Decoding Ashoka's Legacy | Ancient Indian History

Ashoka -- the most famous leader of the Mauryan Empire -- is a beloved historical figure, in India and beyond. His imperial successes, his role in spreading Buddhism, and his story of personal redemption continue to beguile historians and general readers today.
But is the popular narrative completely accurate? We dive into the historical record and look into the inconsistencies, revealing a more nuanced portrait of an emperor whose legacy is larger-than-life.
--
Sources (non-exhaustive):
"Emperor Aśoka and Buddhism: Unresolved Discrepancies between Buddhist Tradition & Aśokan Inscriptions," by Ananda W.P. Guruge
"Ashoka and the Decline of the Mauryas," by Romila Thapar
"The Ocean of Churn," by Sanjeev Sanyal
"King Ashoka: His Edicts and His Times," by Ven S. Dhammika
"Ashoka the Great," by M.H. Syed
"Ashoka: the Search for India's Lost Emperor," by Charles Allen
Translated Edicts

[@RishiKumar-ie6ns]

How very interesting. I had always been conflicted about my understanding over Ashoka. Although I could certainly appreciate that his conversion was possible (I personally can’t attest to the effects of witnessing 100,000 dead people), it did seem at first a rather surprising turn of events. As I had not really looked into it further, with odd forays into the subject revealing similar narratives, I had just accepted it like most others. However, your video, alongside other sources, have reiterated the importance of critical thought over one’s own understanding. Thank you for this, as it can be especially difficult when considering one’s own country’s history, especially so for such a cornerstone as Ashoka the Great. Echoing your evaluation, I have come away feeling that the popular narrative is more problematic than at first glance. I also think that we should appreciate the true message of the narrative of tolerance and acceptance that the legend of Ashoka emphasises, as well as appreciating that the true story of Ashoka is one of those many pieces of history that we may never fully recover.

[@grapeshott]

Popular historical narrative is that Ashoka used an iron hand to consolidate his empire. There was nothing new there. Even our old NCERT says "100000 people dead" was exaggerated. That book and also other history books say that his rajukas and dhammamahamatras were somewhat invasive in people's lives Plus in books it's written that Ashoka gradually turned in to Buddhist after the Kalinga war under the influence of Upagupta, after nearly 2 years. It is only after Kalinga war that his Buddhist activities started.

[@truetool]

Excellently written

[@vamshikrishnareddy8988]

Chandra Gupta Maurya and Chanakya are the real heroes

[@utkarshdubey3435]

Bindusar met Ashoka' mother when she wasn't working for him and living with her father(most likely a Brahmans since she was educated) and fell in love and then gave her a Barber's job but later accepted her as his wife. - Priyadarsin means "He who regards everyone with affection". Also it's not complete name. -Ashoka was sent in exile by his brothers because of jealousy after succeeding in stopping Taxila's rebellion (so he wasn't exactly a hero, he was also very incompetent). -Ashoka only married twice so idk where a haram came from(yes their are theories about him burning women "thief" working for his wife but these have barely any proofs and they were before his supposed heart change. But yes we should stop writing history in great men's narrative but that doesn't mean we should go with Romila Thapar's narrative.

[@ravindrathakkar1234]

This is rubbish, we Indian can at least be gratetful to Asoka to giving us something we call history which no other ruler has given. Indian history otherwise is unreliable stories

[@captainhastings3761]

"If you think the news is fake today, imagine what they did with history"

[@nithishkavinraja]

Yeah, I'm seeing the effects here in this comment section🤧🤧.

[@MrSoothsayer]

A mlechha is Brainwashing naive ppl. I'm not surprised at all.

[@opm3193]

@@MrSoothsayer even TFI coved the same thing would you say the same thing for him??

[@MrSoothsayer]

@@opm3193 What Is TFI? I'm unaware of this abbreviation

[@opm3193]

@@MrSoothsayer the frustrated indian it's a very pro India channel still it said the very same things bout asoka as in this video

[@achintyaranjan695]

Ashoka personally embraced Buddhism at least two years before the Kalinga war

[@paarthwadhwa9941]

4 years Ashok became a Buddhist in his 4th year and ordered everyone to be Buddhist and in the 8th year attacked Kalinga to eliminate Jains and ajivikas

[@eshwarkumar2834]

yes

[@adithyaadi1363]

4 years before kalinga war

[@friendlyatheist9589]

@@MrSoothsayer kiya argument pel rahe log? For indians Ashoka Mauryan emipre and kalinga emipres both are our pride. I am sanatani I don't care abour cast creed here. This is out history and we must support and appreciate all.

[@WTFisDrifting]

He clearly says this in the video. So he was Buddhist when he enslaved 150k people from kalinga right?

[@udhayakumarMN]

It is always easier to say WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR, but truth lies in where no one dare to talk....

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

Literally the sources he has used in this video are from Romila Thapar and M.H Syed 🤣🤣. Those , after all are just leftist historians who glorify the Islamic rule of India and always defame the Indian monarchs.

[@opm3193]

@@nationalistunionofindia152 even TFI covered this same topic nd said the same thing

[@opm3193]

@@nationalistunionofindia152 just because they are leftists doesn't mean they're always wrong

[@opm3193]

@Rage of Zeus I really hate when people braggin about their culture it devalues it nd they don't understand these kids should be banned from the internet only 18+ allowed

[@minicineastemovies]

@@nationalistunionofindia152 if you just think about the story it is very suspicious that he just converted. the story has a lot of similarities with aurangzeb's, his older brother was more desirable and he always lived in insecurity and then killed off his brothers and ruled in a very communal and authoritarian manner.

[@chaitanyavarada6737]

There were many Buddhist Chaityas in Kanchipuram in Today's South Indian state of Tamil Nadu built by the Mauryas acted as conversion centres which were later destroyed by the Pallavas who restored Hinduism by constructing some of the most famous south Indian temples like Ekamreswara Temple, Kamakshi Temple etc from the ruins of those Chaityas

[@chaitanyavarada6737]

@kiran m No.. Vedic culture flourished in South India during their rule.. they were tolerant to all religions that's it..

[@knowledgedesk1653]

@kiran m Buddhism in China spread through Silk route not Pallavas.

[@knowledgedesk1653]

@kiran m Love in your fantasy. There was no major sea route from Pallavas to China. It spread through Silk route. Learn history fanatic.

[@pk8161]

@@chaitanyavarada6737 south india is dravidan..hindusum. There is no vedic culture. Hinduism.. You know Vijaynagra empire. They peak of Dravidian culture language temples in that time.. In vijaynagara sacrifice animals for God.... Almost in south india today also here..in some time they give humans also sacrifice for God.. dravidan hindusum

[@chaitanyavarada6737]

@@pk8161 The Pallavas were first to conduct both Ashvamedha and Rajasuya Yagnas in South India... If that's not Vedic enough then I don't know what is...

[@sahilnimsarkar5175]

I think this can be also applied to many historical accomplishments of rulers that we know. History is written by people in power, always.

[@sprrana6288]

You should check video on potential history to understand how history is Written because this statement is completely false!!!

[@grapeshott]

@@sprrana6288 They are always quoting this 19th century quote. Now a days history as told by academicians have become systematic. Even a new excavation takes 3 years to be made public after a lot of research and confirmation

[@ravindrathakkar1234]

As far as Asoka is concerned, he gave up war , as it led to animosity and advocated peace and conquest of heart. This Europe got to know only after the horrors of World War. So more than 300 years before Jesus, an Indian was telling a truth which Europeans realised so late, this they are not able to digest so they come up videos like these. Islamic world still needs 20 more Syria to know the truth.

[@ritwikreddy5670]

@@grapeshott It is still true. Although major well known events are well documented, the knowledge of lesser known events are still only being spread by the winners, so it doesn't matter if the history written by the losers exists in some vault in a library, people will always try to turn the narrative towards themselves and often lie by omission( since any other lie can be easily fact checked). The same reason news channels don't outright provide false information, but omit some information to suggest the narrative that suits them, and that way they are *technically* only providing true information while also pushing their narrative.

[@nithishkavinraja]

@@ravindrathakkar1234 Everywhere i read sub comments, I saw your copy pasted statements. Now I'm really disappointed.😂😂

[@prateek5286]

A more dominant father in any dynasty leaves a submissive progeny, which often becomes the dead end of their dynasty. The dynasty of Mauryan Empire closes after 6 generations after him which come and die rapidly. Same goes with Mughal Empire after Aurangzeb. Very simple, the more dominant the father, less exposure he gives to his son.

[@OddCompass]

Interesting theory!

[@prateek5286]

@@OddCompass thanks for reply. Kind of a history fan myself.

[@udhayakumarMN]

@@prateek5286 very nice ....

