Explanation
Ashoka’s rule gives us an alternative model of a righteous king and a just state. He instructed his officials, the yuktas (subordinate officials), rajjukas (rural administrators) and pradesikas (heads of the districts) to go on tours every five years to instruct people in dhamma (Major Rock Edict 3). Ashoka’s injunctions to the officers and city magistrates stressed that all the people were his children and he wished for his people what he wished for his own children, that they should obtain welfare and happiness in this world and the next. These officials should recognise their own responsibilities and strive to be impartial and see to it that men were not imprisoned or tortured without good reason. He added that he would send an officer every five years to verify if his instructions were carried out (Kalinga Rock Edict 1). Thus, The terms ‘Pradeshika’, ‘Rajuka’, and ‘Yukta’ refer to officials who were part of the district-level administration (also called ‘pradesha’ or ‘vishaya’). Pradeshika was an official responsible for overseeing a district or province, often charged with judicial and revenue duties. Rajuka was the chief revenue officer or district officer responsible for land revenue and agricultural administration. Yukta generally refers to an assistant or subordinate officer serving under the Rajuka.