logo
logo
Sign in

Lessons to learn from the life of King Ashoka

avatar
amity university
Lessons to learn from the life of King Ashoka

History is so much more than a course that you study in school and then in B A Hons history colleges in Lucknow. It is an opportunity to learn the crucial lessons of life from the ones that have lived before your time. In a way, those history books have the wisdom of ages that hold the potential to teach you a lot more than dates, timelines, empires, rulers, and dynasties. And one of the most prominent historical figures from whom you can learn a lot is the great Mauryan emperor, King Ashoka. The arc of Ashoka’s reign is known by all, so let’s see what you can learn from him.


Self-reformation


The greatest truth emerging from the tale of Ashoka is the prospect to change one’s self into a better person by self-introspection. If the king had never introspected over everything that he did in the past, he would have never considered reforming himself.

He was someone who meditated on his faults and mended his ways with a complete change in the way he reacted to the exact same circumstances. This is what made Ashoka give up war and move along the path of peaceful communication. And this is certainly one of the lessons you will learn through your course at B A Hons history colleges in UP.


Efficient communication


Another major lesson from the life and reign of Ashoka is about making the best use of the latest tools of communication to express one’s ideas and thoughts. The generation hooked on to social media platforms would certainly love this idea. Ashoka has his edicts etched out in Brahmi, which was the main script of the empire. He also made the same edicts written in other languages like Aramaic (ancient Persian), Kharosthi (local Northwest Indian script), and Greek.

The translation of his message of peace and oneness in multiple scripts helped Ashoka spread his message among a wider audience from within his empire and beyond his empires.


The message of tolerance


Ashoka is revered as the beacon of tolerance to divergent views and other faiths in an era where new beliefs of Jainism, Buddhism, and Ajivikas rose to fame and gained new followers. He claims in his edicts that all sects deserve respect for one reason or the other and only by offering such respect can a man serve his own sect and humanity in general.


In matters of tolerance and free speech, Ashoka further states that the ability to speak, without hurting any sentiments, is the basis of harmony and progress in the society. According to Ashoka, such free speech has to be encouraged so that one man can hear and learn from another’s principles.

It goes without saying that Ashoka was truly a man ahead of his times and a just and noble ruler. His life and reign is a lesson that every individual should learn from, and it certainly forms an important part of any history coursework. 


collect
0
avatar
amity university
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more