Historical Discussion on Ashoka and Storyline - Page 4

Sources: Asokavandana, Divyavandana, Dipvasna, Mahavasna, articles by M.N.Das , A.L.Bhasam, K.K. Tripathi and Alex von Tunzelmann.

Disclaimer: I had researched on Devi as a part of history assignment way back, and henceI do not guarantee complete accuracy. The papers that I had with me had recounted these stories. So if anyone has a more solid proof of otherwise, please do share as I would love to know more.

Before coming to narration proper, let me give you a gist of position held by women in an Imperial setting. The first was Chakravartin Saamraagi or Mahadevi(Empress Consort); second Maharani(High Queen), third Rani(Queen of low order) and finally Rakshita(Keep or a concubine). Devi held the position of Chakravartin Samragi or Mahadevi, and was the only Buddhist Empress that ever ruled India.

Devi was originally born as Asandhmitra or Asandhmitta( meaning 'one who is friend of freedom') in the year 302B.C. , possibly in Sanchi. She was born into Sakya clan to a wealthy merchant who had by then converted to Buddhism. Not much is mentioned about her during her growing years.

In 286 B.C. an 18 year old Asoka was sent to Ujjain to curb the rising revolt. He had, by then, earned a reputation of being an able but cruel general and was looked upon with both admiration and fear. He had halted at Sanchi to replenish his supplies for the inevitable battle that was on its way. When the gathering in town heard of his arrival, they organized a feast in his honor. It is here that Asoka met Devi for the first time. One version suggests that Asoka had made a halt outside the main town of Sanchi to indulge himself in hunting activity when he was ferociously stopped by a beautiful young women who condemned him for his desire to kill innocent animals for pleasure; while other version tells a different story that during the feast, Asoka was personally attended by a young maiden. In both the versions Asoka had immediately fallen in love at first sight and had inquired about the woman. He had then and there asked for her hand in marriage. This marriage proposal was accepted by Devi's father but was refused by Devi herself. She had stated many reasons for the same. Prominent one being his cold and callous nature that was ever hungry for bloodshed.

Asoka was taken aback by this refusal, but decided not to provoke his demonic side, he silently left for Ujjain. After successfully putting an end to the mere revolt of Ujjain, Asoka headed back to Patliputra. On his return journey he was attacked by a coveted group which is presumed to be of Ujjain. Asoka had managed to defeat all of them but was left badly injured. He was rescued by Buddhist monks and brought to the shrine in Sanchi. Devi had frequented that shrine and when she got to know of the brutal attack on Asoka, she began personally attending and nursing him. It said that it was specifically this time when she got an insight to the man that was Asoka and fell in love with him. Asoka had then given her the name Devi for like a goddess, she had protected and nursed him and brought him back to health.

There is a certain mythical folklore with no citation that says, by this time Devi's marriage had been fixed elsewhere. But before her nuptial, she had consummated her relationship with Asoka. In the aftermath she had tried to commit suicide as she felt reduced to a 'Rakshita', when Asoka stopped her and married her on the very day. There is no written mention of such an incident taking place although the folklore has somehow persisted!( I have heard it as a teenager and I must confess that I have never come across it in writing anywhere!)

When Asoka arrived with his wife in Patliputra, the relation was frowned upon as Asoka was Kshatriya and had married a Sakya woman. Bindusara in particular was furious at the nuptial, he had lashed out on Asoka saying that he destroyed the sacred lineage of the Mauryas. It was only Dharma/Shubhadrangi who had accepted the relation whole heartedly.

At Imperial palace Devi was constantly humiliated for her birth. Not only had the women of the Imperial clan but also the royal authorities constantly belittled her. During this period Devi had become terribly scared of the politics and power play of the Imperial household. Also Sushima, who was the Crown Prince, had set his eyes on her because of her matchless beauty. All this shaken her to the very core. The only solace she found was with her mother-in-law Dharma.

