評論
打印
I presume that there must have been somebody to read these words out to the mostly unlettered citizens, and I think they would probably have been received with pleasure and considerable relief, for Ashoka had not always been so concerned for their welfare.
當時大多數百姓都不識字，這些內容一定是有人念給他們聽的。阿育王的法敕不只令他們感到歡欣,同時也令他們松了一大口氣。
He'd started out not as a gentle, generous philosopher but as a ruthless and brutal youth, following in the military footsteps of his grandfather.
阿育王并非一直關心百姓福祉。登基之初，他并非一個溫和慷慨的哲學家,而是個莽撞沖動的年輕人,緊隨著祖父旃陀羅笈多的軍事擴張步伐。
His name was Chandragupta, and he'd risen to the throne following a military campaign that created a huge empire-reaching from Kandahar in modern Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east, and including the great majority of modern India.
旅陀羅笈多多年征戰,建立了偉大的孔雀王朝，西至現代阿富汗的坎大哈, 東抵孟加拉，囊括了現代印度的絕大部分領土，
It was the largest empire in Indian history.
是印度歷史上國土面積最大的王朝。
In 268 BC Ashoka took his place on the throne-but not without considerable struggle.
公元前二六八年,經過激烈的爭斗,阿育王奪得了王位。
Buddhist writings tell us that he killed "99 of his brothers"-presumably metaphorical as well as actual brothers-in order to obtain the kingship, and the same writings create a legend of Ashoka's pre-Buddhist days, filled with self-indulgent frivolity and cruelty.
據佛教文獻記載，阿育王為王位“殺了九十九個兄弟”,這應該只是一種比喻，但的確有許多兄弟遭到殺害。這份文獻記載著，在皈依佛教之前,阿育王放縱、輕浮、暴虐。
When he became emperor he set out to complete the occupation of the whole subcontinent, and attacked the independent state of Kalinga-modern-day Orissa on the east coast.
登基后,他繼續征戰以求占領整個印度次大陸,入侵了當時獨立的羯陵伽國—今印度東海岸的奧里薩邦。
It was a savage, brutal assault and one which seems afterwards to have thrown Ashoka into a state of terrible remorse.
這是一場野蠻殘暴的戰爭,讓阿育王陷人了深深的懊悔。
He changed his whole way of life, embracing the defining concept of 'Dharma', a virtuous path that guides the follower through a life of selflessness and piety, duty, good conduct and decency.
從那以后，他徹底改變了自己的生活方式，開始遵從“教法（達摩）”，教法要求信徒遵從教規，度過無私、虔誠、盡責、品德高尚與德行端莊的一生。
Dharma is applied in many religions, including Sikhism, Jainism and of course Hinduism-but Ashoka's idea of Dharma was filtered through the Buddhist faith. He described his remorse and announced his conversion to his people through a rock edict:
錫克教、耆那教和印度教都有“教法”，而阿育王遵從的是佛法。在一道法敕中，他公開做了懺悔，描述了自己的轉變：
