Pillar edicts of Asoka

The pillar edicts of Asoka may be divided into two groups:

• Major Edicts, and
• Minor Edicts

Major Pillar Edicts:-

There are seven major pillar edicts:

• Pillar Edict I
  • It mentions Asoka's principle to protect people through dhamma, to administer affairs according to dhamma, to please the people with dhamma, and to guard the empire with dhamma.
• Pillar Edict II
  • It defines dhamma as a minimum of sins, many virtues, compassion, liberality, truthfulness and pu­rity.
• Pillar Edict III
  • It exhorts people to consider that cruelty, harshness, anger, pride and envy are sins, the indulgence in which is ruinous.
• Pillar Edict IV
  • Engraved in the 26th year of Asoka's rule, this edict deals with the duties of rajukas.
• Pillar Edict V
  • It provides a list of animals and birds which should not be killed on some days and others which are not to be killed at all.
  • It also mentions the release of 25 prisoners by Asoka.
• Pillar Edict VI
  • It mentions Asoka's engraving of dhamma policy after 12 years of his rule.
• Pillar Edict VII
  • Inscribed in the twenty-eighth year of Asoka's rule, it describes at length the works done by Asoka for spreading dhamma policy.
• Asoka's seven major pillar edicts have been found at the following places:
  • Topra (Delhi),
  • Meerut,
  • Kausambi (Allahabad),
  • Rampurva (Champaran),
  • Lauriya- Nanrlangarh (Champaran),
  • Lauriya Areraj (Champaran) and
  • Mehrauli (Delhi)

Minor Pillar Edicts:-

• The Minor Pillar Edicts have been found in Sanchi, Saranath, Rummindei and Nigalisagar.
  • These edicts deal with Buddhist pilgrim centres, pilgrimage and solution of differences in the Buddhist religion.
• Rummindei Pillar Inscription
  • It mentions Asoka's visit to Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha.
  • Asoka exempted Lumbini from paying tax, and fixed its contribution of grain at one-eighth.
• Nigalisagar Pillar Inscription
  • It mentions Asoka's visit to Konakamana stupa in the fifteenth year of his rule.
• Schism Edict
• The pillar edicts at Sarnath and Sanchi are known as Schism edicts.
• These edicts are addressed to dharmamahamatras.

Language of the Asokan Inscriptions

• Asoka's inscrip­tions are written in four languages-Aramaic, Greek, Ira­nian, and Prakrit.
• Four scripts have been used in these inscriptions-Aramaic, Greek, Brahmi and Kharoshthi.
• The Mansehra and Shahbajgarhi inscriptions are in the Kharosthi script, while the Kandahar inscription is in Greek and Aramaic scripts.
• The remaining inscriptions are in the Brahmi script.