Marcus Aurelius

MARCUS AURELIUS (AD 121 - AD 180)
(A Soulful Roman Ruler to be remembered)

History holds mirror to the past to be of benefit to the present. Remembering the great men of the past, will have a salutary effect on the people of later age. The lessons left behind by those great men of past era will be timeless. Their super human efforts transcend the barriers of time, past, present and future.

Marcus Aurelius became the Roman Emperor in the year AD 161. He is perhaps the most beautiful figure in history. He was the ruler of the grandest of empires, the Roman Empire. He was one of the best men. Mathew Arnold, the great English writer and critic compares Marcus Aurelius to two eminent sovereigns, Saint Louis and King Alfred for his goodness. He even adds “neither Alfred nor Saint Louis can be morally and intellectually as near to us as Marcus Aurelius”.

Marcus Aurelius was born at Rome on the 26th of April in the year AD 121. He was the nephew and son-in-law to his predecessor on the throne Antonius Pius. After his uncle’s death in AD 161, Marcus Aurelius, reigned as the Roman emperor for 19 years. He waged wars against barbarians in Asia minor, Syria, Egypt, Greece. His campaigning extended to Austria, Moravia and Hungary. He was a famous writer. During his campaigns in these countries it is said, he wrote much of his famous ‘Journal’, or ‘Commentaries’ or ‘Meditations’ or “Thoughts”. These writings by Marcus Aurelius are said to be the everyday depiction of his ideas, or his metaphysical writings on par with the present day practice of diary writings. It is only through these recordings of his thoughts, now popularly know as “Meditations” that the greatness of the head and heart of this great emperor is known to the modern world. But Marcus Aurelius made these daily recordings of his thoughts, only for himself and not as a book to be published. Hence even to-day his daily recording of his thoughts are being called “Journal”, “Commentaries” or “Meditations” or “Thoughts”. A few portions of his Journal are dated. And he continued his diary habit till his 59th birthday when he fell sick and died on the 17th of March AD 180.

In his first book of his works, Marcus Aurelius gives an account of his education, his teachers and how he was indebted to them. It is refreshing to note his thoughts and philosophy of life while he was engaged in wars and ‘trade of blood’. It is a priceless treasure to read and learn about the early life of this great man in his own writings. “From my mother I learnt piety, beneficence, and abstinence, not only from evil deeds but even from evil thoughts, and further simplicity in the way of living far removed from the habits of the rich”. The last word ‘simplicity’ became the epitome of his noble life.

Let us see how this great Roman ruler, acknowledges, the debt of his gratitude to his teachers. “From my tutor, I learnt endurance of labour, and to want little, and to work with my own hands, and not to meddle with other people’s affairs, and not to be ready to listen to slander”. These words of Marcus Aurelius reveal to us what “a disciplined, hard working, gentle, wise, virtuous man” he was. It is these great traits of this emperor that interest us even today and signify their relevance to these modern times.

Marcus Aurelius acknowledges his debt, specially to three teachers. It is interesting to know about them and their contribution in moulding Marcus Aurelius as a great man and emperor, in the words of this great pupil. “From Rusticus I first conceived the need of moral correction and amendment and from Apollonius to keep free and to make nothing on the hazards of chance, never for one instant to lose sight of reason to keep equable in temper under assaults of pain or the loss of child or in tedious illness……and from Maximus self­-mastery and concentration of aim”. From this autobiographical account we realise that Marcus Aurelius acquired all the above noble qualities by the teachings of his great tutors. It is interesting to note that this historic report makes us feel that in this case both the teachers and the student, proved great.

There was a significant anecdote in the life of Marcus Aurelius which makes him remembered as a great soul. He was marching against Avidius Cassius, who revolted against him. On the way Marcus Aurelius was informed that Avidius Cassius was assassinated by somebody. Anyone in that circumstance would have thought it to be a good riddance. But how great the words of Marcus Aurelius on that occasion were! He said he was ‘sorry’ to be deprived of the pleasure of pardoning him”. Even while waging a battle against a revolting subject, this great Emperor sought the magnanimous gesture of forgiving the enemy, of course after defeating him in battle.

