The expression 'Dharma-vijaya' (conquest through righteousness), as opposed to military conquest, was famously formulated and practiced by which ancient monarch?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Emperor Ashoka profoundly transformed Maurya imperial policy after the devastating Kalinga War by replacing traditional military conquest, known as dig-vijaya, with moral conquest through righteousness, designated as Dharma-vijaya. Other rulers like Samudragupta pursued aggressive territorial expansion and military subjugation, adhering strictly to classical concepts of conquest. This pacifist doctrine was extensively propagated across his empire through rock and pillar edicts inscribed in Prakrit using Brahmi and Kharosthi scripts.