[@animeshpradhan529]

This theory if you study world history is true for atleast more than 70% of dynasties. Like literally, go to Rome with the famous tetrarchy and its downfall and the later kings of the Carolingian empire , several russian tsars(especially the last)the dunce of a kaiser Willhelm 2nd ( the one who fired bismarck) literally every chinese dynasty, most short lived dynasties in japan from the sengoku jidai period, the Bourbons, Swedes after almighty Carolus Rex( long live the king) sasanid persia after khusrau. Descendants of justinian of the byzantine empire, the mongol empire after kublai khan(even the mongols aren't exceptions this time )coming back to india each and every dynasty of the delhi sultanate the mughals the mauryans the guptas as well and on a lighter, more recent note look up how many seats Rajiv gandhi won in the LS and how much Rahul Gandhi won. This theory applies to every empire or kingdom i know of atleast.

[@prateek5286]

@@animeshpradhan529 My Social Science teacher pointed this out when I was in Class-VII, she always analysed many topics in history from NCERT and related them to common scenarios. I am myself from Patna, studied here in KV Bailey Road.

[@sridharb2900]

Similarly I've doubt on Alexander's end, I believe they have covered up Alexander's loss to Indian empire and just lying that he left back due to illness

[@DarthVader-no9cc]

This was how history got manipulated

[@sagnikacharyya5777]

more interestingly, while selucus got hugely mentioned in indian history, ( we have read stories about maurya and selucus in our childhood ) , alexander the G, was never widely mentioned in indian history. wonder why such an influencial leader got no mention, while his own general was? possible explanation is alexander never achived any victory invading into mainland due to a lot of reasons including a possible defeat in battle. The nanda dynasty never perceived his manuevers as a serious threat

[@adamnesico]

Alex left back due to his own soldiers mutineering, not for be sick. At least thats the story I always read here.

[@adamnesico]

@@sagnikacharyya5777 Well, remember what comments say that history is witten by the winners. Who was the winner here? The maurya/magadha empire. Alex naver made contact with the Magadha empire. Seleucus did, so its normal they give him more importance. Do you really think that if Alex would have lost, Seleucus would have won, or even dared to return? Well, as long as he didnt crossed the Indus, and he didnt, he wasnt a menace for the dinasty.

[@sagnikacharyya5777]

@@adamnesico dosent matter either way. what irks me is that there is no general discussion of pre 300BCE India. If huge powerful kingdom like nanda dynasty existed, they were preceeded by others too. the era of 2000 - 1500 BCE finds no mention. There are details available ofc, but not much and mostly in vedas or puranas ( Kuru dynasty ). No serious work was ever done by the ASI , which was and is used a political tool clouding an entire slice of indian history.

[@animeshpradhan529]

As i mentioned in one of my comments before, History is about complex figures not battles. An absolute masterpiece on your side. The greatest thing the internet is given to us is perhaps the ability to see through propaganda like other generations before us couldn't.

[@noone-zl2di]

Indians have always been gullible of believing in propaganda be it past or present. Indians always blinding believe others instead of doing their own research.

[@jonsnow1055]

@@noone-zl2di That's not true. Btw an average person is not going to ho through hundreds of sources. Only someone interested in it or studying history will do that. So chill tf out.

[@ramarne578]

@the illegitimate TY SON history is never right

[@dotsanddash8083]

Was Alexander great? No absolutely not, but he’s still called Alexander the Great.

[@plataoplomo9096]

Man feels like history is 80% fake! Now imagine about the dinosaurs

[@pulz1191]

Puru (Porus) who stopped him is never called Great. Akbar is called Great but not Vikramaditya or Lalitaditya or Shivaji or Bappa Rawal.

[@dotsanddash8083]

@@pulz1191 exactly, just western historian propaganda at its peak.

[@mr.snaplles5964]

He's called that due to his territorial expansions within a short period of time

[@azidahaka8543]

@@pulz1191 Porus lost in battle of Hydapses in 326 BC , Alexander stayed in Punjab for 2 years in case you don't know. Also , Latitaditya or Bappa rawal didn't conquer even 10 % of what akbar did. I don't think they deserve the title of great.

[@harkabirsingh1122]

When your favorite youtuber exposes your favorite historical figure

[@Shivathedestroyer04]

Still I love ashoka tho!!!

[@harkabirsingh1122]

@@Shivathedestroyer04 that 's your wish

[@abhishekunni2433]

Actually the feelings unchanged since he had that torture center and all, but a bit more happier to know he proved himself with work than look.

[@sanchitsingh4743]

@@abhishekunni2433 but the work of a king is evident in the way how he treats his subjects.And executing a religious group or ethnicity just due to a mockery of his personal religion shows the level of freedom of expression in the rule. Still I'm in a denial mode regarding the info provided in the video.

[@abhishekunni2433]

@@sanchitsingh4743 look man you need to see this a bit more objectively. There is no standard norm or superseding authority to command him to be a good King. It is why we have Democracy now. The Sultanates in India, the Mongols and the Ottomans were the same too, it is what happens when one man is given all the power but it was also why such Kingdoms were strong while they lasted.

[@anirudh177]

Kind of disappointed with the comments, it's just people saying "Ashoka was a total saint!" or "Ashoka was a cruel satanic demon!", like bro you can't say that he was perfectly good or that he was totally bad, this video just shows some of his flaws, he's in my opinion still admirable, not as great as we thought but still worth respecting, He expanded the empire to its limits, was a harsh ruler (but wayy better compared to so many others), he allowed religious freedom to some extent (as long as you don't insult buddhism), the empire under him was stable, and he gave more opportunities for women to study, but his dhammamatras were somewhat invasive and his bureaucratic reforms corrupted the Empire. from this we can see that he was an excellent general ( although he wasn't the best), he was a good but harsh ruler (again much better than so many others in history), he did give more rights but was cruel against those who were anti-buddhist, he was Intelligent and sophisticated and was well-versed in politics, the one very grave mistake he did was to overburden the empire by centralizing it. Ashoka was neither a saint nor a demon, he had both good and bad sides to him, this Ashoka still sounds better than your average ruler, or men like Timur, Hulagu Khan, Ivan the Terrible, Leopold II, any of the Three Pashas ( Enver, Djemal, Taalat) etc. Therefore, Ashoka was an admirable but harsh ruler with some flaws.

[@udhayakumarMN]

nice

[@OddCompass]

Well said! I tried to make a video that painted him as a nuanced figure - flawed, perhaps not “as great” as we normally conceive, but still impressive in certain respects. People get so upset about leftist/right wing, or whether someone is “defaming” their country instead of evaluating the whole story in a fair way.

[@maxtyson9035]

@@OddCompass what software do you use to compress the size of your video ? Can you please explain ?

[@abhishekmalviya4667]

@@thealchemist8212 video creater is concerning about left and right wing thing.... Saying 'people gets upset about leftist/right wing" and himself using leftist books as his sources..... 😂😂😂😂.... And asking others to be fair 😆😆...... Abh kya hi bole 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️😂😂

[@furqanshariff]

Why do you want to bring in governors, like the pashas

[@richiknair9036]

Can you make a video on Tipu sultan and his atrocities? Considering the fact that I'm half Travancore Nair, I'd love to see it

[@harivatsaparameshwaran4174]

Yup agreed.

[@sasmalprasanjit2764]

Then There will be Mass reporting of that Video by Our Fuc***** liberal****

[@Vikhyath_Shetty]

His atrocities are across coorg, mysore and mangalore too. Sadly some pseudo 's cheer for him.

[@KambliHula06]

@@Vikhyath_Shetty true bro

[@richiknair9036]

@N Gaming Watch Sanjeev Sanyal talk about this too. Your wrong about Ashoka. Also, Nandas were in power before Chandragupta Maurya not Ashoka. Just watch Sanjeev Sanyal talk about this

[@jcdenton1635]

Ashoka: massacres hundreds of thousands of people and imprisons countless others in torture facilities. Also Ashoka: cares about animal rights.

[@anjeevmaurya]

I don't see how those two are mutually exclusive. Consider this USA bombed shit out Taliban and it also cares about Uighur and rohingya muslims

[@hussain27syed]

Actually Hitler was also an animal lover. So much so that there is a dedicated page for Animal Welfare in Nazi Germany.

[@ravindrathakkar1234]

There was no Odia or Odia identity at that time. Odia don't might praising blood shedders like "ORIYA" Kharavela or even Alexander or Julius Caesar who prided in killing people but shun someone who gave up war.

[@ravindrathakkar1234]

@Jesus Lover Indians are migrating because they are not insular. They are like the Anglo-Saxon who have migrated all over the world like Australia, New Zealand , USA and CANADA. They can but Indians can't. As far as Asoka is concerned, he gave up war , as it led to animosity and advocated peace and conquest of heart. This Europe got to know only after the horrors of World War. So more than 300 years before Jesus, an Indian was telling a truth which Europeans realised so late, this they are not able to digest so they come up videos like these.

