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Osho on Why did Priyadarshi, Emperor Ashoka, persecute the Brahmins?

Why did Priyadarshi, Emperor Ashoka, persecute the Brahmins?

Religious power, once it gains dominance, inevitably becomes intolerant, revealing the sectarian mind that transcends individual actions.

— Osho
According to Osho, Ashoka’s persecution of Brahmins wasn’t a personal aberration but an expression of the ‘Indian mind’—a cultural habit of religious power turning intolerant. Once Buddhism gained imperial backing, it behaved like any organized faith in power; Buddhists, too, would burn Hindus. The issue is sectarian mindsets, not Ashoka’s individuality.

He did it because groups in power often hurt other groups, and that was a common mindset then—not just Ashoka’s personal choice.

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