The time and position of Marcus Aurelius rule should be understood, as the Christians in those early days were misunderstood by the Roman rulers as a secret community making preparations for a revolt. And they were dealt with severely by the Roman rulers. But no authentic account of how Marcus Aurelius dealt with his suspected revolting early Christians is available. Regarding this point Mathew Arnold writes “And Marcus Aurelius incurs no moral reproach by having authorised the punishment of Christians….One may concede that it was impossible for him to see Christianity as it really was”. Mathew Arnold refers to those times as the “Mists of prejudice against Christians”. His son Commodus was not as great as his father. He was under the influence of his mistress Marcia. He left Christians untroubled. It is said that he was without good counsel and direction. But Marcus Aurelius in the words of Arnold “saved his own soul by his righteousness and he could do no more”, (to help his son).

But if one leaves aside his outward life and tries to study his inward life, one has to go through his entries jotted down from day to day, after the royal business and fatigue of the day. These writings in Meditations are praised by several critics as unsurpassed for their naturalness and simplicity. They were without the slightest striving for style. There were no discussions or arguments, ‘carp and civil dies away’. ‘One is overpowered with purity, delicacy and virtue”.

Let us read how the great Roman ruler wrote about what was then called “polity”, and presently called “democratic state”. “The idea of a polity (state) in which there is the same law for all, a polity administered with regard to equal rights and equal freedom of speech and the idea of a kingly government which respects most of all the freedom of the governed”.

Regarding ‘drive at practice’, Marcus Aurelius asks us to think on these lines. “The greatest part of what we say or do being unnecessary, if a man takes this way, he will have more leisure and less uneasiness. Accordingly on every occasion a man should ask himself Is this one of the unnecessary things”? Obviously he had a philosophic bent of mind and democratic learnings.

He cautions us again, “We ought to check in the series of our thoughts, every thing that is purposeless and useless, but most of all our curious and malignant feelings”. He resembles Benjamin Franklin in placing stress on practicalness. “Let nothing be done without a practice”.

He categorises people doing humanitarian service into three types. “One man when he has done a service to another is ready to set it down to his account as a favour conferred. Another (the second type) is not ready to do this, he thinks of the man as his debtor and he knows what he has done. The third in a manner does not even know what he has done (the humanitarian service), but he is like a vine which has produced its proper fruit. As a horse when he has run, a dog when he has caught the game, a bee when it has made its honey, so a man when he had done a good deed does not call out for others to come and see, but he goes on to another act”.

Regarding expectation of rewards for doing a good act he states “Art thou not content that thou hast done something conformable (suitable) to thy nature, and dost thou seek to be paid for it, just as if the eye demanded a recompense for seeing, or the feet, for walking”. How noble he breathes in his classic analysis! How he resembles our Indian poet and a once ruler Bhartruhari!

Marcus Aurelius reminds us of our present sociology when he says “the prime principle in man’s constitution is the social”. “When thou wishes to delight thyself, (i.e.) when you feel proud) think of the virtue of those who live with thee, for instance, and the activity of one, and the modesty of another, the liberality of a third, and some other good quality of a fourth”. Thus Marcus Aurelius exhorts us not to pride ourselves on our virtues but to identify ourselves with the noble traits to be found in others who live around us. This is true self-­abnegation.

Let us study some of his pithy assertions:

“Short is the little which remains to thee of life.
Live as a mountain”.
“Whatever happens to everyman is for the interest of the universal”.
“All things work for good”.

When we study the life of the great Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who led a simple life sleeping on hard beds, and ruling his kingdom endowed with noble ideas we are reminded of another such great ruler of ancient times of unrecorded history - Janaka Maharaj of Mithila Kingdom.

C. Rajagopalachari, the freedom fighter and the first Governor General of India, and a prolific writer, giving summaries of our epics ‘Rarnayana’ and ‘Mahabharatha’ admired the life of this great Roman ruler and contributed his profile to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. ‘Meditations’ by Marcus Aurelius is worthy of our serious study.