During her stay a Buddhist monk had visited the Imperial court and made a prophecy that Devi and Asoka's son would conquer Lanka; a feat which seemed impossible back then. This had changed the attitude of Bindusara towards his daughter-in-law. But this did not go well with Sushim. He had tried to attack and kill Devi and was left badly injured by Asoka. Bindusara was furious at the turn events and strongly warned Sushim that his title would be taken away if such an incident would be repeated.

The entire scenario that Devi was thrown in left her unsettled and worrying for her husband and her own safety. She begged Asoka to leave the palace and settle elsewhere. Asoka didn't want to leave the palace as this would mean him being taken away from the active politics. But nevertheless he agreed on the same. He was appointed as the governor of Ujjain and left along with his mother and Devi.

Devi soon became popular among the masses for her kind nature and sharp intellect. She along with Asoka was actively involved in decision making and laying out of administrative strategy. She is said to have been keen on issuing edicts and construction of 'vihara'. Her popularity along with her husband grew and this did not go down well with Sushim, who by then was rebuffed by the ministers and other aristocrats of the Mauryan Empire.

In 284 B.C. Devi was pregnant with her first child. This news while had elated Bindusara, Sushim was left seething due the prophecy that was made earlier by the Buddhist monk. He had sent assassins to eliminate a pregnant Devi. She was attacked while she had been resting in private chambers. Although she escaped unharmed, it was Dharma who was killed.

This act had made Asoka wild with an uncontrollable rage. Mahavasna suggests that this was the trigger that prompted Asoka to slay all his brothers, but Asokavandana suggests otherwise. Assassination of other Mauryan princes hadn't taken place until 272 B.C. Either way this possibly was the changing point in the attitude of Asoka.He along with Devi returned to Patliputra, with a sole purpose in mind and that was to get to get the throne of Mauryan Empire.

Upon their return to the Imperial grounds, Devi was a changed woman. She knew that in order to protect her unborn child she will have to be involved into the politics of the palace. She smartly took over Charumitra (Bindusara's first wife and mother of Crown Prince Sushim) as the new decision maker of the Imperial Palace. This time she had the support of the royal authorities and the aristocrats alike. She was now more actively involved in sweeping changes of political scenario of the empire.

It was in Patliputra where she gave birth to Mahendra. After the arrival of a successor, Asoka now badly wanted the throne to himself. He began by eliminating those ministers and royal authorities, whom he thought, were against him. The cold blooded murder that he undertook had left Devi quite displeased. This was perhaps the first chink in their relationship.

Two years later in the year 282 B.C., Devi gave birth to a daughter, Sanghamitra who is said to be a spitting image of Devi herself. Although Devi never left Asoka's side and supported him in his conquest, she was growing wary of his surfacing narcissism and primal hunger for power.

In 272 B.C. when Bindusara died, a civil broke out in the kingdom. While Sushim had the title of Crown Prince, he knew that all the support was with Asoka. Asoka effectively curbed the civil war and killed all his brothers. Devi was devastated at the turn of events and showed her displeasure. But it didn't prove to be of much help as she was silenced by a now estranged Asoka.

Four years after his accession over the thrown, in 269 B.C., Asoka was crowned as the Samraat of Mauryan Empire. His growing appetite for power and his cruel ways earned him the title of Chand Asoka'. During this phase Devi lived with her children in a separate wing of the Imperial palace. She was shaken with Asoka's growing demonic ways. During this period she had distanced herself from politics and matters of the palace and deeply regretted the fact that she couldn't really stop her husband from venturing a path such as this.

During the buildup of Kalinga war, Asoka and Devi's relation had completely fallen apart. With the arrival of a young courtesan Tishyaraksha; their relationship further went hay wired. Devi was hurt at the fact that Asoka spent his time in the company of a 'Rakshita' although she suspected nothing more out of this relationship, when there had been signs suggesting otherwise.

In 260 B.C., when Kalinga rose as a business capital, Asoka set his eyes on the land. He had wanted a merger of Kalinga into the Mauryan Empire. He first asked Kalinga to willfully surrender to him, upon their refusal, Asoka waged a war. Kalinga was unprepared and Asoka was brutal in his approach. He decapitated nearly 100,000 soldiers on field and forcefully lauded at the Royal house of Kalinga.

