Imagine the most powerful man in the ancient world: Chandragupta Maurya. He built India’s first empire, ruled millions, and led armies so large that Greek visitors were amazed. His palace shone with gold but was made of wood, so he could hear anyone sneaking up on him.
History remembers Chandragupta Maurya as the founder of the subcontinent’s first great empire. From Pataliputra, he commanded dominion stretching from the Himalayas to the seas. His palace awed foreign envoys, his armies reshaped the map of India. Founder of the Mauryan Empire, Chandragupta was the first ruler to unify most of the Indian subcontinent. Guided by the master strategist Chanakya, he toppled the Nanda dynasty and built a realm stretching from Afghanistan to Bengal and deep into the south. His centralized administration, grounded in principles of dharma, ensured order across the vast empire. A formidable conqueror, he even defeated Seleucus I Nicator, successor of Alexander the Great, securing India’s northwest. Chandragupta’s reign marked the dawn of imperial India.
Yet his final chapter was more radical than any conquest. During a devastating famine, Chandragupta abdicated his throne, renounced his wealth, and became a Digambara Jain monk under the guidance of his teacher, Bhadrabahu. Together they travelled south to Shravanabelagola, where the former emperor undertook Sallekhana, a ritual fast to death. Sallekhana or Santhara is a Jain practice of embracing death through gradual fasting, seen not as suicide but as the ultimate act of spiritual renunciation and detachment. It reflects the Jain ideal of conquering desire and attaining a peaceful, conscious end.
In this extraordinary act, Chandragupta transformed from conqueror of kingdoms to conqueror of the self. His renunciation forces us to reconsider the meaning of power: not crowns, armies or fortresses, but the courage to let go of them all.
More than two millennia later, the hill of Chandragiri still carries the echo of that lesson, etched not in stone, but in the emperor’s final choice.
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