| One of the most important calculations of Indian history | | | | convert his brother Veetashoka to Buddhism; for doing |
| has been done on the basis of the lifetime of a certain | | | | this, he enacted a drama. One day, he contrived with |
| Indian emperor called Ashoka, considered to be one of | | | | his ministers to get Veetashoka sit on the emperor's |
| the greatest emperors of world history. He was a | | | | throne for a few minutes. He then, as if he was not |
| Buddhist emperor who was responsible for the spread | | | | aware of the happenings, caught his brother in the act. |
| of Buddhism, to distant corners of India and the | | | | He then declared that his brother sitting on his throne is |
| neighboring countries, by sending large number of | | | | an act of treachery and decreed that his brother be |
| Buddhist missionaries to these places. He built | | | | executed. Ashoka, however, gave one week time for |
| thousands of Buddhist stupas and established | | | | the execution and let his brother enjoy all the royal |
| thousands of Buddhist monasteries all over his empire | | | | comforts for a week, as if he (Veetashoka) were the |
| that stretched from Iran to Bangladesh and from | | | | emperor. At the end of the week, Ashoka called his |
| Central Asia (Afghanistan) to South India. A large | | | | brother and asked him if he enjoyed the one week of |
| number of rocks and pillars, present all over his empire, | | | | heavenly comforts of an emperor. Veetashoka told |
| have been inscribed with his edicts and promulgations | | | | him that the death that was hanging on his head did |
| to his subjects, written in Magadhi, Sanskrit, Greek, and | | | | not allow him to enjoy the heavenly comforts at all. |
| Aramic languages. He was initially a cruel king who | | | | Ashoka then told him, "if you are oblivious to pleasures |
| killed a large number of his brothers in order to ascend | | | | just because of one impending death, how do you |
| the throne. He inherited a large empire and tried to | | | | expect enlightened monks to be happy about |
| expand it by waging a war against the neighboring | | | | comforts of this life when they have to fear the |
| kingdom of Kalinga. He won the war, but the | | | | deaths of hundreds of lives in future births?" |
| gruesome sight of thousands of mutilated dead bodies | | | | Veetashoka was taken by this and converted himself |
| at the war completely changed his heart. He felt | | | | into a Buddhist monk. |
| repentant about it, stopped his empire expanding spree, | | | | However, the Ashoka of the rock edicts gives us a |
| and converted to Buddhism after being attracted to | | | | completely different picture. In one of the edicts, he |
| the Buddhist principles of non-violence and renunciation. | | | | does profess his faith in the Buddha; but that is about it. |
| We have two sources to thank for much of this | | | | There is no evidence that he carried out any |
| information on Ashoka - his rock edicts and Buddhist | | | | missionary activities. None of his rock edicts mention |
| scriptures (one Indian and two Sri Lankan). The | | | | anything about the teachings of the Buddha. In fact, the |
| scriptures talk about Ashoka of Mauryan dynasty. | | | | Ashoka of rock edicts talks about equality of all |
| Mainstream historians are not much aware of Ashoka | | | | religions! One of the edicts, mentions the following : |
| of the Gupta dynasty. As per them, there is only one | | | | "Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi (Ashoka), does |
| Ashoka - Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty, as given | | | | not value gifts and honors as much as he values this - |
| by the Buddhist scriptures. And these Ashoka's rock | | | | that there should be growth in the essentials of all |
| edicts mention five neighboring Greek and Egyptian | | | | religions. Growth in essentials can be done in different |
| kings - Antiochos, Ptolemy (second), Antigonos, Magas, | | | | ways, but all of them have as their root restraint in |
| Alexander (second). Since these kings are dated to | | | | speech, that is, not praising one's own religion, or |
| 250-300 BC, this has been the date arrived for | | | | condemning the religion of others without good cause. |
| Ashoka (Mauryan). As per the Buddhist scriptures, | | | | And if there is cause for criticism, it should be done in a |
| Ashoka (Mauryan) was crowned two hundred and | | | | mild way. But it is better to honor other religions for this |
| eighteen years after the demise of the Buddha. This | | | | reason. By so doing, one's own religion benefits, and so |
| would mean that Buddha's date is roughly 500 BC. | | | | do other religions, while doing otherwise harms one's |
| And this date tallies perfectly with the date of 500 BC | | | | own religion and the religions of others. Whoever |
