Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c12.s15.42

c12.s15.42

For the rest, we know from Megasthenes, Kauṭilya and the Inscriptions of Aśoka himself that the Maurya administration was a highly centralised bureaucracy; and the Maurya monarch nothing short of a benevolent autocrat. Aśoka's *dhammavijaya* was more an imperial policy than a religious missionary movement and his moral exhortations to his people had almost the force of law behind them. He had even gone to the length of regulating the social and religious life of his people according to his conception of *Dhamma*. The king and the court were both highly conscious of their power and their imperial glory—Aśoka's inscriptions breathe the very air of this consciousness. And if the *Arthaśāstra* of Kauṭilya is to be believed, law, order and precision were the watchwords of the Mauryan government. This is surprisingly reflected in the writings of the inscriptions themselves; not only are they beautifully executed, but they are indeed remarkable for their clarity, orderliness and precision; every single letter is cut into the stone with accuracy and care, lines are more often than not straight and well-ordered, and mistakes, considering the enormous output, few and far between. The socio-economic policy of the Mauryan State was also highly centralised and monopolistic.