UPSC Prelims 2022 Q55: Jaina vs Buddhist Texts — Explained
With reference to Indian history, consider the following texts:
1. Nettipakarana
2. Parishishtaparvan
3. Avadanashataka
4. Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana
Which of the above are Jaina texts?
- 1, 2 and 3
- 2 and 4 only
- 1, 3 and 4
- 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (b) 2 and 4 only
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: incorrect — The Nettipakarana is a Buddhist text written in Pali and attributed to Mahakaccana, a disciple of the Buddha. It is a handbook for interpreting the Buddha's teachings (Buddhist hermeneutics). The Burmese Theravada tradition includes it in the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Pali canon. It is not a Jaina text.
- 2: correct — The Parishishtaparvan, also called the Sthaviravalicharitra, is a 12th-century Sanskrit poem by Hemachandra, a Shvetambara Jaina scholar. It is an appendix ('parishishta') to his Trishashtishalakapurushacharita. It tells the lives of the early Jaina elders, covering roughly 480–200 BCE. It is often cited as the Jaina source for Chandragupta Maurya's link with Jainism.
- 3: incorrect — The Avadanashataka ('a hundred avadanas') is a Sanskrit collection of 100 Buddhist legends. Avadanas are stories about the deeds of individuals and how those deeds bear fruit in this life or the next. It belongs to Buddhist literature, not Jaina literature.
- 4: correct — The Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana, better known as the Chavundaraya Purana, is a Kannada prose work written in 978 CE by Chavundaraya. He was a Jaina minister and general of the Western Gangas. It tells the lives of the 63 great persons of Jainism, including the 24 Tirthankaras, and draws on the Sanskrit Mahapurana of Jinasena and Gunabhadra. Chavundaraya also commissioned the Gommateshwara statue at Shravanabelagola, completed around 981–983 CE.
How to eliminate
There is no wording trick here. No 'only', 'always' or 'all' appears in the statements, so you have to recognise the texts. Two clues in the names help. 'Trishashti' means sixty-three, and the 63 'shalaka purushas' (illustrious persons) are a core Jaina idea, so Statement 4 is a strong Jaina candidate. 'Avadana' is a well-known genre of Buddhist story literature, so Statement 3 is likely Buddhist. Those two inferences already eliminate every option except '2 and 4 only': Statement 4 is missing from the first option, and Statement 3 appears in the third and fourth. If you also know that 'Netti' and 'pakarana' are Pali words, Statement 1 drops out too. Facts to remember: Hemachandra wrote the Parishishtaparvan, Chavundaraya wrote the Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana, and the Nettipakarana (Pali) and Avadanashataka (Sanskrit) are Buddhist.
Know more
Jaina and Buddhist literature: how to tell them apart
UPSC often mixes Jaina and Buddhist titles in one list. Three things help you sort them: the language, the genre word in the title, and the author.
| Text | Tradition | Language | Author / date | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parishishtaparvan | Jaina (Shvetambara) | Sanskrit | Hemachandra, 12th c. CE | Lives of the Jaina elders; sequel to the Trishashtishalakapurushacharita |
| Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana (Chavundaraya Purana) | Jaina (Digambara) | Kannada prose | Chavundaraya, 978 CE | Lives of the 63 great persons of Jainism |
| Nettipakarana | Buddhist (Theravada) | Pali | Attributed to Mahakaccana | Guide to interpreting the Buddha's teachings |
| Avadanashataka | Buddhist | Sanskrit | Anonymous | 100 avadana (deed) stories |
Words that point to Jaina texts
- Trishashti-shalaka-purusha: the 63 illustrious persons. They are the 24 Tirthankaras, 12 Chakravartins, 9 Baladevas, 9 Vasudevas and 9 Prativasudevas.
- Agama, Anga, Kalpasutra, Acharanga: the Jaina canon, mostly in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit.
- Purana or charita by authors such as Jinasena, Gunabhadra, Hemachandra and Chavundaraya.
Words that point to Buddhist texts
- Pitaka, Nikaya, Jataka, Avadana, Vamsa (Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa), Milindapanha: the Pali or Buddhist Sanskrit corpus.
Why these texts matter for history. The Parishishtaparvan is the main Jaina source for the tradition that Chandragupta Maurya became a Jaina. The Digambara tradition adds that he went south with Bhadrabahu and ended his life at Shravanabelagola. Chavundaraya links the literature to that same site through the Gommateshwara (Bahubali) statue. A Mahamastakabhisheka festival is held there about every 12 years.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Bhadrabahu: Bhadrabahu is central to the Jaina elder lineage and to the Chandragupta Maurya story that Jaina texts on this list narrate.
- Mahavira: Mahavira is the 24th Tirthankara, one of the 63 great persons whose lives Jaina purana literature records.
- Tipitaka: Knowing the Pali Tipitaka and its Khuddaka Nikaya helps you place Pali-titled texts in the right tradition.