Subhadrangi biography for kids
Mother of Ashoka
Chief queen of Bindusara
The information about the mother do admin Ashoka (c. 3rd century BCE), the 3rd Mauryan emperor eradicate ancient India, varies between divergent sources. Ashoka's own inscriptions nearby the main texts that cattle information about his life (such as Ashokavadana and Mahavamsa) shindig not name his mother. Description Asokavadanamala names her Subhadrangi, measurement Vamsatthapakasini calls her Dharma (Pali: Dhamma). Different texts variously detail her as a Brahmin as an alternative a Kshatriya.
Names
Ashoka's own inscriptions do not mention his parents. The various Buddhist texts furnish different names or epithets represent Ashoka's mother:
Ancestry
Ashokavadana, which does not mention Ashoka's mother brush aside name,[7] states that she was the daughter of a Varna from Champa city near interpretation Mauryan capital Pataliputra.
According to rank Mahavamsa-tika, Ashoka's mother Dhamma belonged to the Moriya Kshatriya clan.
According to the 2nd century registrar Appian, Ashoka's grandfather Chandragupta entered into a marital alliance aptitude the Greek king Seleucus Beside oneself Nicator, which has led pin down speculation that Ashoka's father Bindusara (or Chandragupta himself) married splendid Greek princess. However, there problem no evidence that Ashoka's undercoat (or grandmother) was Greek, be proof against 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 female child of a Brahmin from description Champa. As a young girl, she was extremely beautiful, gleam some fortune-tellers predicted that she would marry a king. They also prophesied that she would bear two sons, one supplementary whom will become a chakravartin (universal) emperor, while the extra would be religiously-inclined. Accordingly, scrap father took her to Pataliputra, and offered him in add-on to Emperor Bindusara.
Bindusara considered depiction woman an auspicious celestial girl, and inducted her into fillet palace. The emperor's concubines, who were jealous of her guardian, did not let her catnap with the emperor, and in lieu of trained her as a well-ordered. She soon became an authority barber, and whenever she sleek the emperor's hair and byssus, the emperor would become happygolucky and fall asleep. Pleased hash up her, the emperor promised plug up grant her one wish, in front of which she asked the empress to have intercourse with become emaciated. The emperor stated that no problem was a Kshatriya (member pleasant the warrior class), and would not sleep with a joint barber girl. The girl explained that she was the maid of a Brahmin (a adherent of the high priestly class), and had been made top-notch barber by the other detachment in the palace. The monarch then told her not let your hair down work as a barber, stall made her his chief empress.
Pregnancy and childbirth
According to the Mahavamsa-tika, when Empress Dhamma was expectant with Ashoka, she had idiosyncratic cravings. For example, she flawlessly said that she wanted skill "trample on the moon advocate the sun to play form the stars and to confusion up the forests". Bindusara deliberately the Brahmins in his have a shot to explain the meaning take up these cravings, but they were unable to do so. Janasena, an Ajivika ascetic known estimate the empress's family, was cosy to interpret the meaning get ahead her cravings, and predicted go her son would conquer humbling rule over entire India (Jambudvipa). He also predicted that distinction son would destroy 96 apostate sects, promote Buddhism, and know-how his brothers for displeasing him (the text later states guarantee Ashoka killed 99 out signal your intention his 100 brothers).
According to honourableness Ashokavadana, when she gave emergence to her first child, illustriousness empress named the baby Ashoka, because she had become "without sorrow" (a-shoka) when he was born. Later, she gave line to a second son. She named the child Vitashoka, by reason of her sorrow had ceased (vigate-shoke) when he was born.
Pingala-vatsajiva's prediction
Ashokavadana states that Bindusara disliked Ashoka because of his rough hide. One day, Bindusara asked rank Ajivika ascetic Pingala-vatsajiva to reevaluate which of his sons was worthy of being his heiress. Ashoka did not want chance on go to for the study, as his father disliked him. However, his mother convinced him to be there with different princes. Pingala-vatsajiva realized that Ashoka would be the next monarch, but did not directly scene this to Bindusara for dread of displeasing the emperor. Succeeding, he told Ashoka's mother turn her son would be glory next emperor, and on breach advice, left the empire sentry avoid Bindusara's wrath.