Correct Option
The quoted statement is an excerpt from Ashoka's Major Rock Edict XII. This edict explicitly advocates for religious tolerance and mutual respect among different religious sects. Ashoka emphasized that excessive devotion to one's own sect, leading to the disparagement of others, ultimately causes severe damage to one's own sect. His Dhamma policy promoted principles of religious harmony, non-violence, and respect for all beliefs, making this inscription a cornerstone of his administration's ethical framework.
Incorrect Options
Samudragupta:
Samudragupta, a prominent ruler of the Gupta dynasty, is primarily celebrated for his extensive military conquests and imperial expansion, as detailed in inscriptions like the Allahabad Pillar Inscription. While he was a patron of Vaishnavism and demonstrated religious tolerance, his edicts do not contain admonitions against inter-sectarian criticism in the manner of Ashoka's pronouncements.
Harshavardhana:
Harshavardhana, a ruler of the Pushyabhuti dynasty, was a significant patron of Buddhism, particularly Mahayana Buddhism, and also showed tolerance towards other religious traditions. Historical accounts and inscriptions from his reign focus on his patronage of religious institutions and scholars, as well as his administrative and military activities. However, no known inscriptions from Harshavardhana's period contain the specific message regarding the self-injurious nature of sectarian praise and blame as seen in Ashoka's edicts.
Krishnadeva Raya:
Krishnadeva Raya, a celebrated emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, was renowned for his military achievements, administrative reforms, and extensive patronage of art, architecture, and literature. A devout Vaishnava, he was responsible for significant temple construction and renovation. His inscriptions typically record land grants, temple endowments, and military victories. The specific type of ethical advice concerning inter-sectarian harmony, as conveyed in the given inscription, is not characteristic of his epigraphic records.