ipl-logo

Was Asoka An Enlightened Ruler Essay

957 Words4 Pages

Many people may say that Asoka was a ruthless conqueror because of his conquest of Kalinga which was a bloody battle where many people died and many more were driven out of their country, but I bet the evidence I will show you will make you believe he was an enlightened ruler. From 268 BCE to 232 BCE Asoka was the ruler of the Mauryan Empire, which is now known as India. During that time many of his actions shows that he was enlightened. First, the conquest of Kalinga which many people think was ruthless was something that the Mauryan people needed so I believe that battle was one of an enlightened ruler rather than a ruthless conqueror. Asoka can also be considered an enlightened ruler because he went on a pilgrimage looking for a teacher and after finding a Buddhist monk and following his instructions he was able to understand history, reject violence, and form ideas that had never been thought of before. My final reason for saying Asoka was an enlightened ruler is because of the rock edicts, the pillar edicts, and the Asoka Chakra. As you will see later on they tell us a lot about who Asoka really was. Evidence shows that the conquest of Kalinga where 100,000 people were …show more content…

Doc C states “And there the power of ideas and the power of the state came together in a uniquely Indian way. [It was] a rejection of the path of violence [and] of a whole way of understanding history”. While on his pilgrimage Asoka must have realized he had plenty and the people around him did not have enough because he gave valuable gifts to those who needed them. During this time Asoka talked with neighboring cities about good behavior and the right way to rule. Doc C shows enlightenment during this time with the statement “forming in his mind now was a political order the sort of which had never been conceived of before in the history of the

Show More
Related

  • How Successful Was Asoka Dbq

    397 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ruthless of conqueror Imagine being in a time of war, Asoka was a ruthless conqueror of the Mauryan Empire. He let people die because they had something he wanted. Asoka was also a buddhist. He fought for more than he already had.

    Read More

  • Why Did Asoka Want The Best For His Empire Dbq

    399 Words  | 2 Pages

    Asoka did lots of things for his empire. Whether it was giving to people, making sure everyone was happy and healthy, even killing to protect his empire. Therefore, this shows that Asoka, an Indian leader, was an enlightened ruler. The information I have is from a packet called Mini-Q’s. Asoka was an enlightened ruler because he just wanted the best for his empire, rejected violence, and cared for the environment and human health.

    Read More

  • How Did Buddhism Dbq Essay

    665 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Lotus Sutra, “Lotus of the True Dharma” notes the empowerment and influence from the philosophies of Buddhism as it shows the way towards Nirvana (Doc 3). The purpose of the Sutra is to convey to people of the hardships of making it to “Tathagata”, which encourages them to work harder and mature mindfully. Furthermore, the practices of Buddhism is also shown in an edict of Ashoka, the emperor of the Maurya Dynasty (Doc 6). He was a strong supporter of Buddhism and based many propagandas from the religion. His form of the religion, however, is the practice of great education and a path to happiness.

    Read More

  • Ashoka Dbq Essay

    297 Words  | 2 Pages

    But was Ashoka an enlightened ruler or was he ruthless? He was enlightened because he regretted all the violence that he did when he was younger and he created an empire based on Buddhist values (Frey p.163). Regretted his Violence Ashoka was an enlightened leader because he regretted his mistakes. He taught his sons and grandsons to use Dharma not war.

    Read More

  • Life Of Asoka Dbq

    640 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, he warns that he may conquer them if they don’t agree. Although this seems vicious, it shows that he wants peace with other tribes. Also, historians believe that Asoka was the first important ruler to promote Buddhism. His messengers traveled as far as Egypt, Sri Lanka, Syria, and Greece to spread Dharma. This further supports that Asoka was an enlightened

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Julie Otsuka's When The Emperor Was Divine

    1684 Words  | 7 Pages

    Like many children her age, the girl in Julie Otsuka’s novel When the Emperor was Divine had the opportunity to attend a “summer camp.” However, the camps that the girl and her family endured were not like traditional summer getaways but instead state-sponsored prisons designed to keep the populace “safe.” Instead of enjoying the water slides and rope swings that other children her age got to experience, the girl struggled with establishing an identity that fit with the rest of her society. With her use of neutral tone and language, Julie Otsuka explores the creation of the cultural identity that is established by the Japanese-American people as they are confined in Concentration camps designed to keep the nation safe. Pulled from their homes,

    Read More

  • Asoka Dbq

    878 Words  | 4 Pages

    For instance, Romila Thaper argues that Asoka discontinued his indulgence in wars after witnessing the horrific battles during the conquest of Kalinga. This establishes that Asoka was an informed individual because he changed his mindset due to the weight that his actions placed on his mind. Asoka felt bad for the people that were killed because of his violent battles so he attempted to take responsibility for his wrongdoings by completely halting his aggressive ways. Additionally, Asoka lives up to his title as an enlightened ruler because he became a Buddhist. According to historian Micheal Wood, Asoka set off on a journey to find a teacher or a guru.

