Ashoka (English spelling)

Japanese: アショーカ（英語表記）Aśoka

The third king of the Maurya dynasty in India (reigned c. 268-c. 232 BCE). King Ashoka in the Chinese translation of Buddhist scriptures. He is said to have killed his brothers and succeeded his father, King Bindusara. He continued the territorial expansion strategy that had been in place since his grandfather Chandragupta, and in his eighth year on the throne, he conquered the Kalinga Kingdom, completing the unification of almost the entire Indian subcontinent except for the southern tip of the peninsula. However, he was deeply saddened by the tragic conditions that had been meted out during the conquest of Kalinga, and thereafter abandoned military conquest and came to practice politics based on Dharma (law) and non-violence and social ethics. It seems that he also converted to Buddhism around this time. He spread the ideals of Dharma politics to neighboring countries and had them engraved on cliffs and stone pillars within his domain. He also implemented various social policies, such as building hospitals for people and animals, and installing wells and rest areas along roads. According to the legends of northern Buddhism, he was a devout Buddhist who built 84,000 pagodas, made pilgrimages to Buddhist sites, and donated large sums of money to Buddhist organizations. Southern Buddhists also say that he helped organize the Third Buddhist Assembly, and that his son Mahinda evangelized Sri Lanka. Ashoka died after a reign of 37 (or 36) years, and after his death the Maurya Empire began to collapse.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

インド，マウリヤ朝第3代の王 (在位前 268頃～232頃) 。漢訳仏典の阿育王。兄弟を殺して父王ビンドゥサーラの跡を継いだといわれる。祖父チャンドラグプタ以来の領土拡張策を進め，即位8年目にカリンガ王国を征服して半島南端部を除くインド亜大陸のほぼ全域の統一を完成させた。しかしカリンガ征服の際の悲惨なありさまに心を痛め，以後は軍事的征服策を放棄し，非暴力と社会倫理に基づくダルマ (法) の政治を行うにいたった。仏教に帰依したのもこの頃らしい。彼はダルマの政治の理想を近隣の国々に伝えるとともに，それを領内の磨崖や石柱に刻ませ，さらに人畜のための病院を建てたり，道路に沿って井戸や休息所を設けるなど，さまざまな社会政策を実施した。北方仏教の伝説によると彼は熱心な仏教徒として8万 4000の仏塔を建て，仏跡を巡拝し，仏教教団に巨額な布施をしたという。また南方仏教徒は彼が第3回仏典結集を援助したこと，彼の子のマヒンダがスリランカを開教したことなどを伝えている。アショーカは 37 (あるいは 36) 年の在位ののち没したが，彼の死後マウリヤ帝国は崩壊に向った。

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