Ashoka the Great

Ashoka Maurya (304–232 BCE), also known as Ashoka the Great, is considered to be one of the greatest rulers in history, but his benign governance began with violence and was only transformed to a peaceful, Buddhism view after a particularly gruesome battle, the Kalinga War, in 260 BCE.

Ashoka was, by accounts, an audacious, cruel young man; his older brothers were understandably afraid of him, and persuaded their father to send Ashoka to a distant land, Taxshila, as a general in charge of quelling a rebellion. To the dismay of his siblings, Ashoka proved to be a capable leader and succeeded beyond expectations.  In a second successful encounter, Ashoka was wounded, and tended, in secret, by Buddhist monks. It was during his convalescence that Ashoka first became aware of the basic tenets of Buddhism. He was drawn to the Buddhist faith, but retained his violent nature.  

After the death of his father (Bindusara, 275 BCE), Ashoka waged war with his brothers, and eventually became the third ruler of the Mauryan Empire, which, under Ashoka’s rule, expanded to encompass the majority of the Indian sub-continent within the present-day borders of Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Burma. It was only Sri Lanka, the southern tip of India, and the kingdom of Kalinga along the northeast coast of India, that continued to elude his rule.

Although Kalinga was the birthplace of his wife, and the king of Kalinga had protected him during his rise to the throne, Emperor Ashoka assembled a great army and led an assault against the kingdom in an epic, bloody battle. Ashoka’s army prevailed, but the carnage he witnessed transformed him and he devoted himself to Buddhism, and the practice of non-violence (ahinsa).

As a ruler, Ashoka published edicts, proclamations that expounded his newfound ambitions for the empire he had created. The Edicts of King Ashoka were engraved on stone pillars, which were not only placed in the cultural center of his kingdom, but erected at the boundaries of the Mauryan Empire.

He promised peace to the realms that surrounded the Empire; he would use influence and wisdom, rather than violence, to persuade his neighbours. 

He vowed to tend to his subjects like a loving father, referring to the people as his children. He met with people personally whenever possible, travelled throughout his empire often to insure face-to-face communication, and insisted that he be consulted immediately if a matter of importance arose, even if he was sleeping or eating. He provided universal medical care for people and animals, and ensured that plentiful fruit trees were planted for food and shade.  

In order to protect wild species he banned live sacrifices, sport hunting, and the burning of forests and agricultural wastelands. He also encouraged a vegetarian diet and established a protected species list.

He became closely involved with legal issues; and, as a merciful leader, he prohibited torture and the death penalty, and recommended pardons for both the elderly, and petty criminals who had family to support.

Ashoka cultivated tolerance and respect in society; he was a Buddhist, but had reverence for all religions, and he openly encouraged respect for all holy peoples, as well as toward parents, teachers, relatives, friends and servants.

Ashoka’s wise, compassionate rule lasted until his death in 232 BCE. After his death, the Mauryan Empire persisted for another fifty years, but slowly declined. His spiritually enhanced years of rule were well documented in ancient Vedic literature, and he is still acknowledged as one of the finest rulers of human history; a paragon that should inspire heads of state around the world.

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For more information:

http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html

http://www.porchlight.ca/~blackdog/ashoka.htm

http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/misc/57jmf2.htm

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The Dieppe Raid Uncovered

On August 19, 1942, over six-thousand Allied-forces infantrymen (primarily Canadian, supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force) endeavored to penetrate the German stronghold at the port of Dieppe, via a stone beach along the northern coast of France. The Operation was a complete disaster; within six hours, sixty-percent of the attacking infantrymen were dead, injured, or captured. Nine-hundred and seven Canadians died in the aborted raid.

Until recently, it was unclear why the Allied forces had followed through with the Dieppe Raid, which was a poorly planned assault. But a military historian, David O’Keefe, sifted through top-secret, British military documents until he discovered an answer that is like the plot of a spy novel, which makes sense, because Ian Fleming — WW II British Intelligence Officer and author of the James Bond books — was involved.

When O’Keefe confronted British Navel authorities with his evidence, they acknowledged that he had discovered the truth.

