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Asoka's
devotion to Buddhism and his zeal for its propagation is proverbial.
Nothing cures the ills of this wicked world better than Buddhism. It
is a panacea for all ailments, bodily or spiritual. On realisation,
he lost no time in changing his life and adhering to the tenets to
the letter. When he fitted his life into the frame of Buddhist
Dharma, after that Kalinga War he felt he was at peace with himself,
and the world around him. As days progressed, he found himself
wrapped up in celestial bliss. So, he decided to extend the same
bliss to his loving subjects. He undertook the gigantic missionary
work for the conversion of people to this new faith. The means he
adopted reflect his earnestness and sincerity of conviction which
have few parallels in the history of mankind.
Among
the many converts that Asoka claimed to his credit, Vitasoka's
episode affords an interesting study. It served him in a double
capacity -- it enabled him to demonstrate to the world his
superhuman powers in raising a huge stone mountain in the capital,
besides bringing back his own unwary brother Vitasoka into his fold.
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