Question 86 from UPSC CSE 2024 - Ancient India

Question

With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets?
1. Nayaputta
2. Shakyamuni
3. Tathagata
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: B. 2 and 3 only

Strategy: - Identify epithets widely associated with Gautama Buddha.
- Confirm 'Shakyamuni' and 'Tathagata' as frequently used names for the Buddha.
- Exclude 'Nayaputta', which is exclusively linked to Mahavira (Jainism), not Buddha.
- Based on these references and exclusions, determine the correct Buddhist epithets.

Key Info: Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, is revered by numerous epithets in Buddhist texts. Notable among these are:

- **Shakyamuni**: Meaning 'Sage of the Shakyas', this title emphasizes Buddha's birth in the Shakya clan. This is a standard honorific used throughout Buddhist traditions and inscriptions in India and beyond.
- **Tathagata**: Derived from Pali and Sanskrit, this term can mean 'Thus-gone' or 'Thus-come'. It is frequently used by the Buddha to refer to himself, symbolizing a being who has attained enlightenment and transcended worldly existence. It is a central and recurring epithet in early Buddhist scriptures (such as the Sutta Pitaka).
- **Nayaputta**: This is not an epithet of the Buddha. It is the Prakrit form of 'Jnatriputra', meaning 'son of the Jnatra clan', and is a key title for Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. Jain texts consistently refer to Mahavira as Nayaputta or Nigantha Nataputta.

Epithets and titles have significant importance in understanding the doctrinal and social affiliations of major teachers in ancient India. Confusing Buddhist and Jain epithets is a common pitfall in multiple-choice questions oriented around religious history.

Answer

Option A: 1 only

Answer

Option C: 1, 2, and 3

Answer

Option D: None of the above are epithets of Gautama Buddha

With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets? Nayaputta Shakyamuni Tathagata Select the correct answer using the code given below:

With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets?

Nayaputta

Shakyamuni

Tathagata
Select the correct answer using the code given below: