Mauryan Emperor Ashoka & Kunala

Mauryan Emperor Ashoka & Kunala

Early Life

Kunala was born in 263 BC[1] as Dharmavivardhana to Mauryan Emperor Ashoka and his third wife Padmavati. It is said that his eyes were as beautiful as those of Kunala bird that lives in the Himalayas and in order to make comparison a Kunala bird was brought from the Himalaya to Emperor Ashoka’s court. After finding that his son’s eyes were exact match of those of the bird, Ashoka named his son Kunala.[2] While growing up the prince attained proficiency in many arts especially music. On the attainment of youth, Kunala was married to a princess named Kanchanamala.

Blinding

Both Mahavamsa and Divyavadana agree that after the death of his faithful consort Ashandhimitra, Emperor Ashoka late in his life married a young woman named Tishyarakshita, his last chief Queen.[3] Tishyarakshita was attracted to Prince Kunala and began to cast amorous glances on her stepson.[4] When she approached Kunala, the prince cried and exclaimed: “Mother! Pray stop the sinful speech! Forget not that I am your son!”[5]

After Prince Kunala repulsed her advances, Tishyarakshita passion for Kunala changed into bitter hate and she resolved to take revenge. Meanwhile in 235 BC Kunala, then 28 years old was sent as a Viceroy to Taxila to suppress the revolt. On his departure, Emperor Ashoka warned his son to verify orders received which would be sealed with an impression of King’s teeth. Since then months passed, Tishyarakshita ever growing hatred led her to devise a plot against the prince. Tishyarakshita wrote a dispatch, addressed to Kunala’s ministers in Taxila in which she ordered to put out the eyes of Prince Kunala and to send prince and his wife into the mountains to perish. When Emperor was asleep, Tishyarakshita cunningly sealed the dispatch with the impression of his teeth.

The ministers were not ready to carry out the orders, but Prince Kunala said that his father’s order must be obeyed. Afterwards, the prince’s eyes were plucked out, and Kunala accompanied by his wife wandered throughout as a blind beggar, making living by singing and playing the veena.[6] In the course of their wandering, they reached Patliputra. The prince managed to enter the inner court of the palace where he played his veena and sang a song full of sadness. Ashoka heard the song and immediately recognized the voice of his son. On seeing his sightless son, Ashoka’s heart was overwhelmed with grief. Ashoka came to know that it was Tishyarakshita who brought all the misery on his son. The Emperor ordered to put Tishyarakshita to death, but the prince consoled his father and asked to forgive Tishyarakshita, for she was his mother.

It is said that with the blessings of a sage, Kunala regained his eyes.

Historicity of Kunala’s Legend

In the seventh century, Hiuen Tsiang in his Si-yu-ki wrote that outside the city, a 100 feet long stupa was standing which was made by the Emperor Ashoka on the site where the eyes of his beloved son Kunala were torn out. He also added that blind came here to pray, and many of them recovered their sight. [7] Kunala Stupa possibly reconstructed during Kushan-era was also identified by archaeologists in present day Pakistan.[8]

References

[1] Mookerji, radhakumud (1962). Asoka. Delhi-Varansi-Patna: Motilal Banarsidass.p. 124. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.400114/page/n25/mode/1up?q=kunala

[2] Mukhopadhyaya, Sujit Kumar (1960). The Ashokavadana: Sanskrit text compared with Chinese versions. P. xli. Sahitya Akademi: New Delhi. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.13021/page/n6/mode/1up?q=kunala&view=theater

[3] Mookerji, radhakumud (1962). Asoka. Delhi-Varansi-Patna: Motilal Banarsidass. p. 8. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.400114/page/n25/mode/1up?q=kunala

[4] Smith, Vincent Arthur (1901). Asoka: The Buddhist Emperor of India: Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 188. Retrieved from https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Asoka_the_Buddhist_Emperor_of_India/Q6dOAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover

[5] Mukhopadhyaya, Sujit Kumar (1960). The Ashokavadana: Sanskrit text compared with Chinese versions. Sahitya Akademi: New Delhi. p. xli. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.13021/page/n6/mode/1up?q=kunala&view=theater

[6] Strong, John (1989). The legend of King Asoka: A study and translation of the Asokavadana. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 18. Retrieved from https://zenodo.org>record>filesPDF

