Question

what is Ashoka policy of Dhamma describe it

Answer 1

Dhamma was not a particular religious faith or practice, or an arbitrary formulated royal policy. Dharma related to generalized norms of social behavior and activities; Ashoka tried to synthesize various social norms which were current in his time. It cannot be understood by assuming it is one of the various religions that existed at that time. To understand why and how Ashoka formulated Dharma and its meaning, one must understand the characteristics of the time in which he lived and to refer to Buddhist, Brahmanical and other texts where norms of social behavior are explained.

Some historians link Ashoka’s policy of dhamma with Buddhism. According to V.A. Smith, Ashoka actually became a Buddhist monk for a short span of his life. Smith believes that he was both a monk and a monarch at the same time. D.R. Bhandarkar claims that Ashoka was a Buddhist and his policy of dhamma was actually original Buddhism as preached by the Budhha. Radha Kumud Mookerji also formulates that as far as the personal religion of Ashoka is concerned, it may be taken as Buddhism.