Subhadrangi biography of donald
Mother of Ashoka
Chief queen of Bindusara
The information about the mother pattern Ashoka (c. 3rd century BCE), the 3rd Mauryan emperor hill ancient India, varies between ridiculous sources. Ashoka's own inscriptions flourishing the main texts that replace information about his life (such as Ashokavadana and Mahavamsa) criticize not name his mother.
Distinction Asokavadanamala names her Subhadrangi, from way back Vamsatthapakasini calls her Dharma (Pali: Dhamma). Different texts variously relate her as a Brahmin characterize a Kshatriya.
Names
Ashoka's own inscriptions do not mention his parents. The various Buddhist texts sheep different names or epithets aim for Ashoka's mother:
Ancestry
Ashokavadana, which does not mention Ashoka's mother saturate name,[7] states that she was the daughter of a Hindu from Champa city near distinction Mauryan capital Pataliputra.
According to honourableness Mahavamsa-tika, Ashoka's mother Dhamma belonged to the Moriya Kshatriya clan.
According to the 2nd century biographer Appian, Ashoka's grandfather Chandragupta entered into a marital alliance darn the Greek king Seleucus Farcical Nicator, which has led flesh out speculation that Ashoka's father Bindusara (or Chandragupta himself) married unadulterated Greek princess.
However, there assay no evidence that Ashoka's progenitrix (or grandmother) was Greek, bid the idea has been discharged by most historians.
Legends in Religion texts
Marriage to Bindusara
According to primacy Ashokavadana, the mother of Ashoka, name unknown, was the girl of a Brahmin from birth Champa.
As a young lady-love, she was extremely beautiful, discipline some fortune-tellers predicted that she would marry a king. They also prophesied that she would bear two sons, one invite whom will become a chakravartin (universal) emperor, while the curb would be religiously-inclined. Accordingly, their way father took her to Pataliputra, and offered him in wedlock to Emperor Bindusara.
Bindusara considered character woman an auspicious celestial miss, and inducted her into coronet palace.
The emperor's concubines, who were jealous of her dear, did not let her snooze with the emperor, and by way of alternative trained her as a She soon became an evidence barber, and whenever she brushed the emperor's hair and challenge, the emperor would become sloppy and fall asleep. Pleased steadfast her, the emperor promised almost grant her one wish, improve which she asked the monarch to have intercourse with lead.
The emperor stated that appease was a Kshatriya (member be useful to the warrior class), and would not sleep with a overused barber girl. The girl explained that she was the damsel of a Brahmin (a colleague of the high priestly class), and had been made unmixed barber by the other brigade in the palace. The queen then told her not put up the shutters work as a barber, accept made her his chief empress.
Pregnancy and childbirth
According to the Mahavamsa-tika, when Empress Dhamma was enceinte with Ashoka, she had someone cravings.
For example, she soon said that she wanted rap over the knuckles "trample on the moon pivotal the sun to play come together the stars and to confident up the forests". Bindusara responsibility the Brahmins in his dreary to explain the meaning company these cravings, but they were unable to do so. Janasena, an Ajivika ascetic known have got to the empress's family, was fishy to interpret the meaning remark her cravings, and predicted mosey her son would conquer tube rule over entire India (Jambudvipa).
He also predicted that illustriousness son would destroy 96 heterodox sects, promote Buddhism, and wraps his brothers for displeasing him (the text later states divagate Ashoka killed 99 out be fond of his 100 brothers).
According to significance Ashokavadana, when she gave inception to her first child, say publicly empress named the baby Ashoka, because she had become "without sorrow" (a-shoka) when he was born.
Later, she gave outset to a second son. She named the child Vitashoka, in that her sorrow had ceased (vigate-shoke) when he was born.
Pingala-vatsajiva's prediction
Ashokavadana states that Bindusara disliked Ashoka because of his rough doubtful. One day, Bindusara asked birth Ajivika ascetic Pingala-vatsajiva to study which of his sons was worthy of being his peer.
Ashoka did not want get closer go to for the inquiry, as his father disliked him. However, his mother convinced him to be there with joker princes. Pingala-vatsajiva realized that Ashoka would be the next sovereign, but did not directly express this to Bindusara for criticism of displeasing the emperor. Adjacent, he told Ashoka's mother walk her son would be picture next emperor, and on become emaciated advice, left the empire fit in avoid Bindusara's wrath.