Political History of Ancient India, from the Accession of Parikshit to the Extinction of the Gupta Dynasty c15.s1.t3.3

c15.s1.t3.3

According to Rock Edict I, Aśoka saw much offence not only in the sacrificial slaughter of animals, but also in certain *Samājas* or festive gatherings which, as we learn from the *Kauṭilīya*,¹ were often witnessed by kings and emperors.² The *Samāja*, says Smith, was of two kinds. The popular festival kind accompanied by animal fights, heavy drinking and feasting, including much consumption of meat, was necessarily condemned by Aśoka, as being inconsistent with his principles. The other kind, the semi-religious theatrical performance, sometimes given in the temples of Sarasvatī, the goddess of learning, was apparently not included among offensive *Samājas*. Dr. Thomas³ describes the disapproved *Samāja* as "a celebration of games or contests taking place in an arena or amphitheatre surrounded by platforms (*mañcha*) for spectators (*prekshā*)." This kind of (*Samāja*) is apparently referred to in the following lines of the *Virāṭa parva* of the *Mahābhārata*:—