[@ravindrathakkar1234]

As far as Asoka is concerned, he gave up war , as it led to animosity and advocated peace and conquest of heart. This Europe got to know only after the horrors of World War. So more than 300 years before Jesus, an Indian was telling a truth which Europeans realised so late, this they are not able to digest so they come up videos like these. Islamic world still needs 20 more Syria to know the truth.

[@altcodex5625]

Monarchy was never clean and noble, majority of times in human human history, which is ironic.

[@MrSoothsayer]

Stop seeing everything with same perspective. Unlike Romans, Ashoka The Mahan never committed horrific crimes. He freed Persians from Macedonians

[@hdfhvcftyv]

@@MrSoothsayer well he is starting the general trend of all the monarch. Sure there may have been noble and just monarch but they are definitely in any majority of cases. Power can corrupt anybody whether of a poor or a noble descent.

[@WTFisDrifting]

@@MrSoothsayer the wars that lead to hundreds of thousands dead also lead him to his faith. He was definitely apart of killing thousands before his transition

[@MrSoothsayer]

@@hdfhvcftyv Of course! Power & greed can corrupt anyone. He is clubbing him with corrupt ppl. This is gross

[@altcodex5625]

@@hdfhvcftyv agreed

[@RahulGautam-ks4gc]

Sanjeev Sanyal has been saying this for years. Great video!

[@abondutta]

Ashoka converted to Buddhism before the war. he killed all those while a Buddhism practitioner. why he repented and become a good guy that I don't know.

[@udhayakumarMN]

He killed follower of rival religion...

[@muzammilibrahim5011]

Because the public started to hate him and he needed an image makeover.

[@Aladdin190gmail]

@@muzammilibrahim5011 like Mohammad 😂 .womenizer turned profit 😂

[@simplensample2724]

No need to know ..just eat n sleep n joy

[@tivo3720]

To defame Hinduism

[@mg1721]

I remember seeing a show where they questioned the sudden change and conversion of Ashoka after the battle of Kalinga. They said that the Buddhist scriptures that mentions this incident may have exaggerated to show how influential Buddhism was. This change probably happened over the course of many years and not like the sudden change the scriptures say.

[@09anup09]

Please tell me the name of the show

[@ravindrathakkar1234]

As far as Asoka is concerned, he gave up war , as it led to animosity and advocated peace and conquest of heart. This Europe got to know only after the horrors of World War. So more than 300 years before Jesus, an Indian was telling a truth which Europeans realised so late, this they are not able to digest so they come up videos like these. Islamic world still needs 20 more Syria to know the truth.

[@nithishkavinraja]

@@ravindrathakkar1234 dude... this is not cool.

[@knowledgedesk1653]

@@09anup09 Bharatavarsha

[@behappy8248]

*Yeah.. except there was no 'change', most likely. Ashoka was Buddhist prior to the Kalinga war, and a Buddhist after that, a violent person before, and a violent one after that* (and probably the first one to persecute people for religious reasons). He was just good with his propaganda (which seemingly everyone could see through before modern Indian historians)! Now, being violent and ambitious isn't a problem considering that most (if not all) emperors have been that way; but the only problem I have is in hiding this aspect and spreading lies to look holier than other emperors rather than just accepting the truth. _He was a great emperor, like many others, AND EMPERORS ARE NO SAINTS!_

[@raunaksinghdhanjal4168]

I cannot explain the amount of happiness i have for this, sanjeev sanyal have been saying this for years, I can now understand your point of view, kind of

[@ravindrathakkar1234]

Who is Sanjeev Sanyal, what historical research has he done ? As far as Asoka is concerned, he gave up war , as it led to animosity and advocated peace and conquest of heart. This Europe got to know only after the horrors of World War. So more than 300 years before Jesus, an Indian was telling a truth which Europeans realised so late, this they are not able to digest so they come up videos like these. Islamic world still needs 20 more Syria to know the truth.

[@anjeevmaurya]

@@ravindrathakkar1234 RSS propaganda pieces on Ashoka has been trying to vilify Ashoka. nothing new here. You can get all the points raised in this video there.

[@nithishkavinraja]

@@ravindrathakkar1234 OMG. This level of insanity is unbearable. Damn.... please don't spam the comment section with your copy paste comments. No one's believe you if you just shout louder. Ffs grow up.

[@rahultiwari-dx8qo]

@p chatterjee is he a historian?No end of the matter

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

Literally the sources he has used in this video are from Romila Thapar and M.H Syed 🤣🤣. Those , after all are just leftist historians who glorify the Islamic rule of India and always defame the Indian monarchs.

[@plataoplomo9096]

A historian stated that he threw a concubine to fire after she mocked his rough skin.

[@MrSoothsayer]

@Rage of Zeus Alexander was defeated by the porus a Cheiftian of Mauryan empire. Rewarded him with Thousands of elephants horses and gold. Alexander the Macedonian give up inhumane ideology & return to his mainland

[@leisureish]

@@MrSoothsayer lolz are you on drugs. First porus lost.second idiot mauryan empire starrted after eigth years of his death🤣

[@mughalproductions7722]

@@MrSoothsayer fin fact porus relatives are still alive today

[@MrSoothsayer]

@@leisureish Do not assume every being is narcotic consumer. Mauryan Dynasty was established by chandragupta maurya. Porus was a local Cheiftian. He didn't lose the battle!

[@MrSoothsayer]

@@mughalproductions7722 Maybe, in pakistan, Right?

[@adarshchaudhary5362]

Ashoka was not as bad as thought before kalinga war, he wasn't as good as thought after kalinga war. Buddhist records made him seem like that to further their buddhist agenda to show how much he changed after embracing buddhism. Fun fact: there is enough evidence to believe that ashoka never even embraced buddhism but just patronised it just like other religions of that time.

[@sunandabakshi2266]

Ashoka had accepted Buddhism atleast 4 years before the kalinga war

[@abhishekpodder7594]

I think he did.

[@karikalan8830]

There is inscription of Ashoka embracing buddhism he even sent his daughter and son to srilanka to spread buddhism.

[@susan5244]

@@karikalan8830 We have proof of that here in Nepal as well.We still have inscription of Charumati (his daughter) who built a Chaitya as an ode to her father's legacy.

[@ShivamGupta-qh8go]

ur comment makes so much sense

[@gabbarrf1745]

Buddhist monks were all peaceful. Iko ikki laughing in the corner.

[@rohith4966]

Lmao right. Iko Ikki & Japanese Empire use of buddhism to justify violence, 969 Movement, Sinhala Nationalism, and more. Fundamentalism is the same across all religions

[@truetool]

@@rohith4966 The same tired old trope. Fundamentalism is not the same across all religions. Some religions are fundamentalist by nature, e.g. the so-called 'religion of peace'. Others get fundamentalist when forced into being so. Just read their scriptures to understand the difference.

[@benderisback619]

@@truetool lol. You wish. My ReLigiOon iS BeTTeR ThAAAn oThErsss

[@dhribbler7303]

@@truetool there have been radical religious movements both preceding and following Islam that have engaged in a fair amount of violence, ask the Catholics and Protestants during the 30 years war or the imposition of Buddhist orthodoxy by Ashoka as mentioned in this very video. That is not to say that there has been no religious violence following Islam, to pretend otherwise is to be in denial of reality. It's just that no one religious group perennially is a perpetrator or victim, unlike what your simplistic comment suggests. Your comments are more indicative of your prejudices more than anything else. You just need one group to blame.

[@dhribbler7303]

@@sparingharbor2600 If you read his comment, He frames religious violence from other religions as being in response to solely or mostly from one religion. It is this categorisation that I disagree with, not with some idea of one religion being necessarily more violent than the other. Such an inquiry is quite often a futile exercise meant to just target present practitioners of whatever faith you (or someone else) don't like. While the past should be looked into for what it is, worts and all, to use it for continuing present grudges (like what the commenter above I feel like is doing) is a pernicious exercise. Who is a victim and who is perpetrator is not not constant by history or location, the commenter on the other hand seems to argue contrary to this fact. I'm not here to defend or reject some faith, what I am against is this constant need by some commentators from our country in particular to make everything into some religious brawl. So please spare the talk of my prejudices.

[@mayankbisht7691]

1:43 I think similar thing was done with backstory of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, he was claimed to be a Khatriya even though sources conflict. Personally I think he was a great king, Khatriya or not.

[@OddCompass]

Indeed! And the same was also true of Chandragupta Maurya (I believe the historical record supports the idea that he was actually a Shudra).

