Read the following lines and answer the question that follows by choosing the correct option :
I felt myself dwarfed standing next to the majestic Emperor Asoka. Asoka led two lives, one as a ruthless conqueror and the other as a compassionate ruler. The man I stood beside was the one who had just returned from conquest. But victory had been obtained at a heavy cost: the battle of Kalinga claimed the lives of at least 300,000 people and an equal number were wounded. I saw everyone looking at Asoka who fell on his knees and removed his armour and crown. His face was pale, reflecting the death surrounding him. He looked at the sky. He saw the bright cool moon shining and God's grace pouring down on mother earth. And he looked down at the horror he had created, making blood flow everywhere. In that moment of beauty and horror - the silver moonlight and the suffering and pain on the ground, when Nature itself seemed to speak out against what he had wrought, Ahimsa Dharma was born. Emperor Asoka embraced God's command to propagate love for human beings through this doctrine.
Asoka removed his armour and crown as :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → he felt the pain and suffering caused by the war.
The battle of Kalinga had "claimed the lives of at least 300,000 people". Asoka fell on his knees and removed his armour and crown, and "His face was pale, reflecting the death surrounding him". Laying aside the symbols of the warrior and the king is a gesture of remorse for the suffering his war had caused.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: he was satisfied that he had won the war. — Incorrect. Contradicted: a satisfied victor would not fall on his knees with a pale face; the passage shows grief, not satisfaction.
Option 3: he observed the changes in surroundings — Incorrect. Wrong cause: he looked at the sky and the moon after removing his armour and crown; the act came from the death around him.
Option 4: he wanted to showcase his victory to others. — Incorrect. Contradicted: removing his armour and crown is the opposite of showing off a victory; he gave up the symbols of power.