GS PrelimsHistory (Ancient India)Maurya Age2020

Who among the following rulers advised his subjects through this inscription ? "Whosoever praises his religious sect or blames other sects out of excessive devotion to his own sect, with the view of glorifying his own sect, he rather injures his own sect very severely."

A

Ashoka

B

Samudragupta

C

Harshavardhana

D

Krishnadeva Raya

Correct Answer: Option A

Explanation

1. The question asks to identify the ruler who advised his subjects through the given inscription promoting religious tolerance. 2. The content of the inscription - warning against praising one's own religious sect or blaming other sects out of excessive devotion, and stating that such actions actually injure one's own sect - is a hallmark of Emperor Ashoka's policy of Dhamma. 3. This specific message is famously articulated in Ashoka's Major Rock Edict 12, which emphasizes the importance of restraint in speech, respect for other sects, and the promotion of the essence of all religions. 4. While other rulers like Samudragupta, Harshavardhana, and Krishnadeva Raya were significant figures, this particular philosophy and its propagation through widespread inscriptions are uniquely associated with Ashoka. 5. Therefore, the ruler is Ashoka.

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