The Kalinga Edict

Summary

This article presents a philological study of one of the rock edicts issued by the Mauryan emperor Aśoka after his conquest of Kalinga. It reproduces the Prakrit text of the edict, provides a running translation and comments on problematic words and phrases. The edict emphasises remorse for the suffering caused by the Kalinga war and enumerates the measures Aśoka took to promote dharma (moral law) among his subjects. The article analyses terms such as avisaññā (lack of perseverance) and abhijita (spiritual conquest) and explains how Aśoka contrasted military victory with the victory of dhamma. Attention is given to the grammatical construction of certain sentences and to the use of the optative mood in exhortations. The author also compares the Kalinga edict with other major rock edicts and notes that it uniquely mentions the welfare of forest tribes and prisoners. Historical context is provided: after witnessing the carnage at Kalinga, Aśoka renounced aggressive warfare and adopted a policy of non‑violence, which he sought to propagate through inscriptions. By examining variant readings from different copies of the edict, the article reconstructs the most plausible original text and points out scribal errors introduced during transmission. The study serves as both a textual commentary and a reflection on Aśoka’s moral transformation.