Discuss the "Dhamma" of Ashoka.

Introduction: Following the harrowing human carnage of the Kalinga War (261 B.C.), Mauryan Emperor Ashoka the Great abandoned the imperial policy of aggressive territorial conquest (Bherighosha) and embraced the noble path of moral-spiritual conquest (Dhammaghosha), propounding his celebrated ethical code known as Ashoka's Dhamma (Prakrit for Dharma).

1. Core Concept and Philosophical Nature of Dhamma:

• Universal Secular Ethical Code: Ashoka's Dhamma was neither a sectarian Buddhist dogma nor a formal state religion; it was a universal moral code of conduct (Sadachara) synthesized from the common ethical essences of all contemporary philosophies (Buddhism, Brahmanism, Jainism, Ajivika).
• Definition in Major Pillar Edict II & VII: Ashoka defines Dhamma as: "Apasinave, bahukayane, daye, dane, sache, sochaye, madave, sadhave" (Minimum sins, abundant noble welfare deeds, compassion, charity, absolute truthfulness, internal purity, gentleness, and saintliness).

2. Cardinal Moral Principles of Dhamma:

• 1. Ahimsa (Non-Violence): Total ban on animal sacrifices, prohibition of slaughtering certain animals/birds, and replacement of royal hunting expeditions (Vihar Yatras) with pilgrimages of piety (Dhamma Yatras).
• 2. Social Morality & Filial Piety: Obedience to parents, reverence to spiritual teachers/gurus, ethical treatment of servants and enslaved laborers (Dasa-Bhatakas), and respect for elders.
• 3. Universal Religious Tolerance (Major Rock Edict XII): Fostering concord (Samavaya Eva Sadhu) among all sects, abstaining from praising one's own faith while disparaging another's faith.
• 4. Humanitarian Public Welfare: Planting shady banyan trees along highways, digging wells every half kos, and establishing free medical hospitals (Chikitsa) for both humans and animals across India and neighboring foreign realms (Cholas, Pandyas, Greek kingdoms of Antiochus).

3. Institutional Machinery for Propagation:

• Created a specialized class of high civil servants called Dhamma Mahamatras in his 14th regnal year to preach ethics, redress grievances, and oversee moral justice.
• Engraved Dhamma edicts on enduring rocks and polished monolithic pillars throughout the empire.

Conclusion: Ashoka's Dhamma was a visionary statecraft philosophy unifying a multi-cultural empire through shared moral conscience and universal peace.