Now howsoever one tries to defend Ashoka and demonise Aurangzeb, what is clear beyond any doubt that Ashoka killed much greater number of innocents in his quest for unchallenged power, he killed his brothers, had execution chambers, which remind of Hitler, and converted almost all the Hindu India into Buddhism. If Hindus converted to Buddhism reverted back to Hinduism soon after the departure of Ashok, it is clear that they had converted out of the fear of the ruthless murderer. Why then not rename Ashoka Road and all other buildings and roads after his name? Let the Government change Ashoka Road to V P Singh Road, after the name of the greatest champion of equality in post-Partition India, who is also known for extraordinary honesty, in public as well as private life, for being one of the best Finance Ministers of the country, for ending the dacoit menace in Uttar Pradesh and for donating a big chunk of his land to Vinoba Bhave opines Dr. Javed Jamil.
The controversy is on. What could have become a big, positive step endearing all the Indians, especially Muslims, had Modi Government named India Gate premises after Late Abdul Kalam, has further eroded its image as a secular dispensation caring for the sentiments of all religious communities in the country. The arguments being advanced by the BJP spokesmen are based on the picture created of Aurangzeb by certain historians of one being cruel to Hindus, one who forcefully converted Hindus to Islam, who had killed his elder brother to stage a palace coup, who had his own father imprisoned for life and killed Guru Tegh Bahadur. He is also charged for hanging several Islamic leaders of India to death, among them the spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslims of Gujarat, and beheading Saramad, the mystic.
There have been long debates in historical circles on the exact role of Aurangzeb, with many proving that he was in fact the most noble Mughal king who lived with utmost simplicity, earned through his own scripting of Qur’anic texts, who followed exemplary personal life and gifted huge grants to Hindu temples; and the few killings attributed to him were born out of the demands of the State. The argument may also be given that in order to find at least one Muslim king who can be presented by the champions of Hindu India as a demon, Aurangzeb was chosen because all the rest were too good to demonise. I would however not go into all these details. Even if we accept that Aurangzeb committed all the crimes he is charged with, his crimes pale into absolute significance when they are compared to those of Ashoka who is regarded by the country, especially the forces of Hindutva, as the greatest ever ruler of the country. I would here quote from a few articles describing his crimes:
“In about 260 BCE Ashoka waged a bitterly destructive war against the state of Kalinga (modern Odisha).[5] He conquered Kalinga, which none of his ancestors had done.[6] He embraced Buddhism after witnessing the mass deaths of the Kalinga War, which he himself had waged out of a desire for conquest. “Ashoka reflected on the war in Kalinga, which reportedly had resulted in more than 100,000 deaths and 150,000 deportations. ……….
“Ashoka later got rid of the legitimate heir to the throne by tricking him into entering a pit filled with live coals…..
“Buddhist legends state that Ashoka was bad-tempered and of a wicked nature. He built Ashoka’s Hell, an elaborate torture chamber described as a “Paradisal Hell” due to the contrast between its beautiful exterior and the acts carried out within by his appointed executioner, Girikaa.[15] This earned him the name of Chanda Ashoka(Ca??a A?oka) meaning “Ashoka the Fierce” in Sanskrit.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka
Defending Ashoka is not easy. A research paper written by London Swaminathan tries hard but ends up in saying:
“There were two Asokas in India. One was Black Asoka (Kalasoka) who was good and convened the Second Buddhist Council. The other one was world famous Indian emperor Dharma Asoka who was full of Adharma in his early life. Mysteries in Indian history are not solved yet. Nobody knew who the Black Asoka was! Nobody knew that the famous Asoka killed all his 99 brothers and cousins born to different mothers. Mahavamsa never mentioned the Kalinga War!!….
“Mahavamsa, the chronicle of Sri Lanka is full of murders and mayhem. It painted a gloomy picture of early Indian kings. Mahavamsa says that Dharma Asoka killed all his 99 brothers!”
http://swamiindology.blogspot.in/2014/09/why-did-asoka-kill-his-99-brothers.html
There have been attempts to dilute the crimes of Ashoka. So, while numerous sources talk about his killing 99 brothers, according to one report (in Drishtikone), Ashoka killed his 6 Brothers, not 99, as if it was a no crime at all:
“According to the Ceylonese chronicles, Ashoka in his war of succession killed his 99 brothers to ascend the throne of Magadh – sparring only one of his younger brother Tishya. However, such elaboration of Ashoka as Chanda Ashoka (cruel Ashoka) was just an exaggeration by Buddhist writers who wanted to show how the Chanda Ashoka was modified into Dharma Ashoka. According to a Tibetian writer Taranatha, Ashoka killed his six brothers to capture the throne of Magadh.
