Mahajanapadas, Buddhism & Jainism: previous-year questions

Answer: (C) Mahakasyapa

The First Buddhist Council met at the Saptaparni cave, Rajagriha, soon after the Buddha's death (c. 483 BCE) under the patronage of Ajatashatru, with Mahakasyapa presiding; Ananda recited the Sutta Pitaka and Upali the Vinaya Pitaka, which is why both appear as distractors. The remaining councils: Second at Vaishali (c. 383 BCE, king Kalashoka, president Sabakami), where the Sthaviravadin-Mahasanghika split began; Third at Pataliputra (c. 250 BCE, Ashoka, president Moggaliputta Tissa), which compiled the Abhidhamma Pitaka; Fourth in Kashmir (Kundalvana) under Kanishka, with Vasumitra presiding and Ashvaghosha as deputy, after which Buddhism divided into Hinayana and Mahayana.

Answer: (D) Anguttara Nikaya

The standard list of the sixteen Mahajanapadas comes from the Anguttara Nikaya, one of the five Nikayas of the Sutta Pitaka; the Jain Bhagavati Sutra gives a somewhat different list. The sixteen are Anga, Magadha, Kashi, Kosala, Vajji, Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Surasena, Assaka, Avanti, Gandhara and Kamboja; Assaka on the Godavari was the only one south of the Vindhyas. 'Tripitaka' (A) is the name of the whole Pali canon (Vinaya, Sutta and Abhidhamma Pitakas) and is too broad an answer; the Dipavamsa (B) is a Sri Lankan chronicle; and the Digha Nikaya (C) is the collection of long discourses. The five Nikayas: Digha, Majjhima, Samyutta, Anguttara and Khuddaka.

Answer: (C) Nanda

Chandragupta Maurya overthrew the last Nanda king, Dhana Nanda, around 321 BCE, so the Nandas ruled Magadha immediately before the Mauryas. The Sungas and Kanvas came after the Mauryas, and the Satavahanas ruled the Deccan.

Answer: (A) Dhanananda

When Alexander invaded north-west India in 326 BCE, Magadha was ruled by Dhana Nanda, the last Nanda king. Puru (Porus) and Ambhi of Taxila were rulers in the Punjab, and Chandragupta Maurya came to power only a few years later.

Answer: (A) Asvaghosa

The Buddhacharita, a Sanskrit epic poem on the life of the Buddha, was written by Ashvaghosha, who is associated with Kanishka's court. Vasumitra presided over the Fourth Buddhist Council and Nagasena is the monk of the Milindapanha, so ‘None of the above’ does not apply.

Answer: (B) Vajji

The Vajji confederacy, with its capital at Vaishali, was a republican sangha of eight clans including the Lichchhavis and Videhas. Magadha, Kashi and Koshala were monarchies.

Answer: (C) Rajagriha

The First Buddhist Council met at Rajagriha (Sattapanni cave) soon after the Buddha's death, about 483 BCE, under the patronage of Ajatashatru and the presidency of Mahakassapa; Ananda recited the Sutta Pitaka and Upali the Vinaya Pitaka. The Second was at Vaishali (c. 383 BCE, Kalashoka), where the order began to split; the Third at Pataliputra (c. 250 BCE, Ashoka, with Moggaliputta Tissa presiding), where the Abhidhamma Pitaka was compiled; and the Fourth at Kundalvana in Kashmir (Kanishka, with Vasumitra presiding), after which the Hinayana–Mahayana division became clear.

Answer: (C) Magadha

Of the sixteen Mahajanapadas of the sixth century BCE (listed in the Buddhist Anguttara Nikaya), Magadha finally absorbed the rest and became India's first empire under the Haryanka, Shishunaga, Nanda and Maurya dynasties. Its advantages were the iron ores of south Bihar, the fertile Ganga plain, elephants for the army and well-protected capitals (Rajagriha, then Pataliputra). Kashi was annexed by Kosala and Kosala in turn by Magadha under Ajatashatru; Panchala (capitals Ahichchhatra and Kampilya) never rose to imperial status. Avanti and Vatsa were Magadha's other rivals, and Vajji was the best-known republic.

Answer: (A) Purushpur

Kanishka, the greatest Kushana ruler, had his capital at Purushapura (modern Peshawar), with Mathura as a second capital. His accession was traditionally dated to 78 CE, the start of the Saka era. He convened the Fourth Buddhist Council at Kundalvana in Kashmir (some traditions place it at Jalandhar), patronised Mahayana Buddhism, and had Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Vasumitra and the physician Charaka at his court. The Gandhara and Mathura schools of art flourished under him and he controlled part of the Silk Route. Pataliputra was the capital of the Mauryas and the Guptas.

