The information about Mother of
Ashoka The Great
Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...
(c. 3rd century BCE), the 3rd
Mauryan
The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...
emperor of ancient India, varies between different sources. Ashoka's own inscriptions and the main texts that provide information about his life (such as ''
Ashokavadana
The Ashokavadana ( sa, अशोकावदान; ; "Narrative of Ashoka") is an Indian Sanskrit-language text that describes the birth and reign of the Third Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. It contains legends as well as historical narratives, and ...
'' and ''
Mahavamsa'') do not name his mother. The ''Asokavadanamala'' names her Subhadrangi, while ''Vamsatthapakasini'' calls her Dharma (
Pali
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...
: Dhamma). Different texts variously describe her as a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...
or a
Kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...
.
Names
Ashoka's own inscriptions do not mention his parents. The various Buddhist texts provide different names or epithets for Ashoka's mother:
* Subhadrangi, in ''Asokavadanamala'', a text composed sometime after mid-11th century; not to be confused with ''
Ashokavadana
The Ashokavadana ( sa, अशोकावदान; ; "Narrative of Ashoka") is an Indian Sanskrit-language text that describes the birth and reign of the Third Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. It contains legends as well as historical narratives, and ...
'' within ''
Divyavadana
The ''Divyāvadāna'' or Divine narratives is a Sanskrit anthology of Buddhist avadana tales, many originating in Mūlasarvāstivādin vinaya texts. It may be dated to 2nd century CE. The stories themselves are therefore quite ancient and may be ...
''
* Dharma (
Pali
Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...
: Dhamma), in ''Vamsatthapakasini'' or ''Mahavamsa-tika'', a 10th-century commentary on ''Mahavamsa''
* Janapada-kalyani, in a ''
Divyavadana
The ''Divyāvadāna'' or Divine narratives is a Sanskrit anthology of Buddhist avadana tales, many originating in Mūlasarvāstivādin vinaya texts. It may be dated to 2nd century CE. The stories themselves are therefore quite ancient and may be ...
'' legend; according to scholar
Ananda W. P. Guruge
Ananda Wahihana Palliya Guruge (28 December 1928 – 6 August 2014), known as Ananda W.P. Guruge, was a Sri Lankan diplomat, Buddhist scholar and writer. Guruge was the former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sri Lanka to UNESCO, Fr ...
, this is not a name, but an epithet.
Ancestry
''Ashokavadana'', which does not mention Ashoka's mother by name, states that she was the daughter of a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...
from
Champa
Champa ( Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd ...
city near the Mauryan capital
Pataliputra
Pataliputra (IAST: ), adjacent to modern-day Patna, was a city in ancient India, originally built by Magadha ruler Ajatashatru in 490 BCE as a small fort () near the Ganges river.. Udayin laid the foundation of the city of Pataliputra at t ...
.
According to the ''Mahavamsa-tika'', Ashoka's mother Dhamma belonged to the Moriya
Kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...
clan.
According to the 2nd century historian
Appian
Appian of Alexandria (; grc-gre, Ἀππιανὸς Ἀλεξανδρεύς ''Appianòs Alexandreús''; la, Appianus Alexandrinus; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who flourished during the reigns of Emperors of Rome Trajan, Ha ...
, Ashoka's grandfather
Chandragupta entered into a marital alliance with the Greek ruler
Seleucus I Nicator
Seleucus I Nicator (; ; grc-gre, Σέλευκος Νικάτωρ , ) was a Macedonian Greek general who was an officer and successor ( ''diadochus'') of Alexander the Great. Seleucus was the founder of the eponymous Seleucid Empire. In the po ...
, which has led to speculation that Ashoka's father
Bindusara
Bindusara (), also Amitraghāta or Amitrakhāda (Sanskrit: अमित्रघात, "slayer of enemies" or "devourer of enemies") or Amitrochates (Greek: Ἀμιτροχάτης) (Strabo calls him Allitrochades (Ἀλλιτροχάδης)) ...
