Were the monks expelled from the Buddhist saṃgha by Aśoka the Jainas?
Summary
Chitta Ranjan Pal investigates whether the monks expelled from the Buddhist saṃgha during the Pāṭaliputra council under Emperor Aśoka were in fact Jain Nirgranthas. The article recounts how, following the migration of Bhadra Bāhu and Emperor Chandragupta Maurya with 12 000 Jain monks to Mysore due to famine, the Jaina community weakened in Magadha, while Aśoka’s conversion to Buddhism catalysed its expansion. Legends preserved in the Asokāvadāna and Divyāvadāna portray Aśoka as a zealous patron who punished Nirgranthas for offending the Buddha; one story describes him executing a lay Jain who depicted the Buddha being trampled and mistakenly killing 18 000 Ajivikas. Pal notes that these sources often conflate Ajivikas and Nirgranthas but that the Chinese translations consistently label the offenders as Nirgrantha. The material prosperity of Buddhist monasteries attracted indigent heretical monks, who joined the sangha for comfort while clinging to doctrines like the eternal soul; their conduct distressed Thera Moggaliputta Tissa and led to a seven‑year suspension of communal ceremonies. Aśoka’s minister misinterpreted an order and killed many recluses; grief‑stricken, the emperor convened a council. Heretical monks clad in white robes were asked to expound their beliefs and, when they revealed non‑Buddhist doctrines, were stripped of their robes and expelled. Pal analyses Aśoka’s edicts, emphasising that his ‘Dhamma’ advocated ethical conduct and tolerance rather than sectarian Buddhism; Ajivikas actually enjoyed his patronage. On this basis he argues that the expelled white‑robed monks were likely Jain Nirgranthas infiltrating the Buddhist saṃgha for material gain, not Ajivikas. The event thus reflects administrative discipline rather than anti‑Jain persecution.
AI-assisted summary, not yet checked. Consult the original PDF before citing.
Conclusion
Pal concludes that Aśoka’s council sought to restore doctrinal purity, not to persecute Jainism. The monks expelled from the saṃgha appear to have been Nirgranthas who had donned yellow robes and preached non‑Buddhist beliefs to exploit the wealth of monasteries. Aśoka’s edicts advocate tolerance, and Ajivikas continued to enjoy royal favour. The episode illustrates how overlapping religious communities vied for patronage in the Mauryan empire and how later legends exaggerated Aśoka’s hostility toward Jains.