Thinking of Kings

Tathālokā Therī

April 5, 2025

"Thinking of Kings" "𑀭𑀸𑀬 𑀅𑀲𑁄𑀓𑁄" 𑀤𑁂𑀯𑀸𑀦𑀁𑀧𑀺𑀬𑁂 𑀧𑀺𑀬𑀤𑀲𑀺

It is the evening of April 5th here beneath Sonoma Mountain in Northern California, on this waxing half moon Uposatha Day. I'm remembering 𑀭𑀸𑀬 𑀅𑀲𑁄𑀓𑁄 Rāya Asoko — King Asoka— Devānampiya Piyadassi Dhamma Asoka, today on this day remembered as the lunar anniversary of his birth, the eighth day of the Indian lunar calendar month of Citta, the Citta Sukka Aṭṭhamī in Pāli महापवण्या पुब्बे (चेत्त) मासे सुक्काट्ठमि दिवसे [1], the Chaitra Asthami (Ashoka Asthami) in Sanskrit — today — this year falling on April 5th 2025 on the 'western' Gregorian calendar.

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महापवण्या पुब्बे (चेत्त) मासे सुक्काट्ठमि दिवसे उप्पजित्वा, यस्सेसो दुल्लभो लोकों पातुभावो अभिण्हसो । असोको आसि तेसं तु पुञ्यतेजबलोद्धिको ॥

चैत्र मास के शुक्ल पक्ष की अष्टमी को उत्तपन्न होकर, जिनका संसार में प्रादुर्भाव होना सदा दुर्लभ है, जिनमे अशोक पुण्य, तेज, बल, रिद्धि सम्पन्न है [1]

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#Ashoka #AshokaJayanti #AsokaAtthami #chaitraasthami

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I've been thinking of him recently, contemplating trends in leadership in our world, and of his example of transformation, from a more heavy-handed style of leadership, to an example of benevolence, tolerance, peace and unity — so much so that it inspired millennia of rulers after him (including two Buddhist queens that i've studied — of the Chinese Northern Wei dynasty and the Korean Shilla period). Elements of his story continue to inspire, and that inspiration seems to be growing and "coming home," as more and more of his legacy is unearthed from the ground of Jambudvipa, the Indian subcontinent - and more and more is learned of the connections spanning vast regions over which his legend, legacy and the connections which were forged spread.

Things i initially admired when i learned his story:

❁ communicating Dhamma in simple terms with a strong and clear emphasis on secular morality
❁ greatly providing for the care of the populace, especially those weak, sick, alone and vulnerable
❁ providing good transportation, places of rest, human and veterinary hospitals, asylums and medical clinics, medicinal herb gardens
❁ a standardized system of governance, and support for Buddhism, with respect for local cultures and traditions, and support for all (non-violent) religions and spiritual paths
❁ outreach and alliances formed through giving and sharing the best of what one oneself has ("soft diplomacy")

Things i've admired as i've learned more through study of the History of Women in Buddhism and History of the Bhikkhuni Sangha:

❁ two enlightened daughters, and his unfailing enormous support for their own personal sense of calling with regards their loves and their dedications in their lives (even when he wanted to keep them with him): Arahat Sanghamittā Therī and her whole life dedication to the awakening and awakened women of Sri Lanka and the establishment of the Fourfold Sangha there, and Cārumatī Therī and her love marriage and founding of an intentional Buddhist community in Nepal followed by her also entering the Bhikkhuni Sangha
❁ and as i've learned more of her, Asoka's own first true love, the Sakya kumarī of Ujjain Vidisagiri, Vedisā Devī, the mother of his first two love children (Mahinda and Sanghamitta), her commitment to non-violence and benevolence, her attainment of the fruits of non-return (Anāgamīphāla, the third stage of awakening) her commitment to the Buddha Dhamma Sangha in her local region, and she also at the end of her life, after offering monasteries for bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, entering the Bhikkhuni Sangha
❁ support for the vast Bhikkhu-Bhikkhuni Sangha in which the numbers of bhikkhus and bhikkhu arahants was very great, and the number of bhikkhunis also great but smaller but with a comparatively very high percentage of bhikkhuni arahants, that is, fully awakened women in Buddhism.

It was just in recent readings, just in this past fortnight, that i learned the story of the awakening of Vedisā Devī and her attainment of "the fruit of non-return," which we can now add to our Buddhist calendars as: "Mahāsāvikā Vedisa Devī Anāgāmiphala Day on the Jeṭṭhamāsa Uposathe" [2]

This was quite touching to me. In a short time his love-son, grandson, and nephew departed as Dhamma ambassadors, his first love wife attained a high level of Buddhist sainthood, his first daughter -- a Bhikkhunī Arahantī -- also left as a Dhamma ambassador, and then when he went out on Buddhist pilgrimage around his realm, at Lumbini, place of the Buddha's birth, his second daughter also left to forge her way with her love far away high in the Himalayas. Every indication is that, even when tears streamed down his face at the personal loss of the intimate presence of his most beloved ones, that he wholeheartedly supported them all.

