Famously, Ashoka the Great (his wheel is on the flag of India) suddenly converted to Buddhism and then (allegedly) stopped being super war happy, and the torture prison he built (literally called “Ashoka’s Hell”, and run by a guy who boasted we could execute the entire Indian subcontinent, who was hired after the prime minister got worried about the king personally killing so many people) was abandoned. (note that the wiki page lists examples of him still being violent after converting—a massacre, a pogram, and a slow torture of the guy hired to do his tortures in the torture prison).
And he was like pretty bad too!
The ministers who had helped him ascend the throne started treating him with contempt after his ascension. To test their loyalty, Ashoka gave them the absurd order of cutting down every flower-and fruit-bearing tree. When they failed to carry out this order, Ashoka personally cut off the heads of 500 ministers.[87]
One day, during a stroll at a park, Ashoka and his concubines came across a beautiful Ashoka tree. The sight put him in an amorous mood, but the women did not enjoy caressing his rough skin. Sometime later, when Ashoka fell asleep, the resentful women chopped the flowers and the branches of his namesake tree. After Ashoka woke up, he burnt 500 of his concubines to death as punishment.[88]
Yes, I considered mentioning Ashoka, but I’m worried that his story is largely legendary. (And Chandragupta is likely even more legendary.)
And even in the likely largely legendary story of Ashoka, I think it’s pretty bad that he didn’t resign or at least try harder to compensate his victims.
Hiring someone to do torture for you, then torturing him to death for following your orders, while you retain your crown yourself is a pretty contemptible behavior!
According to Digambara Jain accounts Chandragupta abdicated at an early age and settled as a monk under Bhadrabāhu in Shravanabelagola, in present-day south Karnataka. According to these accounts, Bhadrabāhu forecast a 12-year famine because of all the killing and violence during the conquests by Chandragupta Maurya.
Famously, Ashoka the Great (his wheel is on the flag of India) suddenly converted to Buddhism and then (allegedly) stopped being super war happy, and the torture prison he built (literally called “Ashoka’s Hell”, and run by a guy who boasted we could execute the entire Indian subcontinent, who was hired after the prime minister got worried about the king personally killing so many people) was abandoned. (note that the wiki page lists examples of him still being violent after converting—a massacre, a pogram, and a slow torture of the guy hired to do his tortures in the torture prison).
And he was like pretty bad too!
Yes, I considered mentioning Ashoka, but I’m worried that his story is largely legendary. (And Chandragupta is likely even more legendary.)
And even in the likely largely legendary story of Ashoka, I think it’s pretty bad that he didn’t resign or at least try harder to compensate his victims.
Hiring someone to do torture for you, then torturing him to death for following your orders, while you retain your crown yourself is a pretty contemptible behavior!
According to legends, Ashoka’s Grandfather, Chandragupta, might be an example of what David is looking for
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragupta_Maurya#Jain_accounts_of_renunciation_and_retirement_in_Karnataka :