The Kalinga Edict

Manindra Mohan Bose

The Kalinga Edict

Vol. 3 · No. 2June - 1927pp. 336–355English

Summary

This article presents a philological study of one of the rock edicts issued by the Mauryan emperor Aśoka after his conquest of Kalinga. It reproduces the Prakrit text of the edict, provides a running translation and comments on problematic words and phrases. The edict emphasises remorse for the suffering caused by the Kalinga war and enumerates the measures Aśoka took to promote dharma (moral law) among his subjects. The article analyses terms such as avisaññā (lack of perseverance) and abhijita (spiritual conquest) and explains how Aśoka contrasted military victory with the victory of dhamma. Attention is given to the grammatical construction of certain sentences and to the use of the optative mood in exhortations. The author also compares the Kalinga edict with other major rock edicts and notes that it uniquely mentions the welfare of forest tribes and prisoners. Historical context is provided: after witnessing the carnage at Kalinga, Aśoka renounced aggressive warfare and adopted a policy of non‑violence, which he sought to propagate through inscriptions. By examining variant readings from different copies of the edict, the article reconstructs the most plausible original text and points out scribal errors introduced during transmission. The study serves as both a textual commentary and a reflection on Aśoka’s moral transformation.

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Conclusion

The article concludes that the Kalinga edict is a key document for understanding Aśoka’s conversion from conquest to dharma. Through careful analysis of the Prakrit text, it elucidates Aśoka’s remorse and his desire to replace military triumph with moral governance.

Key passages

Chosen by AI from the article's text. Each one is checked word for word against the text before it is shown.

“Hultzsch has concluded the sentence 10 ca, carrying ૦૪/૪૮ (as 7૮/78) to the next sentence.”
“We have taken dswloge to mean 'precipitate-giving-up,' so anasulope means 'non-precipitate-giving-up,' 7. giving up which 15 not the ontcome of sudden exertions, and lience of a temporary character, but of a permanent nature.”
“If it be argued that the means of getting rid of these dispositions are absence of anger and avoidance of hurry, even then we cannot see how the absence of anger and the avoidance of hurry c¢an make one free from all the dispositions narrated above.”

Works cited in this article

Dhandarkar, in his 'Inscriptians of Asgoka'
Senart (कक, 47, 1500, p. 91, 1. 15)
G. K. 5, and M. 1116

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In this issue

Vol. 3 · No. 2

235–260Maskari as an Epithet of GosalaB. M. Barua 261–263Vijayanagara in Bengal TraditionRamesh Basu 264–272The Development of Buddhist Art in South IndiaDeva Prasad Ghosh 273–297Origin and Development of Dutakavya Literature in SanskritChintaharan Chakravarti 298–306Origins of Hindu IconismS. V. Venkateswara 307–314Pre-Upanisadic Teachers of Brahma-vidyaUmesh Chandra Bhattacharya 315–335The Evolution of the StateBala Krishna 336–355The Kalinga EdictManindra Mohan BoseCurrent article 356–375The Origin and Development of NumeralsSukumar Ranjan Das 376–394The Gaudi Riti in Theory and PracticeShiva Prasad Bhattacharya 395–403A Note on the Avantisundari Katha in relation to Bharavi and DandinSushil Kumar De 403–408Where Did Prince Vijaya Come FromKunwar Shivnath Singh Sengar 408–411Sri Magaradhvaja Yogi 700Hiralal Jain 412–412The Malla EraSushil Kumar De 413–417Mahavana and Hinayana Works Known to NagarjunaR. Kimura 418–418Rohitagiri in the Plate of Sri CandraNalini Kanta Bhattasali 419–428The Tibetan Translation of the Sadhanamala: A RejoinderVidhushekhara Bhattacharya 429–429Outlines of the History of Buddhism in Indo-ChinaRamesh Chandra Majumdar 429–432Recent Progress in Archaeology in South IndiaC. S. Srinivasachari 432–432Imprecatory Verses in Copper Plate GrantBatakrishna Ghosh 433–437ReviewsSushil Kumar De, U. N. Ghoshal, Chintaharan Chakravarti 438–439Select Contents of Oriental Journals 440–441Bibliographical Notes

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