“At that time, an incident occurred which greatly enraged the king. A follower of the Nirgrantha (Mahavira) painted a picture, showing Buddha prostrating himself at the feet of the Nirgrantha. Ashoka ordered all the Ajivikas of Pundravardhana (North Bengal) to be killed. In one day, eighteen thousand Ajivikas lost their lives. A similar kind of incident took place in the town of Pataliputra. A man who painted such a picture was burnt alive with his family. It was announced that whoever would bring the king the head of a Nirgrantha would be rewarded with a dinara (a gold coin). As a result of this, thousands of Nirgranthas lost their lives.”
The website, Drishtikone, using its own perception of “Islamic Jihadists” goes further:
“If we were looking for a fanatic who would kill others due to a different belief – the equivalent of the Modern Day Islamic Jehadis – in India’s history, the Ashoka is the closest who comes to that description.
“His “repentance” on killings was extremely short lived indeed! In fact, he followed the exact path that many Muslim converts from Hinduism have followed – of killing their Hindu brethren after conversion with a unique sense of vengeance. And when it comes from someone who had converted to Buddhism, it is intriguing.
“Now, in this shocking revelation, let us not forget a couple of things:
- The text, on which the entire Hindus have been painted as persecutors of Buddhism, because of what it says of Pushyamitra, is alsothe text which has an even more sinister claim about Ashoka. But then Ashoka goes scott free! So, if the claim about Ashoka is false, then the claim on Pushyamitra also can’t be true – because the author and the text loses credibility!
- But wait, the text is Buddhist Historical writing, written by Buddhists of that era. So, even if Pushyamitra was somewhat anti-Buddhist, there is a strong likelihood that he may have been given an even more negative treatment, and Ashoka – because he was a new convert and a zealous one at that – may have been handled with kid gloves.
So, is it that Ashoka’s crimes AFTER his conversion were even worse?”
(FROM DRISHTIKONE, http://www.patheos.com/blogs/drishtikone/2011/12/ashoka-great-was-indias-first-religiously-fanatic-jehadi/)
Now howsoever one tries to defend Ashok and demonise Aurangzeb, what is clear beyond any doubt that Ashoka killed much greater number of innocents in his quest for unchallenged power, he killed his brothers, had execution chambers, which remind of Hitler, and converted almost all the Hindu India into Buddhism. If Hindus converted to Buddhism reverted back to Hinduism soon after the departure of Ashok, it is clear that they had converted out of the fear of the ruthless murderer. Why then not rename Ashoka Road and all other buildings and roads after his name? Let the Government change Ashoka Road to V P Singh Road, after the name of the greatest champion of equality in post-Partition India, who is also known for extraordinary honesty, in public as well as private life, for being one of the best Finance Ministers of the country, for ending the dacoit menace in Uttar Pradesh and for donating a big chunk of his land to Vinoba Bhave. Notwithstanding the greatest of Late Abdul Kalam, V. P Singh was undoubtedly one of the greatest politicians produced by Independent India who forever changed the future course of India’s socio-political scene, during his 11-month tenure as Prime Minister.
Finally, I would advise my Hindutva brothers to stop searching and creating Muslim “demons”; if Muslims engaged in the same, their list of “demons” would be a long one. Let’s better find and create heroes and sing their hymns!
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- Dr Javed Jamil is India based thinker and writer with over a dozen books including his latest, “Quranic Paradigms of Sciences & Society” (First Vol: Health), “Muslims Most Civilised, Yet Not Enough” and “Muslim Vision of Secular India: Destination & Road-map”. Other works include “The Devil of Economic Fundamentalism”, “The Essence of the Divine Verses”, “The Killer Sex”, “Islam means Peace” and “Rediscovering the Universe”. Read more about himat http://www.worldmuslimpedia.com/dr-javed-jamil. Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/javedjamil2015. He can be contacted atdoctorforu123@yahoo.comor 91-8130340339.