The Gandatindu Jataka describes:
(A) Cordial relationship between a king and his subjects.
(B) The plight of the subjects of a wicked king.
(C) The strained relationship, especially with the rural population.
(D) That, kings frequently fill their coffers by demanding high and oppressive taxes.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (B), (C) and (D) only
(A) Cordial relationship between a king and his subjects. Incorrect. The story shows the opposite: when the king went in disguise among his subjects, each one of them cursed him for their miseries.
(B) The plight of the subjects of a wicked king. Correct. The Gandatindu Jataka describes the plight of the subjects of a wicked king, from elderly men and women and cultivators to herders, village boys and even animals.
(C) The strained relationship, especially with the rural population. Correct. As the story shows, the relationship between a king and his subjects, especially the rural population, could often be strained.
(D) That, kings frequently fill their coffers by demanding high and oppressive taxes. Correct. Kings frequently tried to fill their coffers by demanding high taxes, and peasants found such demands oppressive; the people in the story were attacked by tax collectors during the day.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.1 Popular perceptions of kings What did subjects think about their rulers? … One story known as the Gandatindu Jataka describes the plight of the subjects of a wicked king; these included elderly women and men, cultivators, herders, village boys and even animals. When the king went in disguise to find out what his subjects thought about him, each one of them cursed him for their miseries, complaining that they were attacked by robbers at night and by tax collectors during the day. To escape from this situation, people abandoned their village and went to live in the forest. As this story indicates, the relationship between a king and his subjects, especially the rural population, could often be strained – kings frequently tried to fill their coffers by demanding high taxes, and peasants particularly found such demands oppressive. Escaping into the forest remained an option, as reflected in the Jataka story.…” |