Which of the following is one of the 'three gems' (triratna) of Jainism?
- A.Brahmacharya
- B.Samyag-darshana
- C.Sunrita
- D.Asteya
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Samyag-darshana. Samyag-darshana, or right faith, is the first of the three gems that Jainism lays down as the path to liberation.
The three gems (triratna) of Jainism are samyag-darshana (right faith), samyag-jnana (right knowledge) and samyag-charitra (right conduct). Together they free the soul from the bondage of karma and lead to moksha. Right conduct is practised through vows: monks take the five great vows (mahavratas) and lay followers take the lighter anuvratas. The five vows are ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (not stealing), aparigraha (non-possession) and brahmacharya (chastity), the last added by Mahavira.
A is wrong because brahmacharya is one of the five vows, not one of the three gems. C is wrong because sunrita, truthful and pleasant speech, belongs to the vow of truth. D is wrong because asteya, not stealing, is also one of the five vows.
Exam tip: three gems are faith, knowledge and conduct; the five vows are a separate list.
Practice Questions
View allThe ancient Indian medical treatise for horses called Ashvashastra is attributed to which one of the following persons?
- A.Vagbhatta of the seventh century
- B.The sage Shalihotra
- C.Bhartrihari of the seventh century
- D.Varahamihira of the sixth century
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Indian tradition credits Shalihotra with the science of horses, and veterinary medicine for horses came to be called Shalihotra Shastra after him.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following statements with reference to Jainism: 1. Vardhamana Mahavira attained Kaivalyajnana outside the town of Jrimbhikagrama, on the banks of river Rijupalika and in the field of a householder named Samaga. 2. The state when the Karma particles actually begin to flow towards the Jiva to bind it is known as Asrava. 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
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Both statements match the Jaina tradition: the place of Mahavira's enlightenment and the meaning of asrava. Mahavira left home at about thirty and spent some twelve years in hard penance.
Read the full explanation →Arrange the following foreign travellers to India in chronological order, beginning with the earliest : 1. Peter Mundy 2. Antonio Monserrate 3. Afanasii Nikitich Nikitin 4. Ibn Battuta Select the answer using the code given below:
- A.2-1-4-3
- B.2-3-4-1
- C.4-3-2-1
- D.3-4-1-2
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Ibn Battuta came in the 14th century, Nikitin in the 15th, Monserrate in the 16th and Peter Mundy in the 17th.
Read the full explanation →During the Industrial Revolution, who among the following designed the 'flying shuttle loom'?
- A.Samuel Crompton
- B.Edmund Cartwright
- C.John Kay
- D.Richard Arkwright
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John Kay, an English inventor, patented the flying shuttle in 1733, one of the first machines of the Industrial Revolution.
Read the full explanation →In the Harappan Civilization, traces of canals have been found at
- A.Banawali
- B.Lothal
- C.Shortughai
- D.Dholavira
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Shortughai, a Harappan trading settlement in north-eastern Afghanistan, is the site where traces of irrigation canals have been found. Most Harappan farmers relied on river floods and wells, and no canals have been found in the Indus heartland.
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