The Dieppe Raid was initiated as a diversion for a pinch operation; the raid provided cover for a commando unit’s infiltration into German Naval headquarters (intelligence indicated it was in Dieppe’s Hôtel Moderne) and to board specific boats within the inner harbor: the ultimate goal of the mission was to ‘appropriate’ German code-books and a code-machine. Ian Fleming was the head of the commando unit.

To me, that seems like a lot of lives to use as a diversion, but hopefully this will provide solace and meaning for survivors. The Dieppe Raid was poorly planned and doomed to fail: the troops arrived late, and the planned cover of darkness had dissipated.

A documentary of the Dieppe Raid, based on the evidence that O’Keefe uncovered, has been created; the documentary, Dieppe Uncovered, will be aired on History Television on Sunday, August 19 (the seventieth anniversary of the raid).

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Saint Patrick

[Image: Write on New Jersey]

Saint Patrick’s Day falls on March 17^th, the day the world-renowned Patron Saint of Ireland died  (Note: Ireland has two other Patron Saints, Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille, but they are far less well-known).

Much of St. Patrick’s life is unrecorded; fortunately, two of his letters survive (the Declaration, and the Letter to the soldiers of Coroticus), which afford a glimpse of his life.

He was born into a wealthy family in Briton near the end of the fourth century. When he was sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders  and taken to Ireland where he was put to work as a shepherd.

After more than six years as a prisoner, he heard God’s voice in a dream telling him it was time to go home. He escaped by walking over two hundred miles to the coast and secured passage on a ship back to Briton, where he had another dream in which voices asked him to return to Ireland as a missionary.

Fifteen years later, Patrick was ordained as a priest, and, as he was well versed in the language and culture, he was dispatched to Ireland as a minister and missionary.

To ensure a successful establishment of his religion, he integrated established pagan rituals into the Christian messages.  For example, he designed the Celtic cross (a sun — a significant Irish icon — overlaid on the cross) to ensure a natural reverence for the symbol. He also taught the doctrine of the Holy Trinity by using the tri-leaved shamrock, which is why it is a traditional symbol of Saint Patrick’s Day.

To pacify his flock, he declined all gifts; as a consequence, the Irish royalty was insulted, and he was refused protection and was sometimes beaten, robbed, and shackled. But he baptized thousands, ordained priests to lead the emerging community, and converted the sons of kings, and wealthy women (some of whom became nuns).

There are also some legends regarding Saint Patrick that are more difficult to verify; chief among these is that he banished snakes from the island. According to the legend, during a forty day fast at the summit of a hill, snakes attacked him and he drove them into the sea.  It’s an intriguing tale; however, scientific data indicates that ‘post-glacial’ Ireland never had snakes (nor did New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland or the Antarctica).

Fortunately, after a few pints, any lyrical Irish myth is far more believable than the sober analysis of scientific malarkey.

Sláinte!

 

So foul and fair a day

 

The Ides of March.

In the Roman calendar, Ides indicated a day in the middle of the month; and, in March, it was the fifteenth day.

In early history, Mars, the Roman god of war, was honored with a festival and a military parade on the Ides of March.

And, of course, in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was assassinated (stabbed twenty-three times) on the Ides of March by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, and a group of other Senators who feared his power and popularity (there were, according to the account of Plutarch (Mestrius Plutarchus) sixty conspirators in all).

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The quotes Beware the Ides of March and Et tu, Bruté?, from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (~1599), are irrevocably etched into my memory. Caesar did not heed the soothsayer’s warning (from earlier in the play); and, during the assassination, he stopped struggling when he realized how deep the conspiracy was — when he discovered that his close and trusted friend, Brutus, was among the murderous conspirators.

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But Julius Caesar was extremely popular with the middle and lower classes, and the assassination precipitated civil war and the end of the Roman Republic.

Caesar was eventually made a member of the Nine Worthies; the Princes of men, heroes who epitomized the ideal qualities of moral virtue (particularly as regarded military courage and leadership).

The Nine Worthies so honored were: Hector, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Joshua, David, Judas Maccabeus, King Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey of Bouillon.