Minimalist IAS
Ancient India

Prelims · Ancient India · 20 questions

Buddhism, Jainism & other schools

Every UPSC Prelims question on this topic, 2016–2026, newest first. Tap an option to check yourself; the answer and explanation open below it.

Buddhism, Jainism & other schools questions per year: 2016: 1, 2017: 1, 2018: 2, 2019: 1, 2020: 3, 2021: 0, 2022: 1, 2023: 3, 2024: 2, 2025: 0, 2026: 1 Asked in 9 of 11 years · most in 2023 (3)

Practising Ancient India? Take it as timed sets of 25 →

UPSC syllabus: “History of India and Indian National Movement.” Sub-topics in the detailed syllabus →

भारत के धार्मिक इतिहास के सन्दर्भ में, निम्नलिखित कथनों पर विचार कीजिए :

  1. 1.सौत्रान्तिक और सम्मितीय जैन मत के सम्प्रदाय थे ।
  2. 2.सर्वास्तिवादियों की मान्यता थी कि दृग्विषय (फिनोमिना) के अवयव पूर्णतः क्षणिक नहीं हैं, अपितु अव्यक्त रूप में सदैव विद्यमान रहते हैं ।

उपर्युक्त कथनों में से कौन-सा/से सही है/हैं ?

Read this question in English

With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:

1. Sautrantika and Sammitiya were the sects of Jainism.

2. Sarvastivadin held that the constituents of phenomena were not wholly momentary, but existed forever in a latent form.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only · (b) 2 only · (c) Both 1 and 2 · (d) Neither 1 nor 2

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (b) केवल 2

Sautrantika and Sammitiya were schools of Buddhism, not Jainism, so statement 1 is wrong. Sarvastivadins held that the basic factors of existence (dharmas) are lasting realities even though they show up only momentarily in the world, so statement 2 is correct.

  • ✗ 1. NCERT calls Sautrantika a philosophical sect of Hinayana Buddhism, and IGNOU places Sarvastivada in the same early Buddhist tradition. Sammitiya is likewise an early Buddhist school. Sautrantika arose around the 2nd century BCE as an offshoot of the Sarvastivada, and Sammitiya (also spelt Sammatiya) taught a distinctive theory of the ‘person’ (pudgala). Neither is a Jain sect.
  • ✓ 2. Sarvastivadins treated everything in the empirical world as impermanent but maintained that the underlying dharma factors are eternally existing realities. Sautrantikas rejected this and held that dharmas exist only momentarily.

Remember · Sarvastivada, Sautrantika and Sammitiya are early Buddhist schools. Sarvastivadins said dharmas are enduring realities; Sautrantikas said they are only momentary.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

The Syllabus X-Ray of this topic

1 of its 5 sub-topics is Core

1 Core · 2 High · 2 Steady · 0 Rare

  • Core #48Buddhist sects, councils & texts · 6 questions
  • HighJainism: doctrines, sects & texts · 4 questions
  • HighBuddhist centres, monks & spread abroad · 3 questions

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