The great king beloved of God also known as Ashoka the great marked his territory by building Imperial pillars on which he inscribed his eddicts. In one of the eddicts he is depicted as suffering-from weight on his mind. Comming post Kalinga war it is said to represent the remorse that Ashoka felt for the death toll of 100000 men. Could it be the onset of depressive diorder?.  Consider the family tree. Ashoka’s grand father Chandra Gupta Mauriya  after placing Bindusara on Throne , became a jain monk,travelled the Dakshina pathtoSravanaBelagola(in Karnataka) and committed  suicide by starving to death on a hill called  Chandragiri. Was it due to depressions  which runs in families.  Were both the king suffering from depression.Could it be the reason for the fall of Mauriya empire soon after Ashoka’s death. Were it not for depression the imperial history of Indian empire as well as that of buddhism would havebeen different. It is remarkable that Gautam Buddha also seem to have suffered from severe depression, even catatonic depression.