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
  1. The Bhakti literature by the Nayanmars and Alva

  1. (a) stressed the rigidities of traditional rituals.

  2. (b) opposed the practice of image worship.

  3. (c) preached personal devotion of God as a means of salvation.

  4. (d) advocated the austerities preached by the Buddhists and Jams.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

C

Multiple choice

‘Theravali’ refers to which of the following:-

  1. A sub-sect of Jainism which avoided idol-worship

  2. Code of conduct prescribed for Jaina monks.

  3. Prayer book of Jainas

  4. A section of Jaina Kalpasutras containing a list of ganas & their heads.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

 Kalpasutra is a Jaina text containing biographics of the Jain tirthankaras, most notably Mahavira & Parsvanath. Bhadrabahu I is considered as the author of this text.

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements:

1.         Bhakti movement was founded in South India and later spread to North during late medieval period. 2.         Bhakti movement saints were drawn from all classes and castes and went from temple to temple and offered worship in the language of the people.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only

  2. 2 only

  3. Both 1 and 2

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

Statement 1: It is correct. The development of the Bhakti cult first began in South India in the 7th-8th century in order to bridge the gap between the Shaivas and the Vaishnavas. It stood for intense personal devotion and complete self-surrender to God. The roots of the Bhakti Movement can be traced to the Upanishads, the Puranas and the Bhagavad Gita. Shankaracharya is reputed to have been the first and principal exponent of this reform movement. Statement 2: It is correct. The Bhakti movement became popular among the common masses as its teachings were preached in the form of hymns in various popular languages. In this accessible form, Bhakti ideas were spread among wide strata of the population and the hymns frequently became folk songs. Amongst the leaders of the Bhakti movement, Ramananda, Kabir, Ramanuja, Sri Chaitanya, Nanak, etc. were prominent.

Multiple choice

In reference to Edicts of Ashoka, consider the following statements:

  1.         The edicts focus on Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism, specific religious practices or the philosophical dimension of Buddhism.
  2.         The description of Ashoka’s efforts to spread Buddhism. 3.         Ashoka’s social and animal welfare program.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only

  2. 1 and 3 only

  3. 2 and 3 only

  4. 1, 2 and 3
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Statement 1: It is incorrect. The edicts focus on social and moral precepts rather than specific religious practices or the philosophical dimension of Buddhism. Statement 2: It is correct. The inscriptions has themes such as Ashoka's conversion to Buddhism, the description of his efforts to spread Buddhism, etc. Statement 3: It is correct. The edicts also represent Ashoka’s moral and religious precepts, and his social and animal welfare program. Hence, the correct option is 3.

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements about Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar:

A. He reconstructed the Bengali alphabet and reformed Bengali typography into an alphabet of twelve vowels and forty consonants. B. He demonstrated that the system of polygamy without restriction was not sanctioned by the ancient Hindu Shastras. C. His book 'Barna Porichoy' is still considered as a classic literature.

Which of the above statements are true?

  1. A and B

  2. A and C

  3. B and C

  4. All of these

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

All the statements are correct.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following statements is not correct?

  1. Chaitanya was a contemporary of Vallabhacharya

  2. Dadu Dayal started the practice of worship at the shrines of departed saints

  3. Tukaram was a contemporary of Shivaji

  4. Vallabhacharya advocated penance, self-mortification and renunciation of the world
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Vallabhacharya was a proponent of the Pushtimarg (Path of Grace) and emphasized devotion (bhakti) and grace, not penance or self-mortification. Dadu Dayal did indeed encourage the worship of saints, and the other historical pairings regarding Chaitanya and Tukaram are accurate.

Multiple choice

What was upavasatha in the Buddhist order?

  1. It was the resting place of the Buddhist monks in caves or viharas during rainy period

  2. t was an act of confession of Buddhist monks when they assembled every fortnight on the evenings of full and new moons

  3. It was an act of fasting for a specified period of time by Buddhist monks as a punishment for the offences committed by them in their conduct .

  4. It was the vow taken by the newly admitted monk into the Buddhist order
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Upavasatha was indeed the fortnightly confessional ceremony where Buddhist monks assembled on the evenings of full and new moons to confess their offenses. This was a crucial practice for maintaining monastic discipline. Option A incorrectly describes it as merely a resting place during rainy season (which is actually varshavasa). Option C incorrectly reduces it to a punishment fast. Option D confuses it with the admission ceremony (pabbajja). Upavasatha was a regular communal practice, not a one-time ceremony.

Multiple choice

Consider the following statements:

  1. In Rig Vedic time, the purohita was the foremost among the functionaries of a king.
  2. In Rig Vedic time, the king was the absolute owner of the land.
  3. The system of espionage was not known to the kings of the Rig Vedic time. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only

  2. 1 and 2

  3. 2 and 3

  4. 1, 2 and.3
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

In the Rig Vedic period, the Purohita was a key advisor. However, the king was not the absolute owner of land (land was often communal or tribal), and the system of espionage was not a formal state institution as it became in later periods.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following statements is not correct ?

  1. The Upanishads were compiled earlier than the Puranas

  2. The Upanishads believe in the transmigration of Soul

  3. The Upanishads contain instructive stories and conversations

  4. There are no parables in the Upanishads
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Upanishads contain numerous parables and allegories (e.g., the story of Satyakama Jabala or the dialogue between Nachiketa and Yama) to explain philosophical concepts.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following statements is correct?

  1. The grama of the Rig Vedic Aryans usually refers to a group of kinsfold and not a village

  2. The Aryans of early Vedic times tamed elephants and used them in war along with horses

  3. The Rig Veda mentions the svayamvara and marriage of widows

  4. The Rig Veda mentions Vindhya and Satpura mountains and Narmada river
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

In the Rig Veda, 'grama' refers to a tribal unit or a group of kinsfolk rather than a fixed territorial village. The other options are incorrect: elephants were not central to early Vedic warfare, and the Rig Veda does not mention the Vindhya/Satpura mountains or the Narmada river.

Multiple choice

What is the Mitakshara of Vijnaneswar?

  1. A treatise on the system of medicine

  2. An exposition of the contemporary theatre

  3. A commentary on Hindu law

  4. A treatise on the South, Indian music
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The Mitakshara, written by Vijnaneswar in the 12th century, is a famous legal commentary on the Yajnavalkya Smriti and serves as a foundational text for Hindu law, particularly the law of inheritance.