UPSC Prelims 2020 · Question 91 of 100
UPSC Prelims 2020 question on Parivrajaka Shramana Terms
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2020
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectArt and Culture
- TopicMiscellaneous Art and Culture
- DifficultyHard
- TypeMatch
With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following pairs:
1. Parivrajaka — Renunciant and Wanderer
2. Shramana — Priest with a high status
3. Upasaka — Lay follower of Buddhism
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Show answer
Answer: B. 1 and 3 only
Verdict
Correct pairs: 1 and 3 → Option (b).
Statement by statement
Pair 1 — CORRECT: The word Parivrajaka means 'roaming ascetic', i.e., a wandering religious mendicant. This term occurs in the early Brahmanic tradition of the Upanisads and is applicable to Buddhist and Jain monks as well as Hindu samnyasins.
Pair 2 — INCORRECT: Shramana does NOT mean 'Priest with a high status.' The Shramana group — Buddhism, Jainism and various heterodox sects — is a well-established group. Shramanas did not regard the brahmans as being of the highest status. Shramanas included a variety of ascetics, monks and lay followers of various sects.
Pair 3 — CORRECT: Lay followers were referred to as upasaka and upasika. Upasaka refers to a lay follower of Buddhism.