Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion and the other is labelled as Reason:
Assertion: Mahavira and the Buddha questioned the authority of the Vedas.
Reason: Mahavira and the Buddha believed an individual’s existence was thought to be determined by his or her birth in a specific caste or gender.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option 4 - The Assertion is correct but the Reason is incorrect.
Assertion: Mahavira and the Buddha questioned the authority of the Vedas. (Correct)
Reason: Mahavira and the Buddha believed an individual’s existence was thought to be determined by his or her birth in a specific caste or gender. (Incorrect)
CORRECTION IN REASON: Mahavira and the Buddha emphasised individual agency – suggesting that men and women could strive to attain liberation from the trials and tribulations of worldly existence.
Many of the teachers, including Mahavira and the Buddha, questioned the authority of the Vedas. They also emphasised individual agency – suggesting that men and women could strive to attain liberation from the trials and tribulations of worldly existence. This was in marked contrast to the Brahmanical position, wherein, as we have seen, an individual’s existence was thought to be determined by his or her birth in a specific caste or gender.