166 Part III: South Asia
Some of the stone pillars were topped with four lions facing the four direc-
tions, with a wheel directly beneath them. The wheel is the “wheel of
dhamma,” the wheel that carries the teachings of the Buddha across the land.
Ashoka was a chakravartin, a “universal ruler” over all the earth. That lion cap-
ital is now the symbol of the Republic of India, seen on the rupee note, on the
flag, and on public documents.
The Gupta Empire (320–550C.E.). After Ashoka’s death, the Mauryan
Empire dissolved, and there followed 500 years of decentralization. During this
time a thriving coastal trade took Indian cultural influence—Brahmanism,
Buddhism, and Indic ideas of kingship—to Southeast Asia, especially to Thai-
land and Cambodia. But in 324 C.E. the empire was rebuilt from Pataliputra on
new lines. This empire, the Gupta, is often called the “classical era” because of
its inventiveness in art, architecture, literature, science, and mathematics. WhyBox 5.4 The Words of Ashoka, from the Thirteenth Rock EdictWhen the king, devanampiya [“Beloved of the Gods,” i.e., Ashoka], had been con-
secrated eight years, Kalinga was conquered, 150,000 people were deported, 100,000
were killed, and many times that number died. But after the conquest of Kalinga, deva-
nampiya began to follow dharma, to love dharma, and to give instruction in dharma.
Now devanampiya regrets the conquest of Kalinga, for when an independent country
is conquered people are killed, they die, or are deported, and that devanampiya finds
very painful and grievous. And this he finds even more grievous—that all the inhabit-
ants... suffer violence, murder, and separation from their loved ones.... The par-
ticipation of all men in common suffering is grievous to devanampiya. Moreover there
is no land, except that of the Greeks, where groups of Brahmans and ascetics are not
found, or where men are not members of one sect or another.
For all beings devanampiya desires security, self-control, calm of mind, and gentle-
ness. Devanampiya considers that the greatest victory is the victory of dharma; and
this he has won here and even 500 leagues beyond his frontiers in the realm of the
Greek king Antiochus, and beyond Antiochus among the four kings Ptolemy, Antigo-
nus, Magas, and Alexander. Even where the envoys of devanampiya have not been
sent, men hear of the way in which he follows and teaches dharma, and they too fol-
low it and will follow it. Thus he achieves a universal conquest, and conquest always
gives a feeling of pleasure; yet it is but a slight pleasure, for devanampiya only looks
on that which concerns the next life as of great importance.
I have had this inscription of dharma engraved that all my sons and grandsons
may not seek to gain new victories, that in whatever victories they may gain they may
prefer forgiveness and light punishment, that they may consider the only victory the
victory of dharma, which is of value both in this world and the next, and that all their
pleasure may be in dharma.
Source: Modified from William Theodore De Bary, ed., Sources of Indian Tradition. Vol. 1. New
York: Columbia University Press, 1958, p. 144.