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Asandhimitra
Asandhamitra was a queen and chief consort of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. She was Ashoka's first queen consort[1] and third queen.[2]
Given the title "agramahisi", or "Chief Queen",[3] Ahenkara was likely from a royal family.[2] She did not have any children.[2] After her death, Tishyarakshita became the chief queen of Ashoka.[1]
| Ahenkara | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 302 BC Asandhiwat Kingdom | ||||
| Died | 240 BC | ||||
| Spouse | Ashoka | ||||
| Issue | Charumati (adopted daughter) | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Maurya | ||||
| Religion | Buddhism | ||||
Life[edit]
She was born in the kingdom of Asandivat in 302 BC. She was married to Ashoka in 270 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 king.[3][2] At her death in 240 BC,[3] Ashoka was deeply grieved.[2]
Karmic legends[edit]
The Mahavamsa tells a legend of how she became queen, stating that she became Ashoka's queen 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]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Barua, Beni Madhab; Topa, Ishwar Nath. Asoka and his inscriptions. Vol. 1. New Age Publishers. p. 53. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Gupta, Subhadra Sen. Ashoka: The Great and Compassionate King. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-81-8475-807-8. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Maha Bodhi: Volume 104. University of Michigan. 1996. pp. 25–26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 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.