Devi was left shocked at the sheer brutality of this massive war. She tried persuading Asoka into repenting at his deed but to no avail. Their relation was further strained when it was revealed that Asoka had a daughter, Charumati, with Tishyaraksha.

Devi was deeply hurt at her husband's infidelity. Buddhists were strictly monogamous and during their marriage Devi had asked Asoka to remain monogamous; which he did for about 18 years. This betrayal was too much for Devi to handle and she silently left the Imperial palace. Asoka at first was hurt but his ego fuelled him into taking action otherwise.

Immediately after Devi's departure, Asoka had married the princess of Kalinga, Padmavati( the only royal woman he married) and filled his harem with common prostitutes and rakshitas. This was the time when his eccentricity had trespassed all possible boundaries. He was then addressed as Chand Asoka'. He waged wars and won them all in brutal manners.

In around 259-258 B.C., Padmavati gave birth to a son, Kunala. But owing to Asoka's dangerous and demonic ways she had always lived in fear. It is said that she had hated Asoka and had wanted to free herself of the nuptial. When Asoka got to know of this he was enraged. He dragged her to Asoka's Hell( an elaborate torture chamber build by Girika) and had burned her alive.

This act instilled fear in all his subject as well as his daughter Sanghamitra who was very dear to him. It possibly was Sanghamitra's fear towards him that the enormity of his action dawned upon him. This was the time when he began repenting for all the wrongs that he had done previously. This was possibly the time when he gradually began shifting his religious beliefs to Buddhism. He issued many reforms, which gradually began changing his image. It was around the same time that he put to use his elaborate spy system to find Devi.

It was only during this time that he realized how wrong he had been in his conduct to Devi and how much he had longed for her. In the year 256-257 B.C. Devi was found residing in a Buddhist shrine. When Asoka got to know of this he personally went to her and begged her forgiveness and pleaded to come with her. At first Devi was adamant at not returning back, but later relented when she saw a grieving Asoka.

She returned to Patliputra and was re-instated as the Chakravartin Saamraagi of the Mauryan Empire. She adopted Charumati and Kunala and raised them as her own.Upon her return the kingdom further flourished and Asoka grew among the people as the 'Dharma Asoka'. Both of them converted Patliputra into a cosmopolitan city with people form Macedonia and Greece inhabiting the capital.

According to M.N. Das, Kaurwaki unlike the popular belief was the daughter of a fisherman born in Kalinga. The reason behind her marriage to Asoka is not known but this nuptial had Devi's approval. Kaurwaki bore a son Tivala, who died when he was 15. She is said to have indulged herself in a lot of charity and social work and had held respect among her subjects.

There is no mention of her being involved in political scenario of Mauryan Empire but undoubtedly she was among the powerful women of the Imperial family.

Mahendra renounced the crown and became a Buddhist monk. He travelled to Lanka to preach Buddha's teachings. A year later he sent for his sister. Asoka was against this, as he loved her dearly and didn't want her to live a life of hardships. Devi persuaded him to let Sanghamitra go. Asoka reluctantly allowed Saghamitra to join her brother It was after her departure that Kunala was made the Crown Prince.

After the unfolding of such events, Devi's health had begun declining. And in the year 248 B.C., Devi died. This was followed by intense national mourning that went on for days. There was a shockwave that ran in the Empire at having lost their beloved Empress. Asoka is said to have left shattered and broken at her death. He found it difficult to concentrate on his Empire and began donating chunks of Empire as he had simply lost his interest.

This was the prime reason behind weakening of the Empire. After his own death in 235 B.C., the Empire began rotting and finally declined.

While history doesn't make much mention of Devi, the fact is that she has had a strong role in further shaping of Asoka. Their romance is extensively talked about in Asokavandana, stating how much Asoka had loved his wife. It is a lesser known love story but is as interesting nonetheless.