Asandhamitra (304 BCE – 240 BCE) was an empress and 1st chief consort of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. She was Ashoka's second wife and first empress consort[1][2]
| Asandhimitra | |
|---|---|
| Agramahisi | |
| Empress Consort of Mauryan Empire | |
| Reign | c. 268 BC – c. 240 BCE |
| Predecessor | Mother of Ashoka |
| Successor | Tishyaraksha |
| Born | c. 304 BCE Magadha, Maurya Empire(Present day Bihar, India) |
| Died | c. 240 BC (aged 64-65) Pataliputra, Maurya Empire(Present day Bihar, India) |
| Spouse | Ashoka (m. 270 BCE) |
| Dynasty | Maurya |
| Religion | Buddhism |
Given the title "agramahisi", or "Chief Empress",[3] Asandhimitra was likely from a royal family.[2] She did not have any children.[2] After her death, Tishyarakshita became the first chief empress of Ashoka.[1]
Life
editAccording to Maha Bodhi Society, she was married to Ashoka during c. 270-240 BC.[3] She was a trusted, faithful, and favourite wife of Ashoka. She is often referred to as his "beloved" or his "dear" consort and is said to have been a trusted adviser of the emperor.[3][2] At her death in c. 240 BC,[3] Ashoka was deeply grieved.[2]
Karmic legends
editThe Mahavamsa tells a legend of how she became empress, stating that she became Ashoka's empress because in a previous life, she had given directions to a pratyekabuddha who was looking for a honey merchant. The story says that after the merchant filled his bowl completely with honey, the pratyekabuddha made a vow to become the lord of Jambudvipa. After hearing this, she herself wished they would be reborn as King and Queen, leading them to be reborn as Ashoka and Asandhimitra.[4]
In the Extended Mahavamsa, a story is additionally told that in a separate past life, Asandhimitra gave a pratyekabuddha a piece of cloth, which is thought to have given her the status of Queen, karmically independent of Asoka.[4]
In the Dasavatthuppakarana, it combines both stories into one, telling the story of the pratyekabuddha and the honey merchant and adding that Asandhimitra's past self gifted the same pratyekabuddha with a piece of cloth.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b Barua, Beni Madhab; Topa, Ishwar Nath (1968). Asoka and his inscriptions. Vol. 1. New Age Publishers. p. 53.
- ^ a b c d e Gupta, Subhadra Sen (8 September 2009). Ashoka: The Great and Compassionate King. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-81-8475-807-8. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ a b c d The Maha Bodhi: Volume 104. University of Michigan. 1996. pp. 25–26.
- ^ a b c Holt, John Clifford; Kinnard, Jacob N.; Walters, Kinnard, eds. (2003). Constituting Communities: Theravada Buddhism and the Religious Cultures of South and Southeast Asia. SUNY Press. pp. 43–51. ISBN 978-0-7914-8705-1. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- Allen, Charles (2012). Ashoka: The Search for India's Lost Emperor. Hachette. ISBN 978-1-408-70388-5.