Q1. Where did Mahavira attain Kevalajnana (omniscience)?
- Lumbini
- Pavapuri
- Jrimbhikagrama
- Rajagriha
Correct Option: 3. Jrimbhikagrama
Explanation: After renouncing worldly life at the age of 30, Vardhamana Mahavira spent 12 years wandering across northern India, practicing extreme austerities and meditation.
At the age of 42, he attained Kevalajnana (infinite knowledge or omniscience) while meditating near Jrimbhikagrama, on the banks of the Rijupalika river, in the fields of a householder named Samaga.
This event marks his transformation into a Jina (the conqueror) or Tirthankara, fully enlightened and free from karmic bondage.
Q2. The three jewels (Triratna) of Jainism are:
- Right Action, Right Thought, Right Speech
- Right Faith, Right Knowledge, Right Conduct
- Wisdom, Meditation, Morality
- Truth, Non-violence, Non-possession
Correct Option: 2. Right Faith, Right Knowledge, Right Conduct
Explanation: The Triratna (Three Jewels) form the foundation of Jain ethical and spiritual life, guiding the soul’s progress toward liberation (moksha):
1. Samyag Darshana (Right Faith): Having the correct perception and belief in reality, free from superstition or prejudice.
2. Samyag Jnana (Right Knowledge): True understanding of the universe’s substances (dravyas) and truths (tattvas).
3. Samyag Charitra (Right Conduct): Ethical living that includes self-restraint, compassion, and detachment from worldly pleasures.
Together, these three lead to the purification of the soul and ultimate liberation.
Q3. Which of the following vows was added by Mahavira to the earlier four vows of Jainism?
- Ahimsa
- Satya
- Aparigraha
- Brahmacharya
Correct Option: 4. Brahmacharya
Explanation: Earlier Jain teachers, including Parshvanatha (the 23rd Tirthankara), prescribed four major vows — Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truth), Asteya (non-stealing), and Aparigraha (non-possession).
Mahavira added the fifth vow — Brahmacharya (celibacy) — to emphasize the control of sensual desires as a key to spiritual progress.
These Pancha Mahavratas (five great vows) form the moral code for monks and nuns and a modified version (Anuvratas) for lay followers.
Mahavira’s addition made Jain ethics stricter and more ascetic in nature than Buddhism.
Q4. The division between Digambara and Svetambara sects of Jainism arose due to:
- Philosophical disagreements
- Political intervention
- A famine and migration of monks
- Difference in sacred texts
Correct Option: 3. A famine and migration of monks
Explanation: Around the 4th century BCE, a devastating famine struck Magadha.
To survive, a group of monks led by Acharya Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta Maurya migrated south to Shravana Belgola (Karnataka).
After twelve years, when the famine ended, they returned to Magadha.
In their absence, the monks who stayed behind under Sthulabhadra had adopted looser monastic practices, including wearing white clothes.
This led to a split:
• Digambaras (sky-clad): Practiced nudity as a symbol of renunciation.
• Svetambaras (white-clad): Wore white robes and allowed certain concessions.
This division persists today as the two main sects of Jainism.
Q5. Which of the following was NOT a reason for the decline of Jainism in India?
- Division into sects
- Revival of Hinduism
- Missionary zeal of its monks
- Lack of royal patronage
Correct Option: 3. Missionary zeal of its monks
Explanation: Jainism did not possess missionary zeal like Buddhism did.
While Buddhists actively spread their teachings across Asia through organized missions (e.g., Ashoka’s envoys to Sri Lanka and Central Asia), Jain monks emphasized individual asceticism and personal salvation, not mass conversion.
This limited the religion’s reach and made it largely confined to India.
Moreover, internal division (Digambara–Svetambara), the revival of Brahmanical Hinduism, decline in royal support, and the complexity of Jain ascetic discipline all contributed to its reduced popularity.