UPSC Previous Year Questions (Prelims): Buddhism & Jainism | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Correct Answer is Option (a)

• Dhanyakataka was located in the region of Andhra.
• It flourished as a prominent Buddhist center.
• The Mahasanghikas, a major early Buddhist school, were associated with Dhanyakataka.
• The Mahasanghikas were known for their liberal views and were one of the earliest Buddhist sects.
• Dhanyakataka played a significant role in the spread of Buddhism in the Andhra region.
• It served as a hub for Buddhist teachings, monastic activities, and the preservation of Buddhist scriptures.
• Dhanyakataka was an important center for Buddhist scholarship.
• It attracted scholars from various parts of India and beyond.

Correct Answer is Option (b)

• Stupa is a pre-Buddhist tumuli in which sramaṇas were buried in a seated position called chaitya. The term “stupa” comes from the Sanskrit word “stupa,” which means “heap” or “pile.” Originally, stupas were simple mounds of earth or stones that served as commemorative markers for important events or burial sites. Hence statement 1 is incorrect.
• One of the primary purposes of a Stupa was to serve as a repository for relics (sarira) associated with the Buddha or other significant Buddhist figures. These relics were often placed in a central chamber within the Stupa. Hence statement 2 is correct.
• Besides housing relics, Stupas were often erected to commemorate significant events in the life of the Buddha, such as his birth, enlightenment, first sermon, and death. They also served as a focus for devotional practice. Hence statement 3 is correct.

Correct Answer is Option (b)

• The statement "Souls are not only the property of animal and plant life, but also of rocks, running water, and many other natural. objects not looked on as living by other religious sects." reflects a key principle of Jainism.
• Jainism known as "Jiva" or "Jeev", refers to a living being or any entity that contains a soul. In Jainism, it is believed that every living being, from animals and plants to microscopic organisms, possesses a soul. Jainism extends this belief even further by adhering to a philosophy known as "anekantavada" which respects the perspectives of all beings.
• In Jainism, it is also believed that inanimate objects such as rocks and water bodies can be inhabited by certain types of subtle life forms, although this view isn't as universal as the recognition of souls in animals and plants. This belief contributes to the strong emphasis on non-violence (ahimsa) in Jainism, which applies to all beings, not just those traditionally considered alive.
• The other options - Buddhism, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism, while they have their own nuanced views of life, consciousness, and the soul, do not typically extend the concept of soul or consciousness to inanimate objects in the same way.

Correct Answer is Option (b)

1. Parishishtaparvan: This text is a 12th-century Sanskrit mahakavya by Hemachandra which details the histories of the earliest Jain teachers.
2. Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana: This is a major Jain text composed largely by Acharya Jinasena during the rule of Rashtrakuta ruler Amoghavarsha and completed by his pupil Gunabhadra in the 9th century CE.
3. Avadanashataka: This text, also known as “A Hundred Glorious Deeds,” is a Buddhist text that is an anthology in Sanskrit of one hundred Buddhist legends.
4. Nettipakarana: This text is identified as a Buddhist scripture, sometimes included in the Khuddaka Nikaya of Theravada Buddhism’s Pali Canon.

Correct Answer is Option C

Aryadeva was a Mahayana Buddhist monk, a disciple of Nagarjuna and a Madhyamaka philosopher. Dignaga was an Indian Buddhist scholar and one of the Buddhist founders of Indian logic. Dignaga’s work laid the groundwork for the development of deductive logic in India and created the first system of Buddhist logic and epistemology. Sri Ranganathamuni, popularly known as Sriman Nathamuni was a Vaishnava theologian who collected and compiled the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. Considered the first of Sri Vaishnava Acharya, Nathamuni is also the author of Yogarahasya And Nyayatattva. 

Correct Answer is Option (b)

• Both Mitakshara and Dayabhaga were legal systems that governed property rights and inheritance but were not explicitly designated for different castes.

• Under the Mitakshara system, sons could claim a right to the property during the father’s lifetime as they acquire a share in the property by birth. On the other hand, in the Dayabhaga system, sons could claim a right to the property only after the father’s death as this system doesn’t recognize the concept of coparcenary and follows the principle of propinquity, meaning the closest heirs inherit the property.

• The Mitakshara system historically favored male descendants over females in matters of inheritance, with females being able to become coparceners only after the enactment of the Hindu Succession Act, 2005. The Dayabhaga system, in contrast, provides relatively better property rights to women as it allows both male and female heirs to inherit property, not limiting inheritance to the male line of descendants.

Correct Answer is Option (b)

• Fourth Council convened in Kashmir under the patronage of Kanishka 
• It resulted into division of all the Buddhists into two major sects 
• Sarvastivadins (popular in Kashmir and Mathura regions) and Mahasanghikas together forming the Mahayanists (followers of the Greater Vehicle), 
• Sthaviravadins and others forming the Hinayanists (followers of the Lesser Vehicle); Thus, Sthaviravadins is not part of Mahayana. So, Statement 1 is wrong. 
• The Mahasanghikas gave rise to the following sects: 1. Ekavyaharikas 2. Lokottaravadins 3. Kukkutikas 4. Bahusrutiyas 5. Prajnapativadins 6. Chaitya-sailas 7. Apara-sailas 8. Uttara-sailas. So, 2 is right, hence answer “b”.

