The Edicts of Asoka
Content Notes:
• The edicts seem to have been placed at strategic locations around the kingdom in order to address key issues that were important in
that area or to travelers using a particular path or road.
• Historians have investigated the non-Buddhist ideas of punishment by death and found strong correlations with policies and laws
recorded during the reign of Asoka's predecessors.
• The language used for each edict is variable. Most common was the use of Prakrit, a vernacular derivative of Sanskrit, which would
not have been used by the ruling class but was more accessible to common people. Most of the edicts are fairly concise and probably
would have been easily understood by anyone who could read them or heard them spoken.
• The map shows that the edicts were dispersed throughout modern India as well as parts of Pakistan and Nepal. Asoka supported the
spreading of Buddhism through missionaries sent to these and other regions.
Document Analysis
1. How many major rock edicts did Aoska create?
2. Which edict is most concerned with health and the environment?
3. Which edict deals with convicted murderers?
4. Explain what Asoka means in Edict XII when he says that by honoring the faiths of others, a person exalts his own faith. Does this
support the idea that Asoka was sincere about “promoting the welfare of the whole world?
5. What does the map tell you about Asoka’s level of commitment to his laws?
6. How can you use this document to answer the question, “Asoka: ruthless conqueror or enlightened ruler?
Teaching Tips:
• Discuss the Document Analysis questions:
1. How many major rock edicts did Asoka create?
10
2. Which edict is most concerned with health and the environment?
Rock Edict II
3. Which edict deals with convicted murderers?
Edict IV
4.Explain what Asoka means in Edict XII when he says that by honoring the faiths of others, a person exalts his own faith.
Does this support the idea that Asoka was sincere about "promoting the welfare of the whole world"?
He is saying, in essence, that all people's faiths are valid - that there is no one right way. By having an open mind like this, he is
sincere about "promoting the welfare of the whole world."
5. What does the map tell you about Asoka's level of commitment to his laws?
Asoka's commitment is revealed by the number of rocks and pillars, their widespread distribution and, as the first teacher note says,
their placement in strategic positions for travelers to see.
6. How can you use this document to answer the question, "Asoka: ruthless conqueror or enlightened ruler?
The edicts show that Asoka respected other people and was concerned with their welfare. The fact that he placed the edicts all around
his empire shows that he wanted a better life for everyone, no matter where they lived. That deserves historical recognition.