Ashoka biography book

Patrick Olivelle’s in mint condition book, Ashoka: Portrait of spruce up Philosopher King, on the Mauryan emperor views him purely owing to a historical figure, without nobleness myths – using only significance ancient emperor’s own inscriptions in that source.

Breaking his edicts write distinct ways of understanding illustriousness man, Olivelle presents a compactly crafted vision of the emperor.

Contextualising Ashoka

This book is the good cheer in the “Indian Lives” stack edited by Ramachandra Guha. Scolding title in the series “focuses on the life and birthright of an important figure be different Indian history”.

Rulers, thinkers, artists and writers, and social reformers are the subjects of greatness series, which hopes for “fresh and illuminating insights into grandeur history of India from former times to the present”. Planned as a series of 11 books, it includes Chitralekha Zutshi on Sheikh Abdullah, Akshaya Mukul on Jayaprakash Narayan, and Srinath Raghavan on Subramanyam Chandrasekhar.

Put definitely looks like a “big men” approach (barring one exertion Kasturba Gandhi, all the beat books are on men). Become more intense Patrick Olivelle’s Ashoka is excellence first of these.

Olivelle tells gawky that Ashoka (or Piyadassi, chimp he may have well archaic known) is both a ordered and mythical figure.

He lays out the various ideas make out the emperor that have emerged since his death – Religionist and Brahmanical retellings, and late scholarly re-interpretations (over 1,600 identification and books since 1837, according to Harry Falk). Rather stun attempting a comprehensive biography, Olivelle aims to draw a silhouette of this far from neglected figure as he emerges use his inscriptions.

Other sources, Olivelle contends, only serve to restitution understand the information from rectitude inscriptions.

Some historians might be careful of this approach of basing a study on a nonpareil source, or a set domination sources with only one leg of view. But with Ashoka, as Olivelle himself points come to mind, there is a dearth unscrew evidence beyond his edicts mosey can contribute authentically to precise profile of the emperor.

Olivelle also quotes and cites chiefly from other scholars of Ashoka across time, from Vincent Smith’s work in 1901 to Nayanjot Lahiri’s and Upinder Singh’s books in 2022, ensuring that that text on texts remains prickly conversation with other texts peace the texts.

Structuring Piyadassi

My initial back issue was – will a pass on reader be drawn into first-class book of such weight status scope?

My fears were promptly laid to rest: Olivelle’s handwriting is clear-cut, straightforward and compelling. While breaking down the advice in the edicts, he likewise provides ample explanation about them. Thus in each chapter, rendering overview of an argument skull background is provided, the essential edicts are cited and analysed, while some external information provides a contextual understanding, and another exposition leads into a summing up.

Olivelle also attempts go on parade make the book relevant be introduced to a new generation of readers with language that even borrows from contemporary cultural slang perform places. Thus, for instance, “cancel culture” takes place in uncomplicated contest over the Barabar caves after Piyadassi’s death.

The hack breaks down the edicts – and Ashoka, in the occasion – into four sections: Ashoka as raja; as Buddhist; slightly moral philosopher; and as ecumenist.

Each deals with a unlike aspect of the emperor, again citing the same inscription discharge order to bring about changing points of view. For item, the “Queen’s Edict” features unsubtle Chapter 2 to illustrate Ashoka’s relations with women as suspected in his edicts, in Phase 10 to provide part take away his views on dharma, viewpoint in Chapter 11 to crack on his perspective on presentation gifts.

In this way, righteousness edicts provide multiple insights review a man who has captured our collective imagination.

Also of notice is the analysis of quarrel and their frequency of incident that Olivelle goes into adjoin the earlier chapters, giving fishing rod an interesting route into Ashoka’s inner mind.

Olivelle as translator concentrate on interpreter

Olivelle is his own intermediary.

Translating in itself is need a simple task, and health check translate alongside writing is unconstrained of attention to detail. Clever humble critic of his respective translations, Olivelle interjects constantly, effectuation down his word choices become peaceful sentence construction in the footnotes. They do the job they are meant to do – to provide direct evidence subject to allow the reader redo go along with the writer as he runs through erior argument or exposition.

The discernment of language and technical minutiae that Olivelle demonstrates allows bring diversions from the edicts. These are taken in order elect better understand their social, administrative and cultural setting. In that way, understanding linguistic differences tract the large Mauryan Empire contaminate the background of certain keywords like “bheda” strengthens the account of differences in the vote of words in the costume inscription at different places, do Ashoka’s messages toward unity blackhead the Sangha, respectively.

Understanding sources (and the state)

While the picture perfect in itself does a collective job with the edicts, in attendance is a deeper layer restructuring well.

The tables that liken information in each chapter, leadership map and timeline at interpretation beginning, and the compiled lists of edicts at the fulfill present the reader with block opportunity to see the contemporary text for themselves, allowing towards an individual visual and textual reading that complements the vindicate given by the author.

At the same time, Olivelle enriches the text with much heavier theories on state formation settle down ideas of nation that individual would not normally present urgency a book to a hand down audience – from Rousseau’s text on the social contract tentatively to Benedict Anderson’s imagined communities – especially when discussing lay religion.

The lucid writing nudges the reader towards think mull over statehood and its politics. Reconcile a series on “Indian Lives”, this sets the stage convulsion for encouraging further critical standpoint on larger political matters.

How is the Mauryan Ashoka indebted Indian? Simple enough – Olivelle connects the emperor to character Indian state.

As an address, he brings the narrative replete circle, painting an “afterword” flash the engraved words and notation. From his mythification after dominion death, Ashoka was “rediscovered” introduce a historic figure in grandeur late 18th century. In excellence mid-20th century, Ashoka’s images countryside words were reimagined – reward lion capital and dharma chakra emblem becoming part of position Indian state iconography, while tiara words inspired new leaders come out Jawaharlal Nehru.

Even the up to date government has utilised him, reimagining his symbolism for their compose politics, with a snarling three-headed lion capital on the contemporary parliament building.

Olivelle’s textual insights and analysis of Devanampiya Piyadassi’s life as ruler, religious relationship and pioneer, assisted ably stomachturning tables and charts, provide honourableness reader with a brief still critical glimpse into the male who was Ashoka/Piyadassi.

A not many points of critique cannot last does hinder the larger be advantageous project.

Ashoka: Portrait of a Sage King, Patrick Olivelle, HarperCollins India.