(or Chandragupta himself) married a Greek princess. However, there is no evidence that Ashoka's mother (or grandmother) was Greek, and the idea has been dismissed by most historians.
Legends in Buddhist texts
Marriage to Bindusara
According to the ''Ashokavadana,'' the unnamed mother of Ashoka was the daughter of a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...
from the
Champa
Champa ( Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd ...
. As a young woman, she was extremely beautiful, and some unnamed fortune-tellers predicted that she would marry a king. They also prophesied that she would bear two sons, one of whom will become a
chakravartin
A ''chakravarti'' ( sa, चक्रवर्तिन्, ''cakravartin''; pi, cakkavatti; zh, 轉輪王, ''Zhuǎnlúnwáng'', "Wheel-Turning King"; , ''Zhuǎnlún Shèngwáng'', "Wheel-Turning Sacred King"; ja, 転輪王, ''Tenrin'ō'' ...
(universal) king, while the other would be religiously-inclined. Accordingly, her father took her to Pataliputra, and offered him in marriage to king Bindusara.
Bindusara considered the woman an auspicious celestial maiden, and inducted her into his harem. The king's concubines, who were jealous of her beauty, did not let her sleep with the king, and instead trained her as a
barber
A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...
. She soon became an expert barber, and whenever she groomed the king's hair and beard, the king would become relaxed and fall asleep. Pleased with her, the king promised to grant her one wish, to which she asked the king to have intercourse with her. The king stated that he was a
Kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...
(member of the warrior class), and would not sleep with a low-class barber girl. The girl explained that she was the daughter of a Brahmin (a member of the high priestly class), and had been made a barber by the other women in the harem. The king then told her not to work as a barber, and made her his chief queen.
Pregnancy and childbirth
According to the ''Mahavamsa-tika'', when Queen Dhamma was pregnant with Ashoka, she had unusual cravings. For example, she once said that she wanted to "trample on the moon and the sun to play with the stars and to eat up the forests". Bindusara asked the Brahmins in his court to explain the meaning of these cravings, but they were unable to do so. Janasena, an Ajivika ascetic known to the queen's family, was able to interpret the meaning of her cravings, and predicted that her son would conquer and rule over entire India (
Jambudvipa). He also predicted that the son would destroy 96 heretical sects, promote Buddhism, and kill his brothers for displeasing him (the text later states that Ashoka killed 99 out of his 100 brothers).
According to the ''Ashokavadana'', when she gave birth to her first child, the unnamed queen named the baby Ashoka, because she had become "without sorrow" (''a-shoka'') when he was born. Later, she gave birth to a second son. She named the child Vitashoka, because her sorrow had ceased (''vigate-shoke'') when he was born.
Pingala-vatsajiva's prediction
''Ashokavadana'' states that Bindusara disliked Ashoka because of his rough skin. One day, Bindusara asked the
Ajivika ascetic Pingala-vatsajiva to examine which of his sons was worthy of being his successor. Ashoka did not want to go to for the examination, as his father disliked him. However, his mother convinved him to be there with other princes. Pingala-vatsajiva realized that Ashoka would be the next king, but did not directly tell this to Bindusara for fear of displeasing the king. Later, he told Ashoka's mother that her son would be the next king, and on her advice, left the kingdom to avoid Bindusara's wrath.
In popular culture
* Subhadrangi's/Dharma role was played by
Pallavi Subhash Shirke in the 2015 TV series, ''
Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat
''Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat'' (English: ''The Great Emperor Ashoka'') is a 2015 Indian historical drama TV series that aired on Colors TV from 2 February 2015 to 7 October 2016. The show was created and written by author and screenwriter Faiza ...
''
* She was portrayed by
Subhashini Ali in the 2001 film ''
Aśoka''.
* She was portrayed by Prerna Sharma in the 2016 TV
Chandra Nandini
''Chandra Nandini'' is an Indian Hindi-language Historical fictional drama television series which aired on Star Plus from 10 October 2016 until 10 November 2017. It was produced by Ekta Kapoor under her banner Balaji Telefilms and is directed b ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{ref end
Mauryan dynasty