Asoka’s Secret Curtain Over Knowledge

Secret societies are a prevalent topic of discussion in the modern world, with organizations such Illuminati being debated on constantly. But there is one that is less talked of, one rumored to be made around 200 B.C., one that’s is made in India. As the story, goes during the time of Emperor Asoka’s Buddhist days, he build a secret society of his own to shield the evils from getting their hand on the most precious knowledge to society.

Instead of diving into the story, first start with who was Asoka?

Asoka was the third to sit on the thrown of The Mauryan Empire, the first in history to have ruled almost the entire Indian sub-continent. Asoka’s predecessors has some areas of India which they were not able to gain control over. In 273 B.C. Asoka ascended the throne, and by 269 B.C. (during his coronation) it was clear that Asoka aspired to complete the job his predecessors couldn’t, i.e. bring the entire subcontinent under his crown. He hence set his eyes on Kalinga.

The battle of Kalinga left Emperor scarred. The entire battlefield was covered in blood. It was too much for him to take. Both his predecessors had gone through similar changes and they left Hinduism behind to turn towards Jainism.[1] Hence following their footsteps, Asoka too looked for answers and “peace” in other religions. Unlike his predecessor though, he turned to Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama wrote, “Asoka, who had earlier been cruel and ruthless ruler, learned from his own experience the futility of war and violence.”[2]

The change that Asoka went through with ended with him being called, “King of Dhamma.”[3] According to Britannica’s Encyclopedia, Asoka defines the principals of dhamma as – “non-violence, tolerance of all sects and opinions, obedience to parents, respect for Brahmans and other religious teachers and priest, liberty towards friends, humane treatment of servants, and generosity towards all.” Asoka had left his violent and blood thirsty ways behind. He was now looking to bring in change, uphold the virtues of non-violence and stop and prevent any sort of harm to society.

Asoka used his political power to do spread the message of dhamma. It can be easily speculated that the horrors of Kalinga made Asoka take a part of resistance against “evil.” He wanted to forbid the use of evil throughout his empire in all ways possible. Asoka followed these principals diligently and asked for his own son and daughter to do so too, by sending them to Sri Lanka to spread Buddhism and its teaching. According to the Dalai Lama Asoka ended up using his powers and ability to “reshape the attitude, conduct and policy of Indian society according to universal ethical principles.” And Dalai Lama continues to say, “One of the most important aspect of Asoka’s transformation is his promotion of ahimsa or non-violence.”

Therefore as the story goes, Asoka was said to have formed a secret society to stop knowledge from falling into the wrong hands and being used to cause harm to society.

He realised that there were certain subjects or certain forms of learning which could because unimaginable harm to society if they fell in the wrong hands. Hence, he formed a society of nine men. Each member was given a branch of learning, on which they all had their own books. They were given the name “The Nine Unknown Men.”[5]

There are many instances wherein historical figures have said to be in contact with the nine men. For example, Pope Sylvester II was said to have been in contact with the nine men, when he reached India on a mysterious voyage and brought back a bronze head which gave answers in yes or no only. [5] Although, after his death the bronze head was destroyed. This could be a direct co-relation to the fact that the nine men were built on the basis of not letting knowledge fall into the hands of the evil, and without Pope Sylvester II the head would be left unguarded and could fall into the wrong hands.

There is still so much more to this story, such as:

What was Asoka’s Intention in bringing the Nine Unknown men to life? – Asoka was shook to his core by the battle of Kalinga, and he wanted to do all he could to prevent such a calamity from taking place again. Although he had the physical strength of his army to support him and protect the empire, he believed that knowledge was greater than just militaristic strength. Therefore, he believed that if the wrong people got their hands on unimaginable knowledge then they could easily create chaos, hence he asked the nine men to release information from their own books as in when they feel is necessary.

But as Romila Thapar said that Asoka had started taking great pride in his own achievements, vis-a-vi how he had changed the norms in society. In Asoka and the Mauryan Decline, she says, “his humanitarianism gradually was over-shadowed by his belief in his own achievement in having changed men’s nature, until, at the end of his reign he appears to have become overconfident of this achievement, and succumbed to his own ego.” According to me this ego could have disallowed him from even facing a chance of losing power. He would have wanted to stop any uprising against him from taking place. This is supported by the fact that even after preaching about non-violence, Asoka did not reduce his army. Therefore, more than protecting his people the formation of the society could be to protect secrets from the outside world. This makes the understanding of why out of the nine there where people focusing on propaganda, means of communication and sociology.