Correct Answer is Option (c)

• Bodhisattva are part of the Mahayana/Vajrayana Tradition. They are mentioned in the Mahayana literature called the Vaipulya Sutra- written in Sanskrit  
• Inside the Vaipulya Sutra- Prajna Paramita is mentioned.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The Mahayana followers believe in idol or image worship of Buddha. So 1 and 3 are correct. The concept of Bodhisattva is the result of Mahayana Buddhism. So 2 is also correct.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Maitreya is the future Buddha, whose coming was said to have been prophesied by the historical Buddha and who in years to come, would purify the world with his teachings. let's also learn about the wrong options, lest they're asked in future exams: Avalokitesvara (watchful lord), also called Padmapani (lotus-bearer), whose attribute is compassion, which reaches down even to Avichi, the lowest Buddhist purgatory. Loksesvara is also used as a synonym for Avalokitesvara.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Sthanakvasi doesn't differ much from the other Svetambara Jainas, hence now-a-days they invariably call themselves Svetambara Sthanakvasi.

Correct Answer is Option (a)

Some important paintings at Ajanta are:

• Scenes from the Jataka stories of the life of the Gautama Buddha, the Buddha’s former lives as a bodhisattva, etc.
• Paintings of various Bodhisattvas in tribhanga pose in Cave 1:
  • Vajrapani (protector and guide, a symbol of Buddha’s power),
  • Manjusri (manifestation of Buddha’s wisdom) and
  • Padmapani (Avalokitesvara) (symbol of Buddha’s compassion).
• The Dying Princess in Cave.no 16.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Sautrantikas and Sammtiyas as Buddhism sects. So the first statement is wrong. And Sarvastivadin sect of Buddhism believes that all things exist, and exist continuously, in the past and the future as well as in the present.  So the second statement is right.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Buddha was born in Lumbini, in the Kosala kingdom.Buddh died in Kusinara, in Magadha kingdom. Avanti lay outside the area visited by buddha and was converted to his teaching by his disciple Mahakaccana. Gandhara is the western part of Pakistan & Afghanistan and Buddha never went to Pakistan.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The surest way of annihilating Karma is to practice penance. Karma is the bane of the soul and must be ended. “Swadhyay Paramam Tap” According to Jain doctrines Penance washes away all the blemishes and purges the soul of all karmic matter. Also, according to Jainism, Karma is the bane of the soul. Karma not only encompasses the causality of transmigration but is also conceived as an extremely subtle matter which infiltrates the soul, obscuring its natural, transparent, pure qualities. Karma is thought of as a kind of pollution that taints the soul with various colors. Based on its karma, a soul undergoes transmigration and reincarnation in various states of existence like heavens or hells or as humans or animals.

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The concept of Nirvana was originally explained by Lord Buddha (566-486 BC). The word ‘Nirvana’ comes from the root meaning ‘to blow out’ and refers to the extinguishing of the fires of greed, hatred, and delusion. When these emotional and psychological defilements are destroyed by wisdom, the mind becomes free, radiant, and joyful and he who has realized the Truth (Nirvana) is the happiest being in the world. He is free from all complexes and obsessions. He does not repent of the past nor does he brood over the future. He lives fully in present. He appreciates and enjoys things in life in the purest sense without self projections. He is free from the thirst of becoming and the illusion of self. Buddism explains Nirvana as a state of bliss or peace.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Chaityas refer to the halls enclosing the stupas. Chaityas were probably constructed to hold large numbers of devotees for prayer. Viharas on the other hand are constructions built in ancient India in order to provide resting places for the wandering Buddhist monks.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The earth witness Buddha is one of the most common iconic images of Buddhism. It depicts the Buddha sitting in meditation with his left hand, palm upright, in his lap; and his right hand touching the earth. This represents the moment of the Buddha's enlightenment.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Both Buddhism and Jainism denied the authority of the Vedas and the efficacy of Rituals.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The Jaina metaphysics is realistic and relativistic pluralism. It is called Anekantavada or the doctrine of ‘may ness of reality’. Matter and spirit are regarded as separate and independent realities.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Statement 1 is incorrect as most of the inscriptions of the Andhra Ikshvaku period record either the construction of the Buddhist viharas or the gifts made to them which shows that the Ikshvaku rulers of Southern India were supporters of Buddhism.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Jainism spread in South India under the leadership of Bhadrabahu (not Sthalabahu). The Jainas who remained under the leadership of Bhadrabahu was called Digambaras (not Shvetambaras) after the first council held at Pataliputra (modern Patna) by Sthulbahu.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Vardhaman Mahavira's mother, Trishala was the sister (not the daughter) of Lichchhavi chief Chetak.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Pavarana is a Buddh ist holiday celebrated on the full moon of the eleventh lunar month. It marks the end of the month of Vassa, sometimes called "Buddhist Lent." This day marks the end of the rainy season in some Asian countries like Thailand, where Theravada Buddhism is practiced. On this day, each monk (Pali: bhikkhu) must come before the community of monks (Sangha) and atone for an offense he may have committed during the Vassa.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Vasumitra and Ashavaghosh together presided over the fourth council. In this council, Buddhists were divided into Mahayanists and Hinayanists.

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Both statements are true and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion.

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the principal teachings of the Buddha, who described it as the way leading to the cessation of suffering (Dukkha) and attainment of self-awakening. In Buddhist symbolism, theb is often represented by means of the Dharma wheel (Dharmachakra), whose eight spokes represent the eight elements of the path. The eightfold path includes right understanding, right speech, right livelihood; right mindfulness, right thought, right action, right effort, and right concentration.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Avalokiteśvar a is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism. In Sanskrit, Avalokitesvara is also referred to as Padmapāni (“Holder of the Lotus”) or Lokeśvara (“Lord of the World”).