Question 79 from UPSC CSE 2020 - Art & Culture

Question

With reference to the cultural history of India, which one of the following is the correct description of the term paramitas?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Perfections whose attainment led to the Bodhisattva path

Strategy: Focus on the keyword 'paramitas,' a term central to Mahayana Buddhist tradition, referring to perfections on the Bodhisattva path. Confidently exclude options related to Dharmashastra, Vedic authority, or merchant guilds, as these pertain to Hindu legal, philosophical, or economic history, not Buddhist soteriology.

Key Info: Paramitas, meaning 'perfections' or transcendent virtues, are central to Buddhist philosophy, particularly Mahayana Buddhism. Practicing these perfections is essential for those on the Bodhisattva path, aspiring to achieve Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.

The classic list of six paramitas includes:
-   **Generosity** (dana)
-   **Morality** (sila)
-   **Patience** (ksanti)
-   **Energy or Vigor** (virya)
-   **Meditation or Concentration** (dhyana)
-   **Wisdom** (prajna)

Some Mahayana schools expand this list to ten, adding skillful means, determination, power, and knowledge. The concept is deeply tied to Mahayana and also appears in Theravada as 'paramis.'

### Other Options Explained

-   **Dharmashastra texts:** These are early Hindu legal treatises written in sutra (aphoristic) style, not termed 'paramitas.'
-   **Non-accepting Vedic authority:** This refers to nastika schools like Buddhism, Jainism, and Charvaka; 'paramitas' does not denote such schools.
-   **Merchant guilds:** These were prominent in early medieval South India, known by names such as 'manigramam' or 'ananthasayanam,' and are unrelated to 'paramitas.'

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: The earliest Dharmashastra texts written in aphoristic (sutra) style

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: Philosophical schools that did not accept the authority of Vedas

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: Powerful merchant guilds of early Medieval South India