Page:Asoka - the Buddhist Emperor of India.djvu/32

30 to saturation with the ethical thought which lies at the basis of Buddhism, but occupies a subordinate place in Hinduism. The association of the idea of duty with caste is dropped by Asoka, and two virtues, namely, respect for the sanctity of animal life and reverence to parents, superiors, and elders, are given a place far more prominent than that assigned to them in Hindu teaching. In short, the ethics of the Edicts are Buddhist rather than Brahmanical. This proposition, of course, does not involve contradiction of the equally true statement that Buddhism is a development of Hinduism. The marked prominence given to the two specially Buddhist virtues above mentioned suggests so strongly the connotation of the Latin word pietas that the phrase 'the Law of Piety,' or sometimes simply 'piety,' or 'the Law' seems to me the best ordinary rendering of dhaṁma in the Edicts, and preferable to 'righteousness,' 'religion,' 'the moral law,' or other renderings favoured by various authors. 'The Law of Duty' is an alternative.

Many summaries of the dhaṁma, or Law of Piety, are to be found in the Edicts, the most concise being that in Minor Rock Edict II:—

'Thus saith His Sacred Majesty:—Father and mother must be hearkened to; similarly, respect for living creatures