Consider the following statements : 1. There are no parables in Upanishads. 2. Upanishads were composed earlier than the Puranas. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, 2 only. The Upanishads are full of stories and parables, and they belong to the late Vedic period, well before the Puranas took shape.
The Upanishads, the closing part of the Vedic literature, explain ideas such as Brahman and Atman through dialogues and stories. The Katha Upanishad tells of the boy Nachiketa questioning Yama about death; the Chandogya Upanishad has the tale of Satyakama Jabala and the lesson of salt dissolved in water given by Uddalaka Aruni to his son Shvetaketu; the Mundaka Upanishad has the image of two birds on one tree. The principal Upanishads were composed roughly between 800 and 500 BCE, while the Puranas were compiled much later, mostly in the early centuries CE and the Gupta period.
Statement 1 is wrong because the Upanishads use many parables. A is wrong because statement 1 is false. C is wrong because only statement 2 is correct. D is wrong because statement 2 is true.
Exam tip: Upanishads = Vedanta, late Vedic, Nachiketa and Satyakama stories; Puranas = later, 18 major ones.
Practice Questions
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1. It provided for the establishment of an All India Federation based on the union of the British Indian Provinces and Princely States.
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- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
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2. The Mysore Kingdom emerged out of Vijayanagara Empire.
3. Rohilkhand Kingdom was formed out of the territories occupied by Ahmad Shah Durrani.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
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- A.1 only
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