RAS question
Ashoka's Rock Edict I prohibits:
Correct answer: (D) Animal sacrifice and festive gatherings.
Ashoka's Major Rock Edict I prohibits animal sacrifice and the holding of samajas, or festive gatherings, where animals were killed.
Explanation
Major Rock Edict I is about restraining the killing of living creatures. The IGNCA-hosted scan of the edict states that no living creature should be slaughtered and sacrificed, and that no samaja should be held, because Ashoka saw objection in such gatherings. The royal kitchen example reinforces the point: earlier, many hundred thousands of living creatures were killed daily for curries, but after the edict only two peacocks and one deer were still being killed, and even these three were to stop later. Option D is correct because the edict targets animal sacrifice and festive gatherings linked with killing, not social hierarchy, foreign trade, or a general ban on war.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Caste discrimination is not the subject of Rock Edict I; the edict deals with slaughter, sacrifice, samajas, and the royal kitchen.
- (B) War and conquest are not prohibited in Rock Edict I; the war-related theme belongs to Rock Edict XIII, not to this edict.
- (C) Trade with foreigners is outside the scope of Rock Edict I, which contains no trade prohibition and instead focuses on killing living creatures and samajas.
Concept
This tests Mauryan-period inscriptions, especially matching numbered Ashokan Rock Edicts with their core policy content. RAS asks this type of fact because the edicts are compact primary texts with clearly separable themes.