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 →

भारतीय इतिहास के सन्दर्भ में, निम्नलिखित मूलग्रंथों पर विचार कीजिए :

  1. 1.नेत्तिपकरण
  2. 2.परिशिष्टपर्वन
  3. 3.अवदानशतक
  4. 4.त्रिशष्टिलक्षण महापुराण

उपर्युक्त में कौन-से जैन ग्रन्थ हैं ?

Read this question in English

With reference to Indian history, consider the following texts:

1. Nettipakarana

2. Parishishtaparvan

3. Avadanashataka

4. Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana

Which of the above are Jaina texts?

(a) 1, 2 and 3 · (b) 2 and 4 only · (c) 1, 3 and 4 · (d) 2, 3 and 4

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (b) केवल 2 और 4

Parishishtaparvan and the Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana are Jaina works. Avadanashataka (a collection of avadanas) is Buddhist. UPSC's key gives only 2 and 4 as Jaina.

  • ✗ 1. UPSC's official key treats this statement as incorrect; we could not confirm the detail from an official source, so we do not explain it here.
  • ✓ 2. Parishishtaparvan is a Jaina work: IGNOU's study material lists it among the Jain scriptures known as the Parvas.
  • ✗ 3. Avadanashataka means 'a hundred avadanas'. Avadanas are Buddhist stories, centred on the Buddha's explanations of a person's worthy deeds in a previous life, so this is a Buddhist work.
  • ✓ 4. The Mahapurana is a Jaina work; NCERT names it among the manuscript works portraying Jain subjects.

Remember · Jaina: Parishishtaparvan and the Mahapurana. Buddhist: Avadanashataka (a collection of avadanas).

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part II, Ch 1 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

भारतीय इतिहास के सन्दर्भ में, निम्नलिखित युग्मों पर विचार कीजिए :

ऐतिहासिक व्यक्तिकिस रूप में जाने गए
1.आर्यदेवजैन विद्वान
2.दिग्नागबौद्ध विद्वान
3.नाथमुनिवैष्णव विद्वान

उपर्युक्त युग्मों में से कितने युग्म सही सुमेलित हैं ?

Read this question in English

With reference to Indian history, consider the following pairs:

1. Aryadeva — Jaina scholar

2. Dignaga — Buddhist scholar

3. Nathamuni — Vaishnava scholar

How many pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) None of the pairs · (b) Only one pair · (c) Only two pairs · (d) All three pairs

उत्तर और व्याख्या · explanation in English

Answer: (c) केवल दो युग्म

Two pairs are correct: Dignaga was a Buddhist logician and Nathamuni a Vaishnava (Shrivaishnava) teacher. Aryadeva was a Buddhist, a disciple of Nagarjuna, not a Jaina.

  • ✗ 1. Aryadeva was a Mahayana Buddhist philosopher, the disciple of Nagarjuna, who with him is credited with founding the Madhyamaka school; he was not a Jaina.
  • ✓ 2. Dignaga (c. 480-540 CE) was a Buddhist logician whose Pramanasamuccaya laid the foundations of Buddhist logic.
  • ✓ 3. Nathamuni (10th century), the first acharya of the Shrivaishnava sect, gathered the hymns of the Alvars and had them sung in Vaishnava temples.

Remember · Aryadeva: Buddhist (Madhyamaka, Nagarjuna's disciple). Dignaga: Buddhist logic. Nathamuni: Shrivaishnava, collected the Alvars' hymns.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·

The Syllabus X-Ray of this topic

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