[@09anup09]

@@OddCompass Hindu sources claim he is shudra while Buddhist sources claim he is Kshatriya

[@_devil536]

@@OddCompass it's unknown he was someone adopted and there are no record of his origin it's just speculation not truth.

[@Abhishek-sr2pu]

@@09anup09 I mean a hindu was his guardian so you can figure the rest about which sources is true.

[@friendlyatheist9589]

@@OddCompass the truth are you talking about is true for literally all of the historical emipres and kings. There are couple of historians wrote and Alexander and there are no physical evidence that he even existed. Story of greatness was over exaggerated by greek historian accounts.

[@museruse1]

2000 years ago - The girl cutting his hair is conveniently a Brahmin, this is how they manipulated narratives. 40-50 years ago - My father laughs in Feroze Gandhi.

[@Adyjetu]

And am laughing in Rahul Gandhi now ...... Epic

[@museruse1]

@@Adyjetu Hahaha

[@KalporupGoswami]

@@CuriosityforTruth dude sati existed for a long time before islamic invasion. Perhaps not so widespread, it was there. Even in Mahabharat Madri commits sati with the death of Pandu. Also greek historian Aristobulus in Gupta Empire claimed that certain tribes engaged in the practice of sati and somewhat similar rite

[@Yashcky_]

Sorry bro if sati existed after mid evil period it was not cumpetion ...even maharaj shivji mother doesn't go sati ...kunti in Mahabharata ....rani. Lakshmi bai ...kesh vapan was limited...only one or two incident s in english rules describe kesh vapa....so before you talk correct and study facts👍👍

[@CuriosityforTruth]

@@KalporupGoswami It was there, but not "compulsory", as wives of Krishna didn't had sati after his death. It came in a swing after the Islamic raids. Well but "Parda Pratha" was created in era of invasion na?

[@XavierMemeWorld]

this is a really informative video because here in India most of the rulers are either consider one as God level person or total evil, we must understand that the truth lies somewhere in between.

[@HsenagNarawseramap]

Who are the Tamil kings that won against Asoka? That sounds very interesting!

[@srisaiadarshd.r8590]

Chola ,pandya ,cheras three Tamil kingdoms joined together defeat the invasion

[@rahultiwari-dx8qo]

None most of them were his tributaries

[@srisaiadarshd.r8590]

@@rahultiwari-dx8qo lol even ashoka edicts say that they became thier allies

[@penpithmind1941]

@@srisaiadarshd.r8590 It was settlement, not war.

[@knowledgedesk1653]

Nope they were allies

[@Alexander_D_Shaffer]

The irony of being called Priyadarshi reminds me a lot of the irony of Sargon choosing the name 𒊬𒊒𒄀 which basically means "true king". I can't stop thinking about the similarities with Constantine the Great and George Washington either. A great royal patron of a "young" religion who starts to look fuzzy under scrutiny. A lynchpin in a nation-building narrative with seriously problematic details swept aside. Thinking about flawed idols makes me think about how we talk about our own family members after they pass. Do we bring up the fact that great grandpa was a violent alcoholic, when he did so much for the family and had so many redeeming qualities? There comes a point where people stop existing as people in our memories and start existing as patron saints of the virtues we choose for them. Usually I'm impressed by your ability to bring a fascinating subject I know almost nothing about and make a cool video about it, but this time I'm impressed by your ability to take a relatively familiar subject and pack it with new interesting details.

[@OddCompass]

Fascinating -- as usual, I enjoy your detailed commentary on the subject and the broader implications. Glad you liked the video!

[@anaghshetty]

Wait, can we type cuneiform? I didn’t know it was supported on Unicode

[@Alexander_D_Shaffer]

@@anaghshetty I just recently learned we can! This was my debut use of it haha

[@utkarshdubey3435]

Priyadarśin- He who regards everyone with affection. It wasn't about his appearance(classic case of wrong translation very pravelent in Indian historical research done in British era and sometimes even in independent era). As for his looks even that can be disputed since some source call him good looking liking his appearance with Surya Dev(sun god considered beautiful)

[@nithishkavinraja]

@@utkarshdubey3435 can you tell me which original sources "actually" tell ashoka was a good looking person, please? I can't find any....

[@jnaneshwarkonanur323]

Chanakya: Works his ass off with Chandragupta Maurya to unite India and build a decentralized but united empire with pragmatic taxation all written in his books. Ashoka: Hmmm, I am going to do the exact opposite.

[@Shivathedestroyer04]

Ashoka was the sole reason for the disintegration of the great mauryan empire.(And ashoka had only faught 2 wars In his entire lifetime which is pretty low as compared to his father and grandfather)

[@haardsarvaiya390]

@Jnaneshwar Konanur Do you really know Ashoka the Great? Huh? You don't know anything about ASHOKA. Because when ASHOKA the great was on the throne, he had whole India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, all under his rule. Ge fought too many battles in his life

[@jonsnow1055]

@@haardsarvaiya390 Hmm. Afghanistan was only party under him. The rest of it was under the Seleucids.

[@haardsarvaiya390]

@@jonsnow1055 no he defeated Seleucus Nicator 1 and got all part. You can check in google, if you don't trust me. Type "Map of India at the time of Ashoka".

[@vaitheesjppa8220]

@@Shivathedestroyer04 except tamil kingdom we were free and remain free except british obviosly

[@mayankanand1153]

Ashoka would be really great if he honestly followed basic and fundamental principles of his ultimate and extraordinary Guru 'Chanakya' ...

[@udhayakumarMN]

Chanakya was dead before ashoka borned

[@middlewayers]

Because he was hindu..? Lol

[@ayush7745]

@@middlewayers his mother was brahmin and father would be kshtriya

[@verygood578]

I'm from Bihar ( Magadh ) , patna ( Patliputra ) . And I am proud of my ancestors , Chandragupta Maurya United our india even in that old times. Jai bihar , jai chanakya , jai Chandragupta Maurya and jai Aryabhatta 🇮🇳❤️.

[@satisfyinggames8761]

bihar 🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮

[@rishabhbhatnagar3009]

Jai chandragupt maurya ❤

[@allensnea9335]

I researched about Ashoka and yes, he was not a good person but that does not take away from all the good he did. Ashoka was a product of his time and social status who was brave enough to break those fictional constructs by an event so horrific it would scar anyone (100,000 dead bodies). In that sense Ashoka is an ordinary person but I find it reassuring because he was ordinary, it proves that you need not be a god to have a change of heart. Reconciliation and progress can happen to anyone at any time, all it takes is the vigor to be challenged. Lastly, I don't praise him blindly yet I do not discredit all he has done. I'm proud that our country has someone like him.

[@MrSoothsayer]

Pleased to see some sensible comments.

[@trisamudeshwar7184]

Did you not see about the torture room this man saw people get tortured for fun how does death scar him he killed his brothers and sisters so please and he was not able also ashis empire crumbled very soon after his death

[@trisamudeshwar7184]

@@reminiscence4142 i do not have hatred for him and yes there is historical records from both buddhist and non budhist sources

[@reimei2819]

True. Ashoka was brought up in an environment where it was normal to kill or be killed. The fact that he changed for the better and created a more peaceful and prosperous nation is the key learning here and what future generations need to keep in mind. History used to be about learning so we don't repeat the mistakes of the past and also to have more gratitude of the struggles of those who came before. Learning about History should render us wiser and more empathetic or compassionate towards others circumstances. But recently character assassination and blaming current powerlessness on past mistakes has become the norm. This type of history learning creates no value.

[@trisamudeshwar7184]

@@reminiscence4142 this attitude of completely disregarding the puranas just because it has exaggerations is faulty , these texts must be studied and the things that happened must come into light

[@OkusTenet]

You should also make a video on "how Alexander the great dies just after backing off from India after a battle with King Porus" and how the ancient Greek historians made a story that Alexander let Porus live and Run his kingdom lol.

[@divyathab3851]

One must bear in mind - there is no king that is benevolent or just. That's the harsh truth. Most historical records echo what was ordered by the kings to glorify them.

[@OddCompass]

Yep!

[@AL-jg4pr]

@Extra Extra tbf they are more of a legendary king. We don't really know what really happened.

[@POLSKA-sy6hp]

@Monster of Aces if we killed Buddhists then why would Our Raja Raja Chola took treatment at a Buddhist Temple at Nagapattinam while returning from the War in Sri Lanka

[@reimei2819]

I disagree

[@POLSKA-sy6hp]

@Raja Shreyash Singh leave it bruh he's such an idiot spreading hate towards Tamils

[@egregiouslytalented2381]

I saw some of your older videos and immediately rushed to your channel page to see if you are still uploading such Magnificient videos, as the amount of support you receive is nowhere near the work that has been shown in your videos, I was especially scared because your channel is basically one of its kind on youtube and I never want the work to be discontinued, I'll make sure to share this video like it's my own freaking channel! keep putting in the amazing work! though i'm just a student and cannot yet contribute much in terms of monetary support, i'm sure passionate people like me can so i'd recommend you to open up a Patreon page. thankyou for your wonderful and unbiased work!

