With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets ?
- 1.Nayaputta
- 2.Shakyamuni
- 3.Tathagata
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
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Answer: B. Shakyamuni ('sage of the Shakya clan') and Tathagata ('one who has thus gone', the title Buddha used for himself) are epithets of Gautama Buddha. Nayaputta (Nataputta) is an epithet of Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th Jain Tirthankara. So 2 and 3 only.
Watch for: Buddha and Mahavira lived at the same time and both have many titles; Nayaputta (Nigantha Nataputta) belongs to Mahavira.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because Nayaputta refers to Mahavira, not Buddha.
- C. Wrong because Nayaputta is Mahavira's epithet.
- D. Wrong because Shakyamuni and Tathagata are well-known titles of Buddha.
Source to check: NCERT Class 12 Themes in Indian History Part I, Chapter 4 'Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings'
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.