No option is correct as printed — this question is disputed. WBPSC awarded the mark to all candidates: two correct options — both Buddhism (B) and Jainism (D) have 'Three Jewels' (Triratna).

The question has two correct options, so the Commission awarded the mark to all candidates. Buddhism has the Three Jewels (Triratna) of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. Jainism also has Three Jewels (Triratna): right faith, right knowledge and right conduct, which together lead to liberation. Vaishnavism and Judaism have no such doctrine, so both (B) and (D) are correct.

Answer: (B) Girivraja

Under Bimbisara of the Haryanka dynasty, Magadha's capital was Girivraja, the hill-ringed fort later developed as Rajagriha (Rajgir). The capital later moved to Pataliputra under Udayin. Girnar near Junagadh in Gujarat carries a set of Ashoka's rock edicts and Rudradaman's Junagadh inscription about the Sudarshana lake. Gauda (Lakhnauti) in Malda district was the capital of Bengal under the Senas and the Bengal Sultans, and Gujarat is a region, not a city.

Answer: (C) Currency

Karshapana was a coin, the standard unit of currency in ancient India, mentioned in texts like the Ashtadhyayi and the Arthashastra. The earliest karshapanas were silver punch-marked coins of the age of the Mahajanapadas, around the 6th century BC. It was a coin made of metal, not a metal itself, so (A) is only a tempting half-truth. Paper and race have nothing to do with it.

Answer: (B) Kundalvan

In the standard Indian list of four Buddhist Councils, the last (fourth) was held at Kundalvana in Kashmir under Kanishka, presided over by Vasumitra, and it marked the split into Mahayana and Hinayana. The first three were at Rajagriha, Vaishali and Pataliputra. Ceylon is the tempting option: the Theravada tradition counts its own fourth council at Aluvihare in Sri Lanka in the 1st century BC, where the Pali canon was first written down. Sarnath is where the Buddha gave his first sermon, and Saket is an old name linked with Ayodhya.

Answer: (A) Parshvanath

Parshvanatha was the 23rd Jain Tirthankara; he taught four vows, to which Mahavira added the fifth, brahmacharya. Vardhamana Mahavira was the 24th and last Tirthankara, and Rishabhanatha was the first. Gautama Buddha founded Buddhism, not Jainism. Ajatashatru was a Haryanka king of Magadha, not a religious teacher.

Answer: (B) Haryanka Dynasty

Bimbisara belonged to the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha and was a contemporary of both the Buddha and Mahavira. He strengthened Magadha through marriage alliances and the annexation of Anga. The Gupta dynasty was founded by Sri Gupta, the Maurya dynasty by Chandragupta Maurya, and the Khilji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate by Jalaluddin Khilji in 1290. All three came much later than Bimbisara.

Answer: (A) Magadha

Magadha was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas listed in the Buddhist Anguttara Nikaya and grew into the most powerful of them. Saurashtra was not among the sixteen. Pragjyotishpura was the ancient capital of Kamarupa (Assam), near present-day Guwahati. Sialkot is ancient Sakala (Sagala), the capital of the Indo-Greek king Menander.

Answer: (B) Sakya

Gautama Buddha was born at Lumbini into the Shakya clan, whose republic had its capital at Kapilavastu; hence his title Shakyamuni. The Vajji confederacy, with the Lichchhavis as its leading clan and Vaishali as its capital, is linked with Mahavira, who was born near Vaishali. The Kushanas were a Central Asian (Yuezhi) people who came centuries later. The Sakas were Scythians from Central Asia, who also arrived long after the Buddha.

Answer: (B) Sarnath

The Buddha gave his first sermon, the Dhammachakkappavattana ('turning the wheel of law'), at the deer park of Sarnath near Varanasi. Gaya is where he attained enlightenment, under the pipal tree at Bodh Gaya. Peshawar (ancient Purushapura) was Kanishka's capital. Karnataka is linked with Jainism, as Chandragupta Maurya is said to have died at Shravanabelagola.

Answer: (C) Port

Tamralipta (Tamralipti), modern Tamluk in Purba Medinipur on the Rupnarayan, was the leading ancient port of Bengal, trading with Sri Lanka and South-East Asia. The Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien sailed from Tamralipti to Sri Lanka on his way home. It was a town and port, not a river, canal or fort. The river on which modern Tamluk stands is the Rupnarayan.

Answer: (B) Ashtangik Marg

The Eightfold Path is the Ashtangika Marga: right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration, the fourth of the Four Noble Truths. Dharmachakrapravartana ('turning the wheel of law') is the name of the Buddha's first sermon at Sarnath. Nirukta is Yaska's work on etymology, one of the six Vedangas. Vimukta means 'liberated' and is not the name of the path.