The Mauryan Polity c11.s1.t3.9

c11.s1.t3.9

Fifthly, there are other and similar doctrines such as the doctrine of *dharmavijaya*.¹ The phrase *dharma-vijaya* commonly translated into ‘the conquest by morality’ occurs in the thirteenth Rock Edict, immediately after describing the consequences of the Kaliṅga rebellion where there was heavy slaughter of men including innocents. Those who advocate Buddhism as the faith of Aśoka believe that the emperor susbtituted the ‘conquest by morality’ for the ‘conquest by arms’.² This is interpreted so as to suggest that Aśoka gave up his arms and became a monk, and again the same principle found acceptance with his vassals and neighbours. The general belief, that the preaching and practice of simple virtues like *ahiṃsā* constituted the *dharmavijaya* of Aśoka, is difficult to be accepted for the following reasons:—