[7] Xuanzang, Beal, Samuel (1884). Si-yu-ki: Buddhist records of the western world, vol.1. London: Trubner & Co., Ludgate Hill. p. 139. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.in/books?id=tpbIjgEACAAJ&printsec=copyright&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=kunala&f=false

[8] Marshall, John (1975, Indian reprint). Taxila: An illustrated account of archaeological excavations. Varansi: Bhartiya publishing house. p.351. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.27295/page/n3/mode/1up?q=kunala&view=theater

https://historicindia.org/article/kunala#:~:text=Kunala%20was%20the%20son%20of,his%20step%2Dmother%2C%20Tishyarakshita.

Kunala (IAST: Kuṇāla) (263 BC – ?) was the Crown Prince and second son of 3rd Mauryan Emperor Ashoka[2][3] and Devi[4] and the presumptive heir to Ashoka, thus the heir to the Mauryan Empire which once ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent. After the departure of Mahendra, Ashoka's eldest son, he was supposed to be the heir to the empire, but was blinded by his step-mother, Tishyaraksha, at a young age in jealousy. While he was not able to take the throne, his son, Samprati, became his heir.

Kunala also served as the Viceroy of Taxila during the reign of his father, having been appointed to the position in 235 BCE.[1]

Significance of name

Kunal also means "bird with beautiful eyes", "someone who sees beauty in everything" or "one with beautiful eyes".[5]

Early life
At the age of eight, Ashoka sent his son to Ujjain, to be brought up and carry out his princely education, to become the heir to the throne of the Mauryan Empire.[2]

Blinding
When the prince was eight years old, the emperor wrote (in Prakrit) to the tutors and mentioned the word: Adheetaam - Meaning "He(Kunala) must study"(Context: Kunala should begin his studies). [5] One of Ashoka's wives who wanted to secure the succession to her own son, being then present, took up the letter to read it. She secretly put a dot over the letter 'a', which changed the word to Andheetaam - Meaning "He (Kunala) must be blinded". Without rereading the letter, the emperor sealed and dispatched it. The clerk in Ujjayini was so shocked by the contents of this letter that he was unable to read it aloud to the prince. Kunala, therefore, seized the letter and read the cruel sentence of his father. Considering that as yet no Maurya prince had disobeyed the chief of the house, and unwilling to set a bad example, he stoutly put out his eyesight with a hot iron".[5]

Alternatively, some stories explain that Kunala had been sent to Taxila to put down a rebellion, which he managed to do peacefully. But he was similarly blinded through the treacherousness of Ashoka's wife Tishyaraksha.[5]

It is said by some scholars that the letter was sent to Kunal; not believing it, Kunal went to his father. This made Emperor Ashoka angry, finding out that his wife had changed the letter, he sentenced her to death. Kunal then became heir to the throne of Mauryan Empire. It is uncertain whether this is true.[citation needed]

Attempts to claim throne
Years later Kunala came to Ashoka's court dressed as a minstrel accompanied by his favourite wife Kanchanmala. When he greatly pleased the emperor by his music, the emperor wanted to reward him. At this, the minstrel revealed himself as prince Kunala and demanded his inheritance. Ashoka sadly objected that being blind, Kunala never could ascend the throne. Thereupon the latter said that he claimed the empire not for himself but for his son. "When," cried the emperor, "has a son been born to you?" "Samprati" (meaning "Just now") was the answer. Samprati accordingly was the name given to Kunala's son, and though a baby, he was appointed Ashoka's successor. However, when Ashoka died, Samprati was too young to rule. Therefore, Ashoka was succeeded by another, older grandson, Dasharatha. After the demise of Dasharatha, Samprati did indeed become Emperor.[5]

It is said that Prince Kunala established a kingdom in the Mithila region on the Indo-Nepal Border. It might be the same place where the present village, Kunauli (earlier known as Kunal Gram) at the bank of Kosi river on the Indo-Nepal Border is situated. There are some historical and archaeological evidences to support this claim.[citation needed]

Portrayal in popular media
A semi-fictionalized portrayal of Kunal's life was produced as a motion picture under the title Veer Kunal (1941). Ashok Kumar, a Tamil film was produced in 1941 based on the life of Kunal.[6]