What did the nine men study? - The Buddhist word for power, bala, says that to have absolute power you require: saddha (faith), viriya (energy), sati (mindfulness), samadhi (concentration), and panna (wisdom). If you look at the purpose of each book then you shall see that each book fits into atleast one of the five categories of bala.[6]

The books were said to be on the topics of:

1. Propaganda: Called “the most dangerous of all sciences.”[7] Propaganda could be easily used to change the thinking of an entire society; hence it being protected for the wrong person would be of huge importance.

2. Physiology: It is believed that the book contained ways to kill a human by reversing their pulse. [7] According to the Dawn of Magic, Judo was something that was originally a part of this book.

3. Microbiology: This book was said to have shown the world how to make Cholera Vaccines, which till date remains a mystery.[8]

4. Transmutation of Metals: Dawn of Magic says that the nine used to provide temples and religious relief groups with gold during droughts.

5. Communications: It is believed that this book has the key to talking to not only humans, but everyone in this universe (including extra-terrestrial life)

6. Gravitation: According to Sankalan Baidya this book helped Vaiminika Shashtra to build airships.

7. Cosmology: The Dawn of Magic calls this book “the most exhaustive cosmogony known to humanity.” Baidya says that this book hold information about travel in the space at high speeds.

8. Light: Baidya says that this book can teach someone how to increase or decrease the speed of light and use it as a weapon.

9. Sociology: This book could have predicted the evolution and decline of society. [7]

Who were the nine? – The exact details of the nine men are not know, as their description has it they were a secret society. Although, it is not completely imprudent to think that the society was formed of people who Asoka trusted the most. Many believe that it was formed out of ministers in his court. Jacolliot says that the nine men do not reveal their identity often, and if they do then it’s only to the wisest who look for the betterment of humanity. [5]

Indian scientist such as Jagdish Chandra Bose and Vikram Sarabhai, although there is a lack of proof when it comes to such claims. Jagdish Chandra Bose was said to have been in contact with the nine men. Sankalan Baidya said that people believe Jagdish Chandra Bose to be a member of this society. His innovations were said to be ahead of his time and his belief in the nine men further reinforced this theory. Bose is credited with the use of microwaves as a form of communication, this draws direct parallels to the 5th book which talks of communication.[5]

Jacolliot, the French Consul at Calcutta, believed that the nine men existed. Jacolliot spoke of concepts that were “unimaginable” in 1860. He talked about the “liberation of energy, sterilization by radiation and psychological warfare,” and hence he is also rumored to be a part of the secret society.[5]

In conclusion, the nine men were meant to protect society by not letting vital information fall in the hands of the wrong person and reveal information to the world as in when they deem necessary. Even today the subjects that the nine were writing on are of growing importance to human society and still have not reached their limits in terms of the depth at with they have been explored. The Nine Unknown Men have no written proof of their existence. We all can only assume, but even if they do or do not exist, their rumors seem to be a protective shield for many who believe that powers like these will protect them at all costs. So either way, Emperor Asoka would have done his job and helped his people.

Work Cited

[1] Thapar, Romila. “Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas.” Jan. 2012, doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198077244.001.0001.

[2] Rich, Bruce. “To Uphold the World: A Call for a New Global Ethic from Ancient India.” 1 Mar. 2010.

[3] Moseley, Eva, et al. “The Edicts of Asoka.” Pacific Affairs, vol. 32, no. 3, 1959, p. 328., doi:10.2307/3035135.

[4] Davids, T. W. Rhys. “Asoka, the Buddhist Emperor of India. By Vincent A. Smith, M.R.A.S. Pp. 201. (Rulers of India Series. Oxford Press. Price 3s. 6d.).” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland, vol. 34, no. 1, 1902, pp. 191–195., doi:10.1017/s0035869x00157259.

[5] Pauwels, Louis, and Jacques Bergier. “Dawn Of Magic.” Panther , 1967.

[6] Ling, Trevor. “A Dictionary of Buddhism.” South Asia Books, 1 June 1985, doi:10.1093/acref/9780198605607.001.0001.

[7] Mundy, Talbot. “The Nine Unknown.” Adventure Magazine, 1923.

[8] Baidya, Sankalan. “25 Interesting The Nine Unknown Men Facts.” My India Facts, My India Facts, 29 Oct. 2019, https://myindiafacts.online/25-interesting-the-nine-unknown-men-facts/

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