Metamorphosis Of A King

The Whole of India was his!

Except...

Kalinga and small parts of South India.

The King eyed Kalinga

Determined to leave no tables unturned

To master it.

His might and foresight

Helped him defeat his numerous siblings and

Ascend the Throne of the Great Mauryas. 

Never averse to battle and bloodshed

He set out

With determination and plunder in mind.

One of the most famous battles in History

Was won by the King with Brutal Strength!

But war is never the end of a story?!!

Million plus Kalinga warriors

Lay dead in the Battlefield

Along with a million of the King’s own Warriors.

The river nearby flowed Red

With the blood

Of the two warring sides

The war was won,

But the loss was immense...

Greater than the Egoistic joy of Victory!

The King remained

Alone in the battlefield

Remorse and piety slowly entering his heart?

A new word entered

The King’s Lexicography and Life

Ahimsa!

Ahima says "Thou shall Not

Take the route of Violence,

But follow the path of Dharma"

Then followed...

A long Era of Peace, Prosperity and

Propagation of the new Faith/Order

The Annals of History

And other Great men who followed the King

Recognize him as Ashoka the Great!