    Read More

  • Ashoka Dbq

    300 Words  | 2 Pages

    Caring For His People For instance, Ashoka was an enlightened ruler because of the way he cared for his people. Evidence of this is when Ashoka felt remorse for all the wars he fought and everyone he killed, so he decided to reject violence. Ashoka found enlightenment and changed the way of understanding history. He gave gifts

    Read More

  • Ashoka Dbq Analysis

    549 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ashoka was an Enlightened Ruler. What do you think? First, Ashoka respects all faith. The article says,”He became a Buddhist and worked to spread the beliefs of that faith throughout the region”(Background Document).

    Read More

  • The Enlightenment Dbq Essay

    662 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the late 17th and 18th centuries, Europe was going through a cultural and intellectual change and movement, known as the Enlightenment. During this time, writers, philosophers, and politicians heavily defended newer and modern ways of thinking. These ideas and people would eventually set the standards for today’s world and way of thought. The writers, philosophers, and politicians of this age went above and beyond to champion modern ways of thinking.

    Read More

  • Dbq Essay On The Age Of Enlightenment

    1129 Words  | 5 Pages

    Enlightenment in the 1700s was a pivotal event in history that lead to the transformation of thought processes. Many people contend that the Age of Enlightenment led to the betterment of society as it went from being permissive of superstitions, a God that is present, and an unquestionable rule to people who wanted to question, think, and speak for themselves. On the other hand, others profess that the Age of Enlightenment led to an unintentional dismissal of monotheism, the questioning of authority, and a rebellious nature of society. So, how influential were the ideas of the Enlightenment? Although many people believe that advocating for women's rights has been a relatively new thing, a women by the name of, Mary Wollencraft, championed

    Read More

  • DBQ Essay: How Great Was Alexander The Great?

    781 Words  | 4 Pages

    Alexander killed an estimated of 100,000 enemy soldiers, and innocent civilians throughout his rein. (Doc. E). He killed all these people just because he wanted more land to gain more power. Most of these people did nothing to Alexander and had no affect on his life except they were an obstacle in the way of him gaining more power. Also Alexander killed a full army in East India because he saw a major opportunity to take control of land from one of the biggest empires.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter To Lord Viceroy By Gandhi

    459 Words  | 2 Pages

    On March 2, 1930, Gandhi wrote a letter to the Lord viceroy, though he never gained a response. In Gandhi’s attempt to persuade the Lord into changing the English Rule, he uses ethos and pathos as his strategies, but fails to convince him. Although Gandhi and the Lord are on opposing sides, he must try to help get rid of the Salt Taxation and influence the Indian Independence. The main strategies Gandhi uses are ethos, used to gained trust, and pathos, which is used to bring emotion forward from the reader.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Ottoman Empire And Mughal Empire

    1186 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Marāthās, in particular, became so enraged that they eventually gained their independence from the Mughals and established their own empire,” (Gale). The departure of the Marāthās proves the lack of religious tolerance the Mughals had at times. The Marāthās were so enraged at the lack of acceptance that they left the empire rendering it smaller and weaker. This is just one example of the Mughals not only only neglecting to practice religious tolerance, but how refusing to accept all people for their beliefs backfired in the empire’s overall growth and unity.

    Read More

  • Was Asoka Ruthless Conqueror

    701 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Ancient India, the people named their flag after Asoka. He did great things for the Mauryan Empire that gave a good ending, but were the means of the ending just? Asoka ruled Ancient India and changed the history of it doing good and bad things for himself but for his empire. Was it being Ruthless or Enlightened? His responsibility for many deaths, his wanting of unfair wars, the unjust laws all clearly imply that Asoka is a Ruthless Conqueror.

    Read More

More about Was Asoka An Enlightened Ruler Essay

Open Document