledge was celebrated as the day of ‘Victory for Dharma’. Buddhist also call it their ‘Vijayadashmi.’’
Later Emperor Ashoka properly learnt the finer points and the fundamentals of Buddhism from Guru Tishya, the son of Mahasthira Moggli. On the instructions of Guru Tishya Ashoka went to Guru Upgupta to learn some specialised aspects of the Buddhist philosophy. He also visited Lumbini, the spot where Lord Buddha was born. He worshiped there and got stone engraving installed there which read—
The favoured king of gods worshiped here twenty years after his coronation. Shakya Muni Buddha was born here. So a huge pillar and a big wall stands constructed here.
From Lumbini Emperor Ashoka went to Kapilvastu and Bodhgaya, the places connected to Buddha. At Gaya he worshiped under the Bodhi tree, where Buddha had attained enlightenment. From there Ashoka went to Sarnath where under a banyan tree newly enlightened Buddha had delivered his maiden sermon to his five initial disciples.
Emperor Ashoka visited all the Buddha related places and got Stoopas and Viharas constructed to record their sanctity due to Buddha connection for the posterity and to develop them as pilgrim centres. For the public information Ashoka got Buddha’s teachings and his own messages engraved on rock surfaces and boulders popularly known as Shilalekhas (writings on the stones). This Shilalekha practice become a celebrated tradition of Buddhism. Even today, wherever Buddhism spread it left behind massive record of engravings on rock surfaces, stones and boulders that proved so solid that the passage of the time could not obliterate or erase.
Emperor Ashoka knew no half measures. When he was in the mindset of a warrior he was ruthless and merciless in over-achieving his goals. When he transformed into a soldier of peace and non-violence he got down to the business with the same passion. He preached non-violence and compassion relentlessly as if he were fighting a battle to defeat the very spirit of the violence. He was a total crusader.
Although Ashoka had become a Buddhist he did not force his new faith on the people in line with the adopted philosophy of tolerance. He just did everything to spread the message of Buddha in a very peaceful manner avoiding the use of coercion or force which represented different forms of violence. He wanted the people to understand the importance of non-violence, peace, mercy, co-existence, compassion and love, the very key factors of the religion and the happiness. It was not only religion but Ashoka also covered social manners, desirable habits, good conduct, norms and ideal things.
The early Shilalekhas carried nine basic values or principles. They were as the following—
1. Show respect to the elders, superiors, teachers and the parents.
2. Deal with the juniors with care and affection.
3. One must always be true. Speaking the truth is better than the pretentious devotion or worship.
4. Non-violence is the sublime religion or faith. Do no hurt anyone by thought, word or deed.
5. The best charity is pleading the people into the light of true knowledge who are groping around in the darkness of the ignorance.
6. One must always keep one self away from the evil misdeeds and try to lead a life as much pious as possible.
7. Evil deeds yields bad results only and the good deeds fructify in good results. So, one must do good deeds only for the good of this life and beyond.
8. One must not accept blind faiths and fraudulent customs of traditions.
9. One must respect the religion of one’s birth. But never ever run down the other religions.
These advises of general good made Ashoka a very popular Emperor.
