General Awareness · Civics Polity

Indian Philosophy and Aesthetics

2,971 Questions

Indian philosophy spans diverse concepts from Buddhist teachings and practices to ancient aesthetics. This collection covers meditation rules, spiritual enlightenment, and cultural expressions like Odissi. These topics are vital for general awareness in civil services and state exams.

Buddhist philosophy practicesAesthetics treatisesTantra categoriesMoksha conceptsClassical dance movements

Indian Philosophy and Aesthetics Questions

Multiple choice

According to Gandhiji, what was a sin against man and God?

  1. Alcoholism

  2. Untouchability

  3. Illiteracy

  4. Poverty
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

"Untouchability, as it is practiced in Hinduism today, in my opinion, is a sin against God and man and is therefore, like a poison slowly eating into the very vitals of Hinduism".

Multiple choice

Directions: In the following question, five statements are provided. These statements form a coherent paragraph when properly arranged. Select the alternative representing the proper and logical sequencing of these statements.

A. The lotus is also the sacred flower of Osiris, for long the supreme deity of the Egyptian pantheon and simulataneosly god of dead.

B. Multiple and complex lines of communication between the East and the West have existed since very early times in human history, and there are accordingly a great many parallels between ancient India and ancient Egypt - both civilizations that originated and expanded on the banks of great rivers in the third millennium BC.

C. According to the ancient Egyptian version of the same myth, Set, Osiris malign brother, scatters the fourteen parts of Osiris body like seeds all over the Earth.

D. In Indian mythology, the god Shiva dances in a great fury, holding the life-less body of his consort over his shoulder, so scattering parts of her body throughout the land. E. The sacred plant of India is the lotus, which, growing from the navel of the god Vishnu, brings forth the god Brahma, and on which the contemplative Buddha is enthroned.

  1. EDACB

  2. DAECB

  3. EACBD

  4. BEADC
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Logically, B begins the sequence as it draws parallels between ancient India and ancient Egypt. To prove this concept, E follows B, which in turn is followed by A as indicated by 'also' in it. DC link is apparent, as 'same myth' in C is a reference to D. Hence, (4) is the answer.

Multiple choice

The term 'nishka', which meant an ornament in the Vedic period, was used in later times to denote a/an

  1. weapon

  2. agricultural implement

  3. script

  4. coin
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The term nishka demonstrates interesting semantic evolution in ancient India. While it originally referred to a gold necklace or ornament worn as adornment during the Vedic period, by later times it had come to denote a gold coin or monetary unit, reflecting the development of a monetary economy.

Multiple choice

Which of the following is/are true?

  1. Chanakya was the prime minister of Asoka.

  2. Ashoka sent a mission to Suvarnagiri for propagation of Buddhism.

  3. Both (1) and (2)

  4. Neither (1) nor (2)
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Both statements are false. Chanakya (Kautilya) was the prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya, not Ashoka. Ashoka sent Buddhist missions to various regions, but Suvarnagiri was actually a mining center and administrative headquarters mentioned in his edicts, not a destination for religious missions.

Multiple choice

Kanishka held the fourth Buddhist Council mainly to

  1. honour Ashvaghosha

  2. conciliate the Brahmanas

  3. recognise Mahayana form of Buddhism

  4. settle disputes between the different schools of Buddhist sects
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The fourth Buddhist Council was held during Kanishka's reign in Kashmir, primarily to resolve doctrinal disputes between different Buddhist schools and to formally establish the Mahayana tradition as a separate path.

Multiple choice

Dasaratha, who was the Grandson of Asoka, embraced which faith?

  1. Ajivika sect

  2. Buddhism

  3. Jainism

  4. Vaishnavism
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Dasaratha, who succeeded Ashoka as the Mauryan emperor (and was his grandson), embraced Jainism and is known to have followed Jain teachings, marking a shift from Ashoka's Buddhist patronage.

Multiple choice

Milindapanha is a

  1. Sanskrit play

  2. Political Treatise

  3. Religious Conversation

  4. Chronicle
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

 It is indeed an religious conversation 

Multiple choice

What was the ascending order of the following units of administration in the Chola period?

i. Valanadus ii. Nadus iii. Mandalams iv. Kurrams

Choose the answer from the codes given below:

  1. iv, ii, i, iii

  2. iii, ii, i, iv

  3. iv, i, ii, iii

  4. i, ii, iii, iv
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The ascending order (smallest to largest) of Chola administrative units was: Kurrams (village assemblies) → Nadus (districts) → Valanadus (larger divisions) → Mandalams (provinces). Option A correctly represents this hierarchy as iv, ii, i, iii.