| they arrived through the Aryan Invasion methodology. | | | | praises his own religion, due to excessive devotion, and |
| The calculations seem completely perfect and pretty | | | | condemns others with the thought "Let me glorify my |
| straight forward, and mainstream historians have | | | | own religion," only harms his own religion. Therefore |
| accepted these calculations completely for the last | | | | contact (between religions) is good. One should listen |
| two hundred years. | | | | to and respect the doctrines professed by others. |
| The most troubling aspect with these date calculations | | | | Beloved-of-the-Gods, King Piyadasi (Ashoka), desires |
| is that there are two Chandragupts and two Ashokas | | | | that all should be well-learned in the good doctrines of |
| in Indian history. And as per the writings of Greek | | | | other religions. Those who are content with their own |
| traveler Megasthenes, the Gupta dynasty was ruling | | | | religion should be told this: Beloved-of-the-Gods, King |
| India at about 300 BC. And these writings of | | | | Piyadasi (Ashoka), does not value gifts and honors as |
| Megashtenes tally with the Puranic calculations as well. | | | | much as he values that there should be growth in the |
| And Indian history does not talk about two | | | | essentials of all religions. And to this end many are |
| Chandragupts or two Ashokas ruling India at the same | | | | working - Dhamma Mahamatras, Mahamatras in |
| time. While traditional Indian and Greek sources talk | | | | charge of the women's quarters, officers in charge of |
| about Ashoka of Gupta dynasty ruling India at about | | | | outlying areas, and other such officers. And the fruit of |
| 300 BC, mainstream historians have arrived at the | | | | this is that one's own religion grows and the Dhamma |
| conclusion that Ashoka of Mauryan dynasty was ruling | | | | is illuminated also." |
| India at around 300 BC. So we either have to discard | | | | Unable to explain these dichotomies, some mainstream |
| the writings of Megashtenes as well as Puranic | | | | historians have dismissed the Buddhist scriptures as |
| sources completely, or we have to see if mainstream | | | | unreliable; they go purely by the rock edicts to get a |
| historians have got the date of Ashoka wrong. | | | | picture of Ashokan personality, while they rely on the |
| Several mainstream historians are not aware of this | | | | Buddhist scriptures for historical aspects. We can see |
| controversy. Even if they are aware, they dismiss | | | | as to how selective they have been about the whole |
| Megasthenes as an unreliable writer and dismiss the | | | | Ashokan episode - they have dismissed Megasthenes |
| Indian scriptures as pure mythology. They even easily | | | | as a liar, they have dismissed the Indian scriptures as |
| shrug away the fact that other Greek accounts at the | | | | pure mythology, they have shrugged off other Greek |
| time of Megasthenes do not talk much about the | | | | writings, and they finally have dismissed even the |
| presence of Buddhism in India. And almost all the | | | | Buddhist scriptures! I think that they have a whole lot of |
| mainstream historians are blissfully unaware of the | | | | answering to do about the Ashokan episode, even if |
| presence of two Ashokas in Indian history. A handful | | | | they seem to currently think that their calculations are |
| of Indian historians are aware of this puzzle; they have | | | | perfect. |
| suggested that the Ashoka of the Buddhist sources | | | | I think the whole confusion has arisen because there |
| belongs to Gupta dynasty and he ruled India around | | | | are two emperor Ashokas, and both are Buddhists! |
| 300 BC. However, the Buddhist scriptures clearly talk | | | | The Ashoka of Buddhist scriptures belongs to the |
| about the emperor Ashoka to be belonging to the | | | | Mauryan dynasty of 1500 BC. He was a compulsive |
| Mauryan dynasty, completely negate the arguments of | | | | individual, devout in his faith, and took steps to spread |
| the few handful Indian historians who try to wriggle out | | | | his religion far and wide by sending missionaries and |
| of the conundrum. This has been the biggest puzzle | | | | constructing Buddhist monasteries and stupas. |
| that has been haunting Indian historical calculations for | | | | However, he had nothing to do with the edicts and the |
| more than a century, almost like a Sherlock Holmes | | | | Kalinga war. The Buddhist scriptures are talking about |
| and Hercules Poirot mystery. | | | | Ashoka the Mauryan. The scriptures mostly talk about |
| Does this mean that the mainstream historians are | | | | parts within India - Kashmir, Maharahtra, Mysore, |
