Prelims 2024 · Q58
EasyConsider the following statements:
- 1.There are no parables in Upanishads.
- 2.Upanishads were composed earlier than the Puranas.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Only Statement 2 is correct. The Upanishads do contain many teaching stories, such as the tale of Shvetaketu and his father, and they are much older than the Puranas, which were compiled only from about the early centuries CE.
- ✗ 1. NCERT points to many stories in the Upanishads, for example Shvetaketu and the seed of reality in the Chhandogya Upanishad, and Nachiketa and Yama. Stories that teach a lesson are parables.
- ✓ 2. The early Upanishads date from about the sixth century BCE onwards, while the Puranas were compiled by about the middle of the first millennium CE (from c. 200 CE onwards).
Remember · Upanishads (c. 6th century BCE onwards) are full of teaching stories and are far older than the Puranas (compiled from c. 200 CE onwards).
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 6 Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Ch 7 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter) · Class 12 Themes in Indian History, Part I, Ch 4 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 6 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 7 “Many stories from the Upanishads tell us the importance of asking questions, whether these questions come from men, women or children.”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 4 “Many ideas found in the Upanishads (c. sixth century BCE onwards)”
- NCERT Class 12 · Themes in Indian History, Part I, Chapter 4 “the Puranas, compiled by Brahmanas (by about the middle of the first millennium CE).”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·