[@OddCompass]

Thank you so much! I appreciate your continued support 🙏🏽

[@ankitxrana]

Whatever he did, he did. I still respect him as the greatest ruler in Indian history. He was one of the only two legendary 'samrat chakravartins' of India. No man ever surpassed him in Indian history, perhaps no one ever will.

[@svs4305]

This is applicable to every kings, every kingdom got dirty secrets Kings were dictators not democracy lovers.

[@shreyashabhinav1979]

Vikramaditya

[@Tintin824]

I would love to see you talk about Chanakya and Chandragupta, if we're on the subject of the Mauryans! Also, as an Indian by blood, I often have doubts about what the point of "India" is. Is it just some frankenstein nation? A falsely constructed civilization made out of way too distinct parts? The revelation that the Ashoka most recognize today was a political tool brought that doubt to my mind once again. But I think that maybe a unified state does not a nation or civilization make. For all the diversity and political division of the subcontinent, I think that most "Indians" throughout history still thought of an India as a country, not a state per se but a land that they lived on. Maybe we don't need Ashoka, or a great man as a symbol. Actually, we probably shouldn't. But I think there's some kind of lineage and heritage that the subcontinent shares even then. Probably rambled a bit too much there lol

[@aswathi9215]

Couldn't agree with you more. There is definitely a civilizational thread that unites 'Indians' and the current Indian state, with all its symbolism, is a very poor imitation-hodge podge creation. I believe when we rediscover that binding connection, that is when 'real' India can be forged.

[@akashsinha2880]

This guy sounds like a conspiracy theorist. According to his logic all kings were extremely evil.

[@Tintin824]

@@akashsinha2880 care to explain?

[@mannysmandatories5595]

There are scriptural references of Bharata as a singular continuous geopolitical entity before Ashoka’s reign. While it is in fact a collection of states, there always was a sentiment that they were a part of the same civilization

[@Tintin824]

@@mannysmandatories5595 This, I think, is the best proof of the idea. I imagine that the Vedic kingdoms viewed themselves not as nation states but as states within a country? And then that idea carried forward for many years.

[@Thesungod95]

The story of Ashoka's conversion to buddhism after kalinga war is a well maintained lie.

[@sahilyadav-gi6oe]

it was about conquere and consolidation .. one religion one culture one king

[@russ4650]

@@sahilyadav-gi6oe consolidation of power is seen everywhere

[@KingKhan-123]

Any evidence to YOUR claims?

[@Thesungod95]

@@KingKhan-123 you are not any court.

[@Sweetetika]

@@KingKhan-123 you can research it . It's all over internet now.

[@anandakrishnank9476]

You do a lot of work on generally ignored parts of history. I would be pleased if you could also do a video on northeastern history. Like Ahom empire etc. Love your work.

[@sumitron2k]

Ashok was bascially a human like everyone else including us with flaws/limitations and positive. He was similar to other rulers across time who wanted to spread area controlled, maybe righteous and just ruler but we will never know what was propaganda. The only thing I know for sure is the iron pillar doesn’t rust and I one knows how 😝

[@wwuunngg]

@@rk-is3cw wrong in past senses of religious doctrine but definitely not in the common era's mindset I mean c'mon, following the laws of varna system? That's sickening.

[@dv9239]

The iron pillar is older than Ashoka though Probably belonged to Chandra gupta maurya Or as per popular belief Shri Ram

[@abhinavjain2102]

Great and Informative, please consider doing a series on the Gupta Period and the Hephthalite invasions. It was a true golden period in Indian History.

[@DMystif]

Great job as usual, I had indeed no clue that Ashoka had such a massive darkside. It's not always to nuance depending on the sources you access and it's really cool that you always go that extra mile to do so !

[@ravind3263]

Bro is only talking about his flaws without any proofs

[@akshittripathi5403]

Absolutely incredible stuff as always. I really hope you cover the various kingdoms in India between the Mauryan era and 1000 AD- it'll take you several videos to do that. There is so much history that hardly anyone knows about!

[@OddCompass]

Thanks, and I'll definitely cover those kingdoms (I've covered a few already: Rashtrakuta Dynasty and Chola Empire, for example)!

[@Abhishek-sr2pu]

@@OddCompass any chance of gajapati empire 😂

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

@@OddCompass Literally the sources you have used in this video are from Romila Thapar and M.H Syed 🤣🤣. Those , after all are just leftist historians who glorify the Islamic rule of India and always defame the Indian monarchs.

[@dafeels3085]

@@nationalistunionofindia152 aren't you the guys who say that during mughal times India had 20% of world GDP and was the RICHEST country in the world ?

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

@@dafeels3085 Delusional boy. India had the highest riches in the Gupta age from, when it had 33% of the world’s GDP. The mughals reduced it to 24%, the brits to 3.1%. From 1AD and before to 1000AD, India has 33% of The world’s GDP. In the medivial period it went down to 24% and in 1850s when india was under British rule it was 11% and in 1947 it was 3.1%. Clear much ?

[@arsalanshaikh3763]

Thanks a lot for the very insightful thought provoking video. I am amazed and also disheartened to hear all this about Ashoka but historical facts and evidences should be always accepted and over presumptions and biases should be ignored. I will definitely go through the reading list you mentioned in the description of the video. Thanks again 🙏

[@utkarshdubey3435]

Bindusar met Ashoka' mother when she wasn't working for him and living with her father(most likely a Brahmans since she was educated) and fell in love and then gave her a Barber's job but later accepted her as his wife. - Priyadarsin means "He who regards everyone with affection". -Ashoka was sent in exile by his brothers because of jealousy after succeeding in stopping Taxila's rebellion (so he wasn't exactly a hero, he was also very incompetent). -Ashoka only married twice so idk where a haram came from(yes their are theories about him burning women "thief" working for his wife but these have barely any proofs and they were before his supposed heart change. But yes we should stop writing history in great men's narrative but that doesn't mean we should go with Romila Thapar and Sanjeev Shanyal's narrative with some Dravidian Vs Aryan nonsense.

[@nithishkavinraja]

I agree too, we should ignore all historical biases and presumptions and explore true history. And I can't believe there's a huge number of people want to believe and spread this biased propaganda. How long is it gonna take that history is always written by the winners. Even if it's true, it will probably be exaggerated anyways. So trusted original sources are damn important.

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

Literally the sources he has used in this video are from Romila Thapar and M.H Syed 🤣🤣. Those , after all are just leftist historians who glorify the Islamic rule of India and always defame the Indian monarchs.

[@mazadancoseben4818]

@@nationalistunionofindia152 , there may be some truth here But yeah, I will have to analyze them clearly History seems to be very unclear Can't trust either left-wing or right-wing sources

[@dheerajpimoli9539]

If you conquer this big empire and try to rule it and centralise it you will have to be hard people generally don't wanna be part of big empire

[@karandullet380]

@Rage of Zeus like their identity even matters in unified India

[@phanikishan8432]

I always had this question as to why Chandragupta who built the empire from scratch is not as popular as Ashoka... And the story of his rise with chanakya is far more interesting than Ashoka's fairy tale story..

[@jsus6653]

Chanakya is a myth no single Greek or Persian books have recorded any human like him.

[@phanikishan8432]

@@jsus6653 so if only some non indian records or tells a folktale it becomes true...is it.

[@jsus6653]

@@phanikishan8432 most Indian writings are fictional inspired with son of god's mighty beings and spiritual as such so at the time of mauryan or Nanda there were no real legit history writers except Greeks, Persians and mauryans themselves

[@phanikishan8432]

@@jsus6653 so are the greek stories. They are all in story form coming from oral tradition and hence the fantastical elements...

[@jsus6653]

@@phanikishan8432 yet there were many great Greek, Egyptian, persian historians who did record events from science to history since

[@iwatchDVDsonXbox360]

Is Ashoka even called himself Ashoka? It's just feels like when documents talk about Ashoka they talk about different guy. And buddhist scriptures sounds a lot like a buddhist propaganda. "Look, he was so bad, but after he converted to buddhism he became awesome. You know why? Because buddhism is awesome." At least it is what I hear when i read them.

[@utkarshdubey3435]

Their is a certain amount of propaganda in Buddhist text but they are not the only ones also, this had alot of inconsistency and wrong translation (like almost all points had something to wrong in them🤦‍♂️), not surprising considering his sourcess, still I'm happy that ppl are interested in Indian history. Even if it's to create certain narrative.

