Vitashoka or Tissa (born 3rd-century BCE) was a

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

of the

Maurya Empire The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary source ...

as the only full-brother of

Ashoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...

, and the only brother left alive by Ashoka. According to Divyavadana, he was a follower of

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

and used to criticize the Buddhist monks for living a comfortable life. He was made to sit on the throne by the courtiers. Vitashoka became a monk and practised austerities rigorously. In The Series Bharat Ek Khoj Vitashoka/Tissa was portrayed by Lucky Ali

Name

Vitashoka is referred to as Tissa (or Tisya) in Sri Lankan texts. Theragatha commentary regards Tissa and Vitashoka as different individuals. Other sources call him Vigatāshoka, Sudatta, or Sugatra. The Mahavamsa later names him as Ekavihārika.

In the Legends

Fifth century legendary text Ashokavadana narrates a story of someone in Pundravardhana and then again at

Pataliputra Pataliputra (IAST: ), adjacent to modern-day Patna, Bihar, 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 Pataliput ...

who drew a picture of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

bowing before

Mahavira Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...

. As a punishment, Ashoka ordered the Jain monks to be put to death and declared a reward for killing of Jains. Someone captured Vitashoka taking him to be a Jain. He was taken to Ashoka. After identifying that it was his own brother, Ashoka stopped giving orders for executions. However, according to the more authentic works based on Ashoka's life, Vitashoka's fate remains unknown after Ashoka became emperor. Some scholars suggested that Vitashoka must have become a general or a minister of Ashoka. According to the Dipavamsa, it is stated that Ashoka killed 100 brothers. In contrast, the Mahavamsa records that Ashoka killed 99 brothers. In Tibbetan Buddhist tradition, Taranatha’s 'History of Buddhism in India' state that Ashoka killed 6 brothers. On the other hand, the Buddhist legend Ashokavadana mentions the killing of only one brother, Susima, without any reference to other brothers being killed. These variations highlight the discrepancies and uncertainties that arises in interpreting historical events by sectarian Buddhist texts. Ashoka's Rock Edict V mentions his brothers and sisters, indicating they were alive during his reign and held noble positions. This contradicts Buddhist legends, which claim he killed all his brothers except one. The edict suggests that such accounts are likely exaggerated.

References

{{Reflist Mauryan dynasty Mauryan princes Family of Ashoka 3rd-century BC Buddhists Indian Buddhists