Wells were dug and guesthouses and rest houses were put up. There was free medical aid both for men and for animals. Ashoka is among the first in the world who built hospitals for the treatment of animals. He got medicinal plants and a variety of fruit-bearing trees from several places and planted them where they were not found. In one inscription he has expressed the wish that even the forest dwellers in his empire should live happily.
Sandalwood wears itself out to give a cool and fragrant paste to men.
Sugarcane gives up its sweet juice to men and reduces itself to mere skin in the process. The candle burns itself out that others may have light. All his life Ashoka lived like the sandalwood, like the sugarcane, like the candle. He worked hard without rest and taught the people to live a life of truthfulness, Dharma, Justice and morality. There was happiness and peace.