[@ashokathegreat2397]

He called himself "Beloved of the gods".

[@arpitadas1224]

I am from Odisha. The Kalinga war was fought in modern day Odisha near the Daya river. He wanted to convert people to Buddhism and he was successful kinda. So we have Dhaulagiri, the place where the edicts (inscriptions on pillars) are and as the narrator here mentions there is no sign of repentence. It was later that it was constructed that Ashoka converted to Buddhism after the war because he was sad and repented. Aurangzeb is also whitewashed in the same way. But it is harder to believe Aurangzeb being nice or repenting because the history is much more recent, therefore difficult to manipulate.

[@iwatchDVDsonXbox360]

@@arpitadas1224 to be honest, i think Ashoka was whitewashed (after his convertion) and blackwashed (before his convertion) at the same time. In my opinion real Ashoka is somewhere in between. I personally agree with an author of this video that his message was a threat and not repentance. He might have been saddened by what he did, but it wasn't a point of his message. I think he wanted to say "if you gonna act as Kalinga, you'll meet the same fate despite my personal desires to avoid it".

[@arpitadas1224]

@@ashokathegreat2397 I am not comparing the two. I was talking about the whitewashing and if you think Aurangzeb to be great then you clearly have not read fatwa e alamgiri

[@manjunathahindi5956]

Please make video on Proudhadevaraya of Vijayanagara dynasty. He also great emperor as much as Krishnadevaraya.

[@arundayal9974]

@kiran m kundiga naye

[@fatpotato3512]

@kiran m what?! There was a Madurai sultanate

[@fatpotato3512]

@kiran m by whom bro.

[@arundayal9974]

@kiran m kundiga naye

[@aagamjain3162]

Living in India, I had never ever known this side of Ashoka. In school history, he was always glorified as one of the best leaders we have had...Even in general knowledge related stuff, none of this was covered. I always felt that it was foolish to believe that a single war could have changed him, but never really pondered on his cruelty. Your analysis at the end was perfect...He has been glorified solely for political purposes.

[@SPiDER.262]

This video information is not correct

[@Vibhav_Kumar_2116]

Alexander which is Famous for Battel of Hydespues and Conquere of World but You know No Indian Historian wrote about Invasion of Alexandra in India. So Alexander was also Deafeted by Porus a mere Cheiftean.

[@amandeepbisht3156]

Yup

[@smritidubey8562]

@Kaustabh lot of greeks accepted budhism.We have Indo Greek buddhist.

[@prithviprakash1110]

An episode on Ashoka? This has to be good. 😎👌🏼

[@koushalyag3608]

Such a well made analysis! History with context is the need of the hour.

[@Anonymous-yr1hv]

In my childhood, I remember studying that Ashoka planted trees on both sides of the roads for the people to rest and arranged food and water for people travelling. We are taught this again and again- in Class 1, again in class 2, again in class 3 and finally in Class 9. At that time, we thought Ashoka was a Saintly figure. Now, when I remember those chapters in my school textbooks, I wonder- is planting trees that great thing? I mean, seriously? I thought Ashoka's empire was extremely prosperous and a utopia to live- atleast until this video. I never knew religious conflicts existed even then- now I know it's in our DNA😂😂 Ashoka was definitely not all bad, but he was not a Saint either. He was just a normal man, like us, with both good and bad. Although I seriously doubt his mental condition- which sane mind would love watching people getting tortured for hours? And, it's ironic Ashoka chose to be called "Priyadarshi". Was he mocking himself?😂

[@Maolana_ModiG]

Modi ji also PH to divyang

[@playhard719]

I would love to see a some kind of brief chronology video of Indian history from Odd Compass.

[@richiknair9036]

Ashoka :- Nehru before Nehru. No wonder Nehru, his descendants and those similarly ideologically compromised distorians kept perpetuating the lie. Nehru's socialism once again led to another stagnation/fall of India just like Ashoka I already knew about this but came here since Abhijit Iyer Mitra tweeted it as well.

[@KiranSingh-zr8jr]

Wow! Love your video. It gives much more knowledge about Indian history than any other texts I read! ❤️

[@shashanksuman]

Correction : It’s the British historians who lionised Ashoka during colonial rule, early Indian politicians just bought into it since all of them were British educated elite. Shouldn’t have quoted Romila Thapar, a self proclaimed expert on Indian history who doesn’t understand Sanskrit or any other ancient Indian languages.

[@OddCompass]

Romila Thapar's quote is not an indication that I agree with her ideas. Her quote simply brings up an interesting point: that Ashoka is almost entirely absent from Indian histories prior to the British, and that is probably worth mentioning. Among Indians, he was little respected. Why? That's a question worth asking.

[@nithishkavinraja]

@@OddCompass Good question, anybody wants to answer it? No ig...

[@phulchandtripathi6275]

@@OddCompass Because he was a Buddhist and Buddhism challenges the very idea of Brahmin superiority (and most historians were and are Brahmins). I remind you that Mauryan empire's last king 👑'Brihadrath' was assassinated by a Brahmin army official who established his own dynasty, the Sung dynasty. Ashoka and Buddhism were both unfavorable fot the upper caste Indians so they cast him out of history. Had the great explorer Alexander Cunningham not uncovered Ashoka's legacy, he would still be in the oblivion. But still casteist and biased historians like Romila Thapar can't accept the fact that a Shudra, and more over a Buddhist, can be so prosperous an emperor. So I prefer foreign accounts rather than the biased Hindu or even jain accounts if you think Buddhist accounts are too utopian, because foreigners wrote history with dispassionate eyes, just as an ideal historian should.

[@phulchandtripathi6275]

@@OddCompass Maybe some people will be upset over your video I'm sure. I suggest you make your next video on Ram and Krishna to even things out. You may use the book 'Riddles in Hinduism' as your reference. Or if that is too volatile for you maybe try exposing Gandhi, who was a racist, casteist,and communal person even after people started calling him 'Mahatma'. For that you may use the book 'Rangela Gandhi' as context, it is also available in English.

[@pinkguy880]

@@phulchandtripathi6275 After watching this video I'm more confused at what to believe in. Can you recommend me some books where I can read the unbiased History of India without the caste angle? I'm especially interested in the empire of Magadha.

[@youreminence2179]

Ashoka infact brought about the later destruction of Mauryan Empire. Chanakya and Chandragupta Maurya had left behind a capitalistic empire which focused on trade and prosperity. It's all mentioned in Arthashastra. Bindusar kept the same system in place with minor reforms. Ashoka however turned the prosperous empire into a bureaucratic and socialist nightmare where government regularly interrupted trade and day to day life.

[@Shivathedestroyer04]

You are right ashoka was the sole reason for the destruction of the great mauryan empire

[@mrityu3353]

Bro he was Bindusar Bimbisar was in Haryanka dynasty

[@sujothcherukat1545]

Chandragupta is from Gupta dynasty which came into being much later

[@Abhishek-sr2pu]

No empire in ancient history were capitalist though.

[@robinchettri6966]

@@sujothcherukat1545 You're confusing Chandragupta Maurya with Chandra Gupta

[@ShaileshWaran]

No one conquers tamil kings. who are tamil kings?

[@udhayakumarMN]

spice kings

[@raveeshathihanka9710]

Tell that to Sri Lankan’s, they whoop Tamil ass more than anyone.last ass whooping ended in 2009

[@Shivathedestroyer04]

@@raveeshathihanka9710 That's not ass whopping that's called a genocide. Always remember srilanka was most of the time was ruled by tamil Kings Not your poor weak sinhala kings who were cowards😂😂😂😂paying tributes to South Indian kings

[@randomturd1415]

Bindusara tried to invade but after years of war the Tamils managed to hold on. Ultimately bindusara married a chola princess to show respect to the pride of the Tamils. Ashoka didn't attack cuz his aunt was tamil, and the primary reason was naval access, which he got after Kalinga

[@rahulkrishna7256]

@@Shivathedestroyer04 ya bro,

[@akhtaruzzamanjoy8524]

This is currently the best Indian history KZbin channel. Keep it up guys

[@samanthnair2692]

OMG! I can barely imagine how powerful and advanced was the Tamil kingdoms to repel such a huge empire! Kudos!

[@MrDK-oy8wi]

The cholas or the pandyas..?

[@Shrutishastry279]

That was so well-researched and interesting to watch. I loved the part where you said that emperors are complex, and Ashoka was too - because I was trying to make up my mind about him, and I wasn’t able to - we don’t necessarily need to brand him! Great video

[@utkarshdubey3435]

How was that so well researched when his translation of Priyadarsin was so wrong it means "He who regards everyone with affection" also this name is incomplete.

[@Shrutishastry279]

@@utkarshdubey3435 I feel like that can be forgiven/ignored. I meant “well researched” along the lines of the edicts, and what all they revealed about Ashoka as an emperor!

