UPSC Prelims 2023 Q47: Souls in Rocks and Water — Ancient Indian Sects
"Souls are not only the property of animal and plant life, but also of rocks, running water and many other natural objects not looked on as living by other religious sects."
The above statement reflects one of the core beliefs of which one of the following religious sects of ancient India?
- Buddhism
- Jainism
- Shaivism
- Vaishnavism
Answer: (b) Jainism
Statement-wise explanation
- a: incorrect — Buddhism teaches anatta (anattā), the doctrine that a human has no permanent soul. A person is a changing mix of five aggregates (skandhas). A school that denies a lasting soul even in humans cannot hold that rocks and running water have souls.
- b: correct — Jainism divides reality into jiva (soul, the living substance) and ajiva (non-soul). It holds that souls live in tiny particles of earth, water, fire and air, and in plants. These beings have only one sense, touch, and are called ekendriya. The NCERT Class 12 text says the most important idea in Jainism is that the entire world is animated: even stones, rocks and water have life.
- c: incorrect — Shaivism is a theistic tradition that worships Shiva as the supreme deity. Its central ideas concern devotion, the relation between the individual soul and Shiva, and liberation by Shiva's grace. It does not single out rocks and water as beings that carry souls.
- d: incorrect — Vaishnavism is a theistic bhakti tradition centred on Vishnu and his avatars, such as Rama and Krishna. Its core beliefs are devotion and surrender to a personal God. Ensouled rocks and water are not a defining doctrine of this sect.
How to eliminate
Read the quote closely. It says souls exist in objects 'not looked on as living by other religious sects'. So the answer is a sect whose view of the soul is unusually wide, and the question is asking for its defining doctrine. Buddhism goes out first: its anatta doctrine denies a permanent soul even in humans. Shaivism and Vaishnavism are both devotional traditions built around a personal God (Shiva, Vishnu). A question about who has a soul does not suit them, and their being paired like this hints that neither is the answer. That leaves the one tradition known for extreme ahimsa: Jain monks sweep the path and strain water so they do not hurt tiny beings. That practice makes sense only if water, earth and air are full of souls. Fact to remember: in Jainism, jiva lives even in earth, water, fire, air and plants (ekendriya, one-sensed beings).
Know more
Jainism's view of the living world
Jain metaphysics divides everything into jiva (soul: conscious, eternal, countless in number) and ajiva (non-soul: matter, space, time, and the media of motion and rest). Karmic matter sticks to the jiva and binds it to rebirth. Liberation (kevala, moksha) means removing all karma.
Jains rank embodied souls by the number of senses they have:
| Senses | Examples |
|---|---|
| 1 (touch only), ekendriya | Earth, water, fire and air bodies; plants; nigodas (minute clusters) |
| 2 | Worms, shellfish |
| 3 | Ants, lice |
| 4 | Bees, flies |
| 5 | Animals, birds, humans, gods, hell-beings |
Because life is everywhere, ahimsa (non-injury) is the centre of Jain ethics. Monks carry a broom to sweep insects away and strain their drinking water. Farming and some other jobs are avoided because they hurt one-sensed beings.
The path to liberation
- Triratna (three jewels): right faith, right knowledge, right conduct.
- Pancha mahavratas (five great vows): ahimsa, satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (celibacy) and aparigraha (non-possession). Mahavira, the 24th tirthankara, added brahmacharya to the four vows taught by Parshvanatha.
- Anekantavada: truth has many sides, and any single view is only partial.
How it differs from Buddhism
| Point | Jainism | Buddhism |
|---|---|---|
| Soul | Eternal jiva in all beings, even matter | Anatta: no permanent self |
| Path | Severe austerity | Middle Path |
| God as creator | Rejected | Rejected |
UPSC often frames these sects through their metaphysics. Remember jiva everywhere for Jainism and no-self for Buddhism.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Jainism: The quote describes a sect's core belief about which objects have life; this entry sums up that worldview.
- Five vows of Jainism: The first great vow, non-injury, makes sense only once you know how widely a sect believes souls are spread.
- Triratna of Jainism: The three jewels are the liberation path of one of the four options, useful for telling the sects apart.
- Mahavira: Knowing who systematised one of these traditions helps you place its doctrines among the four sects.