ashoka's response to the kalinga war is recorded in the edicts of ashoka. the kalinga war prompted ashoka, already a non-engaged buddhist, to devote the rest of his life to ahimsa (non-violence) and to "dharma-vijaya" (victory through dharma). following the conquest of kalinga, ashoka ended the military expansion of the empire and began an era of more than 40 years of relative peace, harmony, and prosperity.