Which of the following is true about Ashoka's dhamma? (a) It did not involve…
2024
Which of the following is true about Ashoka's dhamma?
(a) It did not involve worship of a god.
(b) It did not involve performance of a sacrifice.
(c) The ideas of dhamma were inspired by the teachings of Buddha.
(d) Ashoka appointed Buddhist monks to teach people about dhamma.
Choose the correct option:
- A.
All (a), (b), (c) and (d)
- B.
Only (a) and (b)
- C.
Only (b) and (c)
- D.
Only (a), (b) and (c)
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
Ashoka's dhamma, as understood from his edicts and the standard historical account, was not devotion to a particular god or a set of ritual observances; it was a code of everyday moral conduct - respect for elders, non-violence, tolerance of other faiths, and concern for the welfare of subjects - propagated through Ashoka's own edicts and a dedicated cadre of officials, not through priests or monastic teachers. Historians trace its ethical core to Buddhist teaching on compassion and restraint, which shaped Ashoka's own outlook after the Kalinga war.
Application
Checking each statement in turn:
Statement (a) holds: the edicts frame dhamma as right conduct, not devotion to any specific deity, so no worship of a god was required under it.
Statement (b) holds: the edicts discourage ritual sacrifice as a mark of piety, so performing a sacrifice was not required either.
Statement (c) holds under the standard historical account: dhamma's emphasis on non-violence, compassion and moral restraint is understood to trace to Buddhist ethical teaching that shaped Ashoka's own outlook.
Statement (d) fails: to spread dhamma among the people, the edicts describe Ashoka creating a new class of officials called dhamma-mahamatta, drawn from his administration - not Buddhist monks.
Cross-check
Ashoka's own rock edicts, which record his instructions to the dhamma-mahamattas in his own words, confirm (a), (b) and (d) directly - they describe administrative officers touring the empire to explain dhamma, with no mention of monks being deputed for the purpose. The further link between dhamma's ethical content and Buddhist teaching, statement (c), is the standard historical reading of those same edicts. Together this supports (a), (b) and (c), and not (d).
A grouping that keeps all four statements wrongly treats the dhamma-mahamatta appointment as though it were a monastic one.
A grouping that drops statement (c) ignores dhamma's well-documented debt to Buddhist ethical teaching.
A grouping that drops statement (a) ignores that dhamma set out a conduct code rather than devotion to a deity.
The set of statements that survives every check is (a), (b) and (c).