[@utkarshdubey3435]

@@Shrutishastry279-Bindusar met Ashoka' mother when she wasn't working for him and living with her father(most likely a Brahmans since she was educated) and fell in love and then gave her a Barber's job but later accepted her as his wife. - Priyadarsin means "He who regards everyone with affection". -Ashoka was sent in exile by his brothers because of jealousy after succeeding in stopping Taxila's rebellion (so he wasn't exactly a hero, he was also very incompetent). -Ashoka only married twice so idk where a haram came from(yes their are theories about him burning women "thief" working for his wife but these have barely any proofs and they were before his supposed heart change.) But yes we should stop writing history in great men's narrative but that doesn't mean we should just use any non collaborative evidence and just by putting question mark to them.

[@utkarshdubey3435]

@@Shrutishastry279 yes they revealed that he was a king who asked his people to not attack his other people, another thing that they show is he never tried to force 'Vanvasi'(that's how they are called in edicts) to change their way of life neither did he discriminate against them, even though he banned other people from hunting he never asked that from 'Vanvasi' because they lived of meat mostly. He didn't talk about that even though both of these are written in same edicts. He never gave up weapons just aggression (a norm in those days and even now in strong countries).

[@utkarshdubey3435]

@@Shrutishastry279 and also isn't it convenient that their is just one 'half' edict(which was used to show superiority over Ashoka) that exist in an area whose king was actively hostile to him while every other have multiple edicts, theirs a good chance that they were destroyed but that's not taught because it's an assumption just like these are!( Notice all those questions marks in his statement like sensational news headlines 🤦‍♂️.) Theirs also an assumption that he was good-looking because he is often compared with Surya Dev(Sun god) renowned for his beauty but that's also an assumption based on some evidence so we don't have enough evidence, just like his uglyness is an assumption based on some records.

[@user-oq2rk7ep8f]

Every Indian knows that Ashoka looked like Shah Rukh Khan 😂😂😂😂😂

[@maxtyson9035]

What software do you use to compress the size of your video ? Can you please explain ?

[@Austenite762]

Came here after Sanjeev Sanyal's (the principal economic adviser of Indian Govt) recommendation.. Your video is going places 🔥

[@sharadowasdr]

This was way better than the Kings and Generals video.

[@suryanshsingh4533]

True

[@dhribbler7303]

This is true, non-Indian (I believe the creator is Indian origin) will quite often only present surface level talking points about Indian history, as for them it's just one more content market to cater to.

[@moksh7302]

Ashoka in reality: ugly, dishevelled. Ashoka in movies: played by sharukh khan.

[@pk8161]

In movie same ex: krishna is means black...but acted in movie serial is fair skin

[@moksh7302]

@@pk8161 ye saare milke humko pagal bana rahe hai.......

[@pk8161]

@@moksh7302 i don't know what you write? Tell English iam from south india

[@mayankbisht7691]

Cultural whitewashing

[@mayankbisht7691]

@@pk8161 It means "everyone is making us stupid".

[@mayankanand1153]

It hurts seeing this kind of Beautiful channel still not reached 100k 😠

[@enioni716]

Loved it. more of such kind of videos on any historically beloved and worshiped figures.

[@sivakumarponniah6934]

Awesome. Never failed to excite!! Keep up the energy.

[@braunarsch]

oooh very interesting! indeed, we were never taught the complexities of his rule in school. great work dude!

[@OddCompass]

Thank you very much!

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

Literally the sources he has used in this video are from Romila Thapar and M.H Syed 🤣🤣. Those , after all are just leftist historians who glorify the Islamic rule of India and always defame the Indian monarchs.

[@braunarsch]

@@nationalistunionofindia152 well i cant expect a non-biased opinion from an account that calls itself "nationalist union of india".... are you one of those several trolls who have been inundating videos that have even a slight critical viewpoint of anything in indian "non-mughal" history? please bother someone else on some other channel thanks...

[@jaisalsanghvi]

Another important reason behind choosing Ashoka's legacy for national symbols was that Nehru was against Hindu revivalism (his own words) and using Hindu imagery might have contributed to such revivalism. There is some wisdom in that, I hope he'd gone for atheistic / sceptical traditions of India instead but Buddhism is much larger and very big globally.

[@aayushsharma9478]

Ik I sound a bigot but the Indian Flag SUCKS. after independence we could have used the 1) Saffron/cultural Nationalist flag 2) start calling India 'bharat' even though unofficially 3) make the first speech speech in HINDI .....'"when the world's sleeps ..." Ffs no one knew English back then . Every country needs etho cultural Nationalism to develop..... We started with writing urdu in public places when most of the population could not eat. Sad.

[@mritunjoyguha9635]

The opening line of the Constitution reads "India, that is Bharat"

[@aswathi9215]

@@aayushsharma9478 yeah, many East Asian nations adopted symbolism from mythology (like Indra, Garuda) while we, like a good neo colonised state bought into Ashoka the GrEaT...

[@609neo]

@@aayushsharma9478 Actually there is a possibility that you can be put into trouble for your words. According to our laws "Whoever in any public place or in any other place within public view burns, mutilates, defaces, difiles, disfigures, destroys, tramples upon or [otherwise shows disrespect to or brings] into contempt ( *whether by words, either spoken or written* , or by acts) the Indian National Flag or the Constitution of India or any part thereof shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both." It is interesting to note that this fascist rule was passed in 1971 (Insults to National Honour Act, 1971) during the time of the worst autocrat in modern India - Indira Gandhi.

[@rishikeshp.5610]

I'm surprised no one has went after you for " There is some wisdom in that".

[@atlasaltera]

Happy to see such a critical and in-depth overview of Ashoka's reign. Moreover, I am noticing that your video editing and effects are getting noticeably better with every video. Keep up the good work!

[@OddCompass]

Thanks buddy! I was just checking out your video on population dispersal and found it utterly fascinating 👍🏽

[@pk8161]

14:53 Greatest kings krishna Deva raya and amoghavarsha.. with ashoka

[@Infiniteemptiness]

Thanks for bringing much needed perspective

[@maanavallampallam4864]

I've really been enjoying your videos. As a history enthusiast, I would love to learn more about Indian history. Could you share some of your sources? I've had some trouble finding good sources on Indian history during the classical period.

[@soudipsanyal]

Very very very well researched. These are true facts. All the big emperors had tweeked history suiting their narratives. So it's very very important to analyse the proofs rationally and not emotionally. Can you call him Ashoka the great? Well, yes. Because authoritarian regime is not to be evaluated by wellfare but by the longevity & stability.

[@udhayakumarMN]

great but not that great

[@soudipsanyal]

@@udhayakumarMN that way no king will be great honestly

[@commiebatman2078]

Holy hell dude this was awesome!! Your videos keep improving, I see you took my suggestion of making them more interesting, bcoz by God this video was epic. I did not look away the entire 15 minutes. Just awesome I hope your channel blows up soon so that people come to know true Indian history. Also just a thought, do one on pushyamitra shunga, he's not very well known and extremely controversial

[@OddCompass]

Thanks so much! I did aim to really upgrade the look and feel of my videos, in response to your (and others') suggestions.

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

@@OddCompass Literally the sources he has used in this video are from Romila Thapar and M.H Syed 🤣🤣. Those , after all are just leftist historians who glorify the Islamic rule of India and always defame the Indian monarchs.

[@commiebatman2078]

@@nationalistunionofindia152 yes yes, obviously he should consult someone named "nationalist union of India" for an unbiased view, right?

[@pizzaparkerhotdogmaguire3225]

@@commiebatman2078 No, one should take all aspects into consideration. That means, taking proofs from multiple sources.

[@commiebatman2078]

@@pizzaparkerhotdogmaguire3225 fine then name the sources he SHOULD have used and then compare them with the sources that he HAS used

[@oneverest]

In school I never fancied history. However, I have read more history than what was taught in school. I have made some relative comparison and for me, I will always take history with a pinch of salt. We rely on written scripts for most parts. However, it is difficult to say how unbiased the author of script was. If a modern day school student is told to write about Hitler, his version would be different than a school kid from Nazi Germany. We are able to consolidate multiple versions now and try to analyze and predict what may have happen based on majority. However, it will never be perfect. IMO, history is a good story to read and learn from it. However, it is a flawed assumption to paint someone as good or evil. We should remember every kingdom or country was built on blood.

[@nakulponnanna5633]

Wow!! This was better than all my school history classes combined. Thank You Odd Compass! You've made History fun again.

[@rayfalcone7163]

Nice that you informed us on the other side of the narrative. History is not for us to take advantage of for personal benefit, but to learn from, without bias included.

