Jignasa Journal Of History Of Ideas And Culture Part 02

SR No.: 022813
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Vibha Upadhyaya and Others
Publisher: University of Rajasthan
Publication Year: 2011
Total Pages: 236
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 11 MB

Page 145

Asokan ideal of Dhamma Vijaya / 361
the policy of Dhamma. in which lay the real happiness of men and the elevation of humanity. They were not resident in any single country for a long period. Had the mission been resident embassies, and if they had had some degree of permanent success there would have been a reference to them in European sources.
The Dutas or emissaries were the imperial agents of Asoka through whom the mission of his Dhamma Vijaya was sought to be fulfilled in the territories of the five Greek contemporaries, as well as in the five independent territories of the Cholas. the Pandyas, the Satiyaputras, the Keralaputas and the Tamraparnyas representing then the five most powerful Dravidian nations of South India. The semi independent tribal states of such Northern and North Western ruling peoples as the Yonas. the Kambojas. the Gandharas. the Nabhakas and of such Southern and South Western ruling people as the parent Rashtikas and Bhojas and their offshoots the Andhras and Purinda Parada are also expressly included within the range of his embassies 86
The veracity of Asoka's statement concerning the despatch of embassies to the five Greek territories and the claim to the great success attained there through his new plan of Dhamma Vijaya has been challenged a bit rudely by Prof. Rhys Davids who writes, "It is difficult to say how much of this is more royal rodomandate. It is quite likely that the Greek kings are only thrown in by way of make weight as it were and that no emissan, had actually been sent there at all87" The cogent arguments by which this may be set at rest are as follows:
1. The restricting of the list to five names. faithfully Indianised, cannot but speak of sincerity and accuracy on the part of Asoka.
2. The orderly manner of introducing them, keeping evidently in view the contiguity of the five Greek territories was rendered possible only by a correct information about the relative geographical positions of the territories concerned.
3. The treaty with Seleucus of about 302 B.C. was followed by the despatch to the court of Asoka's grandfather of the famous envoy, Megasthenes. while Asoka's father Bindusara reviews at his court the homage of the next envoy, Deimachos, from Antiochus Soter. A third envoy named, Dionysios was sent to the court of Patliputra by Asoka's contemporary, Ptolemy Philadelphus of Egypt. These facts are recorded by the Greek writers but ignored in Indian literature. Similarly Asoka records the despatch of envoys by him to the court and territories of his five Greek frontagers and the Greek writers ignore it. To these might be added also the arguments: Evidently the five Greek potentates were the direct descendents and successers of Alexander the Great's generals and supporters and their territories were but once component parts of the Greek empire left behind by the great Macedonian conqueror. It was indeed between the two empires. namely. the Mauryan and the Macedonian, that friendly intercourse and exchange of embassies remained possible until the reign of Asoka 8**.
References:
'Dr. Ishwar Topa - "The Minister as a Kingmaker." Paper read in the Indian History Congress held at Annamalai Nagar, quoted in Barua, B.M., 'Asoka and his Inscriptions', Calcutta, 1946, p. 365.
'R.E. XIII (Girnar, Shahbazgarhi, Kalsi, Mansehra).
3 Dr. Ishwar Topa, op. cit., p. 357.
4 Ibid, p. 359
R.E. XIII Shabhazgarhi version, Pandey, Rajbali, Hisorical and Literary Inscriptions, varanasi, 1962, p. 15 Ishwar Topa, op. cit. p. 360.