Identify the terms associated with 'Buddhism':
(A) Gana
(B) Dhamma
(C) Ashvamedha
(D) Mahavira
(E) Sangha
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → (A), (B), (E) Only
(A) Gana Correct. The Buddha belonged to a gana, an oligarchy where power was shared by a number of men, and the internal functioning of the sangha was based on the traditions of ganas and sanghas, where consensus was arrived at through discussions.
(B) Dhamma Correct. After his enlightenment, the Buddha taught dhamma or the path of righteous living for the rest of his life.
(C) Ashvamedha Incorrect. The ashvamedha was an elaborate Vedic sacrifice performed by chiefs and kings who depended on Brahmana priests to conduct the ritual. It belongs to the Brahmanical tradition, not to Buddhism.
(D) Mahavira Incorrect. Vardhamana, who came to be known as Mahavira, was the great teacher of the Jainas, a contemporary of the Buddha but not a part of the Buddhist tradition.
(E) Sangha Correct. The Buddha founded a sangha, an organisation of monks who too became teachers of dhamma.
NCERT (2026-27): “6. Followers of the Buddha … Soon there grew a body of disciples of the Buddha and he founded a sangha, an organisation of monks who too became teachers of dhamma. These monks lived simply, possessing only the essential requisites for survival, such as a bowl to receive food once a day from the laity. As they lived on alms, they were known as bhikkhus.… 6. Followers of the Buddha … The internal functioning of the sangha was based on the traditions of ganas and sanghas, where consensus was arrived at through discussions.… 4. The Buddha and the Quest for Enlightenment … After this he came to be known as the Buddha or the Enlightened One. For the rest of his life, he taught dhamma or the path of righteous living. 2.1 The sixteen mahajanapadas … While most mahajanapadas were ruled by kings, some, known as ganas or sanghas, were oligarchies (p. 30), where power was shared by a number of men, often collectively called rajas. Both Mahavira and the Buddha (Chapter 4) belonged to such ganas.… 2.1 The sacrificial tradition … More elaborate sacrifices, such as the rajasuya and ashvamedha, were performed by chiefs and kings who depended on Brahmana priests to conduct the ritual.… 3. Beyond Worldly Pleasures The Message of Mahavira … The basic philosophy of the Jainas was already in existence in north India before the birth of Vardhamana, who came to be known as Mahavira, in the sixth century BCE.…” |