[@richiknair9036]

You should cover how Chandragupta Maurya was actually the great one and how he ruled using Chanakya's teachings. That would be a great video

[@jsus6653]

There was no person named chanakya he's a myth not even a single Greek book recorded him. He's been added intentionally to put dominant hand of Brahmanism over Buddhist rule

[@theyellowflashoftheleaf5896]

​@@jsus6653 get professional help. Greek sources aren't the primary sources when looking at Indian history. His works like the arthashastra was massively influential in later works to come. Get out your woke echo chamber and read for once. 'Bramhanism' is not a religion. It never was. Buddhism wasn't a different religion from Hinduism. Sure,it was non vedic,but it was very much dharmic.

[@theyellowflashoftheleaf5896]

​@@jsus6653 And also, enough with the bramhanism vs Buddhism. Buddhism was very much casteist. Don't make me read out the scriptures

[@dv9239]

Chaanakya Himself was a paranoid cruel political strategist

[@harishrathee5863]

@@theyellowflashoftheleaf5896 but it's true chanakya was a myth, we haven't found any evidence of him. And according to Jain scriptures he was a Jain, read Johannes bronkhorst's research, Vedic religion/brahmanism never existed in early Mauryan Empire.

[@maxtyson9035]

Nice motion graphics bro. Nice video bro. Please make a video about Indian Inventions that changed the ancient world and today. And about maharana pratap and the Tamil kingdoms. May your channel be a great history one day. Channels like yours inspired me to learn motion graphics.

[@McTrumpet420]

You just earned a new subscriber my guy. Love from someone who is an Indian diaspora!

[@rashtrawadinews]

Ashoka was great cuz he did something that even Alexender and Ceasure couldn't do.. Realised his mistakes from war and repented and spread rest of his life working for peace and wellfare of common people..

[@celestial9385]

Not only has your topic done great justice to history itself, but it has also highlighted some deeply rooted systems in human society. False propaganda to save one's image, use of religion in a way unintended by the founding fathers themselves, personal insecurities reflecting in an authoritarian's social behaviour have been described well. Frankly, in the part of the country where I live, only the legendary narratives of Ashoka are known and till I saw this video I also thought that he was an extremely kind-hearted person and that all edicts were consistent. I greatly appreciate you for giving the information in an unbiased and interesting way. It really helps people like me who have little knowledge of Indian History other than the contemporary dramas which are shown on TV and in Hindi plays. Thanks!!

[@OddCompass]

Thank you -- and I'm glad I could show another perspective!

[@utkarshdubey3435]

Bindusar met Ashoka' mother when she wasn't working for him and living with her father(most likely a Brahmans since she was educated) and fell in love and then gave her a Barber's job but later accepted her as his wife. - Priyadarsin means "He who regards everyone with affection". -Ashoka was sent in exile by his brothers because of jealousy after succeeding in stopping Taxila's rebellion (so he wasn't exactly a hero, he was also very incompetent). -Ashoka only married twice so idk where a haram came from(yes their are theories about him burning women "thief" working for his wife but these have barely any proofs and they were before his supposed heart change. But yes we should stop writing history in great men's narrative but that doesn't mean we should go with Romila Thapar and Sanjeev Shanyal's narrative with Dravidian Vs Aryan nonsense.

[@utkarshdubey3435]

I hope you'll do research yourself before getting disheartened, don't change your mind based on one videos by someone who has to give credit to someone outside of India for Ashoka's edicts of educating women(like Indians didn't already had these concepts 🤦‍♂️)

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

@@OddCompass Literally the sources he has used in this video are from Romila Thapar and M.H Syed 🤣🤣. Those , after all are just leftist historians who glorify the Islamic rule of India and always defame the Indian monarchs.

[@celestial9385]

@@utkarshdubey3435 You're right. We cannot rigidly call any monarch perfectly good/just or totally unjust. But this video does throw light on the fact that there is much more to history than just accepting a king as an ideal monarch based on narratives.

[@dhribbler7303]

Great content as usual! Could you please make one on the Satvahanas soon.

[@basudebadak1437]

This is really good... You covered almost all the points.

[@nipunchandrawansa9014]

This is a good channel it gets into the details of real personalities and that makes them really human.

[@sourabhmayekar3354]

That was really balanced dude! Thanks a bunch. Shared!

[@utkarshdubey3435]

How was that balanced? you can only call it balanced if you compare it against videos that are completely in favour.

[@sourabhmayekar3354]

@@utkarshdubey3435 ok

[@utkarshdubey3435]

Bindusar met Ashoka' mother when she wasn't working for him and living with her father(most likely a Brahmans since she was educated) and fell in love and then gave her a Barber's job but later accepted her as his wife. - Priyadarsin means "He who regards everyone with affection". -Ashoka was sent in exile by his brothers because of jealousy after succeeding in stopping Taxila's rebellion (so he wasn't exactly a hero, he was also very incompetent). -Ashoka only married twice so idk where a haram came from(yes their are theories about him burning women "thief" working for his wife but these have barely any proofs and they were before his supposed heart change. But yes we should stop writing history in great men's narrative but that doesn't mean we should go with Romila Thapar and Sanjeev Shanyal's narrative with some Aryan Vs Dravidian nonsense.

[@utkarshdubey3435]

@@sourabhmayekar3354 maybe this will help give a different prospective bye

[@sourabhmayekar3354]

@@utkarshdubey3435 nope

[@DeccanPS]

Great video! As usual!

[@ganeshraja5672]

7:37 can I have your sources and citations please ?

[@OddCompass]

See descripition.

[@UCHIHAMADARA-hx7eq]

Ashoka conquering the entire subcontinent and comes for the southern kingdom. Chera, chola, pandya: sup homie.. Ashoka: nah man i was just passing by... Take care homes.

[@fatpotato3512]

No one has the gut to challenge the muvedarkal 🔥🔥🔥

[@bhanupratap1063]

Tamilakam was a great Civilization.

[@UCHIHAMADARA-hx7eq]

@@bhanupratap1063 correction. The greatest

[@bhanupratap1063]

@@UCHIHAMADARA-hx7eq Founder Of Mauryan Rule was himself a Tamizh named Chanakya.

[@HeatLure5324]

@@bhanupratap1063 yet tamils hate sanskrit

[@takenbythewindNdrivenbythesea]

This is so interesting 🧐 Thank you very much for this fantastic videos. There’s always a good side and bad side of a person.

[@OddCompass]

You're very welcome -- and agreed!

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

@@OddCompass Literally the sources he has used in this video are from Romila Thapar and M.H Syed 🤣🤣. Those , after all are just leftist historians who glorify the Islamic rule of India and always defame the Indian monarchs.

[@vyasakrishna8801]

Great one as always!

[@OddCompass]

Thank you!

[@historylessons893]

Which sofware did you use to create these wonderful animations?

[@war0on]

Thank you for unbiased perspective on Ashoka.

[@Tejas_]

WHY DOES THIS CHANNEL HAVE SO LESS SUBSCRIBERS

[@pranavvaishnave7648]

General Sunga saved Hinduism.

[@aakarshmaurya2265]

Well if you think like that then you must know something some stupids are spreading a conspiracy theory that Shunga was actually Rama who murdered innocnet Buddhist. And people (primarily less educated low Caste) believe on it without any proofs and logic.

[@aakarshmaurya2265]

@Kaustabh yes. These people have tons of propogandas and a huge network. They also claim that Ravana was actually last Mauryan King who was villanised by "paid" Valmiki. Then they ask you to boycott Hinduism and embrace Buddhism (most of them are not even aware what Buddhism really is). A large sections ignores them but a considerable amount of people do listen to them and follow them. I am knowing all this because I am Mauryan OBC. If you want to save your Sanatan Dharma then stoping these people is a nessecity

[@revinray]

Kind of channel I share on reddit!! Keep it up lad.

[@abenyayapathi1083]

This is almost like a complete contrast to how the Mauryan Empire started. You guys ever consider making a video on Chanakya and Chandragupta Maurya?

[@mysteryuntold9531]

Is there any wrong information in this video?

[@abenyayapathi1083]

@@mysteryuntold9531 No, this video is great! What I meant was Ashoka is like the complete opposite of the people who started the Empire.

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

@@abenyayapathi1083 Literally the sources he has used in this video are from Romila Thapar and M.H Syed 🤣🤣. Those , after all are just leftist historians who glorify the Islamic rule of India and always defame the Indian monarchs.

[@abenyayapathi1083]

@@nationalistunionofindia152 he also used Sanjeev Sanyal as a a source, that's not a leftist. The leftist historians are the ones who glorify Ashoka, he used them as sources to show how they glorified him and used other sources to show his true nature

[@nationalistunionofindia152]

@@abenyayapathi1083 Leftist don’t glorify Ashoka. They glorify the islamic invasion.