Ashoka · Politics
How the slaughter of the Kalinga war turned Ashoka from a conqueror into a penitent - the Thirteenth Rock Edict, in which a victorious emperor carves his own remorse into stone and trades <em>dig-vijaya</em> (conquest by arms) for <em>dhamma-vijaya</em> (conquest by righteousness).
You learned that after conquering Kalinga, Ashoka recorded his own grief in the Thirteenth Major Rock Edict - an act unheard of for an ancient ruler - and replaced conquest by arms ( dig-vijaya ) with conquest by dhamma ( dhamma-vijaya ). Explain what changed, and why carving remorse in stone made it a matter of state.
Leads to Kautilya.
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