| completely happy and are not at all puzzled by their | | | | Himalayas, Western India. Buddhism was not yet |
| calculations? The answer is, surprisingly, no; they are | | | | spread in India by his time - so the scriptures are |
| still quite puzzled over the most important things. | | | | clearly talking of the spread of Buddhism within India |
| The rock edicts of Ashoka mention that Ashoka | | | | under Mauryan emperor Ashoka. |
| converted to Buddhism because of the remorse he | | | | The Ashoka of the edicts belongs to the Gupta |
| felt on account of Kalinga war. However, both the | | | | dynasty of 300 BC. He was the one who was |
| Indian as well as the Sri Lankan Buddhist scriptures | | | | involved in Kalinga war. He felt remorseful and later |
| differ with this; these scriptures do not talk anything | | | | converted to Buddhism. However, by his time, |
| about Kalinga war! They talk about Ashoka being | | | | Buddhism was already spread far and wide and there |
| converted by the serene teachings of a certain novice | | | | was no need for him to send missionaries. Moreover, |
| Buddhist monk Samudra/Nyagrodha15. | | | | by his time, Buddhism was reeling under the onslaught |
| Why are Buddhist scriptures silent about Kalinga war? | | | | of Sankarcharya and the Vedic religion was making a |
| While scriptures talk about 84,000 monasteries | | | | comeback. As we shall see a little later in this |
| established by Ashoka, the edicts are silent on this; | | | | discussion, Buddhism was in a confused state about its |
| they do not mention any Buddhism related activities by | | | | ideology because of the theological attack launched by |
| Ashoka. The Buddhist scriptures talk about Ashokan | | | | Sankaracharya. Buddhism was in a transition stage |
| missionary activities to Kashmir, Maharahtra, Sri Lanka, | | | | and it did not give much scope for missionary activities. |
| Burma, Thailand, Mysore, Himalayas, Western India, and | | | | So, Ashoka the Gupta was not hawkish about his |
| Greek country. However, the edicts talk about medical | | | | religion, but was much more tolerant of all religions. And |
| help to his neighboring kingdoms; they talk about the | | | | the places mentioned in his edicts are mostly his |
| names of the kings and dynasties around his empire | | | | neighboring kingdoms - the edicts are not talking about |
| including Choda, Pandya, Satiyaputra, Kerala, Sri Lanka, | | | | places within India. The places mentioned in the edicts |
| and five Greek kingdoms. The scriptures do not talk | | | | are Choda, Pandya, Satiyaputra, Kerala, and Sri Lanka |
| about officials called Dharma Mahamatras in his | | | | on the south of his empire in South India, and five |
| kingdom, as professed by the edicts. There are | | | | Greek kingdoms to the northwest of his empire. The |
| several other discrepancies as well in the basic details | | | | places mentioned are clearly not talking about spread |
| of his life. | | | | of Buddhism within India. |
| The Ashoka of Buddhist scriptures is an exceptionally | | | | The two Ashokas are completely different. The |
| devout individual who used to fall prostrate at the feet | | | | confusion has arisen because both are Buddhists; so |
| of even the lay Buddhist monks. He was desperate to | | | | both the stupas and the edicts are being attributed to |
| be known as the greatest of all donors to the faith of | | | | one and the same person. If we consider that the |
| the Buddha. Indian scripture mentions that, at the end | | | | edicts belong to one emperor while the stupas and |
| of his life, he donated almost everything he had to | | | | monasteries belong to another, the riddle is solved. The |
| Buddhist monasteries. He was someone who wanted | | | | two Ashokas have been merged into one by |
| to ensure that Buddhism spread all across the globe. In | | | | historians. |
| Bengal, one follower of Mahavira drew a picture | | | | So if we arrive at the date of 1500 BC for the |
| showing Buddha bowing at the feet of Mahavira. | | | | Buddhist Mauryan emperor Ashoka, as per the |
| Ashoka came to know about this and ordered that all | | | | Buddhist scriptures, we can easily arrive at the date of |
| Mahavira followers at that place be executed - 1800 | | | | the Buddha. Buddha precedes Ashoka by two |
| of them were slain in a single day! He decreed in a | | | | hundred and eighteen years. So this would put Buddha |
| similar manner on another occasion, promising gold to | | | | at anywhere between 1700 BC and 1800 BC. This |
| those who brought slain heads of non-Buddhists! And | | | | roughly tallies with the Puranic calculations as well, |
| Ashoka went out of his way to convert people into | | | | which put Buddha's date to around 1800-1900 BC. |
| Buddhism as some legends show. He wanted to | | | | |