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."

Ashoka

Samudragupta

Harshavardhana

Krishnadeva Raya

APEDIA

UPSC Prelims

2020 • 04 Oct, 2020 • Paper-1

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."

Correct Answer

Ashoka

Identification of the Edict: The quoted text is directly translated from the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka's Major Rock Edict XII.Philosophical Context: Following the ......

💡 Analysis & Explanation

Identification of the Edict ▼

The quoted text is directly translated from the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka's Major Rock Edict XII.

Philosophical Context ▼

Following the Kalinga war, Ashoka's governance shifted drastically toward the principles of 'Dhamma'. Major Rock Edict XII specifically focuses on the core concept of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence among different sects.

Message of Tolerance ▼

Ashoka urged his subjects to honor other sects and refrain from disparaging them. He warned that blind fanaticism and attacking other faiths ultimately harms one's own religion by breeding animosity instead of harmony.

Conclusion ▼

This famous injunction on religious harmony is universally attributed to Emperor Ashoka.

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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."

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."