Did Ancient India have any incidences of Mass Massacres?

 

Renowned professor Rudolph J Rummel of Hawaii University studied the data for 30 years on democide that is governments or groups killing in collective violence and wars. his period of study was from the 5th century BC to the 20th century he was surprised to find that until the 13th century there was almost no sign of democide or mass murders in India barring the kalinga war. Whereas he estimated that 148 million were killed by Communist governments from 1917 to 1987. The list of Communist countries with more than 1 million estimated victims included –  

China at 77,277,000 (1949–1987),

Soviet Union at 61,911,000,

Democratic Kampuchea (1975–1979) at 2,035,000,

Vietnam (1945–1987) at 1,670,000,

Poland (1945–1948) at 1,585,000,

North Korea (1948–1987) at 1,563,000 and

Yugoslavia (1945–1987) at 1,072,000.

 

Prof Rummel himself characterized his statistics as "nothing more than informed guesses," so these figures should not be taken as fact. He claims that the killings committed by Communist governments are better explained by the marriage of absolute power and Marxism's absolutist philosophy. Democide is a major contributor to the annihilation of civilizations.

 

But in India, dharma is the foundation of Indian civilization; its origins are so deep that, after horrendous invasions, India stands tall. When the world's civilizations were busy pillaging, when empires were destroying each other, when men were massacring those who imposed their philosophy or religion, India was thriving with prosperity and harmony.

 

Here there was not one but hundreds of kings often fighting against each other, and hundreds of doctrines and philosophies all debating with each other. There may have been some killing during heated debates or in battles but there is no evidence of any democide. It may seem inconceivable that there have been many wars here but no massacres this was true of India. 

 

Wars would begin at sunrise and end at sunset; weapons soaked in poison and heated on fire were forbidden; assaulting a person fighting another person was prohibited; a charioteer could only fight with another charioteer; a foot soldier could only fight with another foot soldier; a person in armor could not assault a man without armor, and the strong in the mighty could not hit the weak or childless. A soldier who was in distress, injured, scared, or fleeing was not permitted to be attacked. A soldier whose bow or vehicle had been damaged or seized should be medically treated and sent back home.

 

न कूटैरायुधैर्हन्यायुध्यमानो रणे रिपून् ।

न कर्णिभिर्नापि दिग्धैर्नाग्निज्वलिततेजनैः ॥९ ॥

युद्ध करता हुआ राजा कूट आयुध ( जिनमें बाहर काठ और भीतर पैने शस्त्र भरे हों ) विष में बुझे बाण , कर्णी के आकार के फलक युक्त बाण , अथवा जिनका फलक अग्नि से तपाया हो ऐसे बाणों से शत्रु के ऊपर प्रहार न करै ॥९ ॥

नामित्रों विनिकर्तव्यो नातिच्छेद्यः कथञ्चन ।

जीवितं ह्यप्यतिच्छिन्नः संत्यजेच्च कदाचन ॥१५ ॥

शत्रु के साथ छल नहीं करना चाहिये । उसे किसी प्रकार भी अत्यन्त उच्छिन्न करना उचित नहीं है । अत्यन्त क्षत - विक्षत कर देने पर वह कभी अपने जीवन का त्याग भी कर सकता है ॥ १५ ॥

 

नाश्वेन रथिनं यायादुदियाद् रथिनं रथी ।

व्यसने न प्रहर्तव्यं न भीताय जिताय च ॥१० ॥

घोड़े के द्वारा रथी पर आक्रमण न करे । रथी का सामना रथी को ही करना चाहिये । यदि शत्रु किसी संकट में पड़ जाय तो उस पर प्रहार न करे । डरे और पराजित हुए शत्रु पर भी कभी प्रहार नहीं करना चाहिये ॥१० ॥

 

साधूनां तु मिथो भेदात् साधुश्चेद् व्यसनी भवेत् ।

निष्प्राणो नाभिहन्तव्यो नानपत्यः कथंचन ॥१२ ॥

जब श्रेष्ठ पुरुषों में परस्पर भेद होने से कोई श्रेष्ठ पुरुष संकट में पड़ जाय , तब उस पर प्रहार नहीं करना चाहिये। जो बलहीन और संतानहीन हो , उस पर तो किसी प्रकार भी आघात न करे ॥१२ ॥

 

न सुप्तं न विसन्नाहं न नग्नं न निरायुधम् ।

नायुध्यमानं पश्यन्तं न परेण समागतम् ॥ ९ २ ॥

जो सोया हुआ , बखतर रहित , नन्न , शस्त्र रहित , युद्ध से विमुख , केवल देखने के लिये आया हुआ , और दूसरे से युद्ध में जुटा हुआ हो ऐसे शत्रु को राजा न मारै ॥ १२ ।।

 

न च हन्यात्स्थलारुढं न क्लीबं न कृताञ्जलिम् ।

न मुक्तकेशं नासीनं न तवास्मीति वादिनम् ॥ ९ १ ॥

( आप रथ पर बैठा हो तो ) स्थल पर खड़े हुए , नपुंसक , हाथ जोड़ने वाले , खुले केशवाले , आसन पर बैठे हुए , और “ मैं तुम्हारा हूं " ये कहने वाले शत्रु को नहीं मारना चाहिये ॥ ११ ॥

 

भग्नशस्त्रो विपन्नश्च कृत्तज्यो हतवाहनः ।

चिकित्स्यः स्यात् स्वविषये प्राप्यो वा स्वगृहे भवेत् ॥१३ ॥

जिसके शस्त्र टूट गये हों , जो विपत्ति में पड़ गया हो , जिसके धनुष की डोरी कट गयी हो तथा जिसके वाहन मार डाले गये हों , ऐसे मनुष्य पर भी प्रहार न करे । ऐसा पुरुष यदि अपने राज्य में या अधिकार में आ जाय तो उसके घावों की चिकित्सा करानी चाहिये अथवा उसे उसके घर पहुँचा देना चाहिये ॥१३ ॥   - महाभारत

 

This was the thousands-of-year-old dharma of war, not the 1949 Geneva Convention. No other civilization on the earth has ever devised such war laws. The Hindu dharma that produced these laws never permitted democides to occur; instead, they provided refuge and sanctuary to the world's oppressed minorities.

 

The same dharma was later minimized in India's constitution. Dharma whose goal is ahimsa is not seen in any of the articles of the Indian Constitution. Though socialism is illuminated in the preamble, the dharma that taught our forefathers the highest values of life is absent from India's law books and courts of India, but at last the dharma incarnate has found an abode for himself.