He gave and gave and gave, not only intending to give "his own flesh and blood" in allowing his love children to ordain, but as i've been reading recently in the Asokaparinibbānakathā, towards the end of his life, he gave all the way down to the last half of his last Myrobalan fruit. But even this great generosity was not enough, as when he died suddenly, angry, he was reborn briefly in the animal realm as a king cobra. It was only due to his child, the Arahat Mahinda seeing what had happened when entering into his jhāna meditation, and coming to him, that he was quickly reminded of the refuges and precepts, and through whole hearted return to the precepts, upon hearing words of Dhamma, that he quickly became a deva, and then as a deva, he quickly aspired to rebirth as a human with the intention to, without delay enter monastic life for the sake of practicing for the attainment of arahanta. And that then is his Nibbāna and Parinibbāna story in his final life. Everything, the violence, the anger, the generosity, the dedication, and the strongly formed karmic connections when doing extremely powerful virtuous and supportive helpful actions in supporting the renunciation and arahathood of others - all bore their right fruits.

— from the Asokaparinibbānakathā manuscript —

(reborn as a king cobra, hunting and eating many turtles and fish, the former Asoka is approached by his former child, still alive then as the arahant Mahinda...upon hearing this Dhamma from the arahant Mahinda, the former Asoka is deeply moved to tears, and quickly, quickly turns his heart around)

‘The Teacher, great king, taught that evil deeds are blameworthy; anger has been produced, your majesty—anger and hatred are terrifying.

‘This world is blind; anger is foolish pasture. You should rid yourself of anger, as does the moon become free of the thunder-cloud.

‘This world is blind; anger is foolish pasture. The one who is released from anger will make an end of suffering.’

Then, upon hearing the elder’s Dhamma-talk, the king bent down, his eyes full of tears, realizing: ‘This is my son, the elder Mahinda, who has come here.’ He placed his head at the soles of the elder’s feet, and wept.

pāpakammaṃ mahārāja

sāvajjaṃ satthārā desitaṃ |

kodhaṃ pakataṃ deva

kodhadosaṃ kāsitaṃ

andhakāro ayaṃ loko

kodho dhumedhagocaro

kodha [du b] nā pari <du b> muñcitvā

abbhāmutto va candimā |

andhakāro ayaṃ loko

kodho dumedhagocaro

kodhanā parimuñcitvā

dukkhass’ antaṃ karissati |

rājā therassa dhammakathaṃ sutvā ayaṃ me putto mahindathero idh’ āgato ti assuparipuṇṇayano onasi so therassa pādamūle sīsaṃ thapetvā bhusaṃ rodi | [3]

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Image inscribed with 𑀭𑀸𑀬 𑀅𑀲𑁄𑀓𑁄 "Rāya Asoko" in Dhammalipi aka Brahmi script from the Wire article "The King and Kalinga: An Excerpt from Ashoka in Ancient India" by Nayanjot Lahiri. Article.

image: "Ashoka and his queen as they appear on a 2nd century CE sculptural panel at from Kanaganahalli (Karnataka), courtesy Archaeological Survey of India. Photo: Nayanjot Lahiri." Source.

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Notes:

1. महापवण्या पुब्बे (चेत्त) मासे सुक्काट्ठमि दिवसे

Citta-māsam Sukka Aṭṭhamī

Piyadassi Samrat Asoka Jayanti (later Arahant Kuṇḍalatissa)

2330th Birthday (2329th western counting)

महापवण्या पुब्बे (चेत्त) मासे सुक्काट्ठमि दिवसे उप्पजित्वा, यस्सेसो दुल्लभो लोकों पातुभावो अभिण्हसो। असोको आसि तेसं तु पुञ्यतेजबलोद्धिको ॥

चैत्र मास के शुक्ल पक्ष की अष्टमी को उत्तपन्न होकर, जिनका संसार में प्रादुर्भाव होना सदा दुर्लभ है, जिनमे अशोक पुण्य, तेज, बल, रिद्धि सम्पन्न है

उत्तरविहारट्ठकथायं-थेरमहिन्द (गाथा संग्हो)

संग्रहकर्ता एवं अनुवादक सिद्धार्थ वर्द्धन सिंह

आचार्य (M.A.) पालि एवं बौद्ध दर्शन सम्पूर्णानन्द संस्कृत विश्वविधालय वाराणसी

- page 4, verse 3 of the Uttaravihāra Aṭṭhakathā aka Mahāvaṃsa Ṭīkā by Thera Mahinda: Translated into Hindi by Siddharth Vardhan Singh Acharya (M.A.) Pali and Buddhist Philosophy Sampurnanand Sanskrit University Varanasi

2. "Therena deviyā dhammaṃ sutvā desitamevatu Anāgāmi phalaṃ patvā vasi therassa santike"

— Sangharāja Medhānkara of Burma,

Lokappadīpakasāra Pāli 473

Source

3. The Asokaparinibbānakathā pp 38-39

Published in JOCBS. 2021(20): 22-50.

Romanized-Pāli transliteration by Jacqueline Filliozat assisted by Phra Maha Vanly Khemaraputto, English translation by Peter Masefield

Source

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Na hi verena verāni sammantīdha kudācanaṃ |

averena ca sammanti esa dhammo sanantano ||

- the Buddha, Dhammapāda verse 5