RAS question
Consider the following: 1. Parsvanatha — 23rd Tirthankara 2. Symbol of Mahavira — Lion 3. Mahavira's birth name — Vardhamana 4. Mahavira was born in a Kshatriya clan Which are correct?
Correct answer: (B) All four.
All four statements are correct: Parshvanatha was the 23rd Tirthankara, Mahavira's emblem was the lion, Mahavira was born Vardhamana, and he belonged to a Kshatriya clan.
Explanation
The set works because each statement matches the standard Jain sequence and Mahavira's biography. Britannica's Tirthankara list identifies Parshvanatha as the 23rd Jina, with the snake as his emblem, and Vardhamana, later called Mahavira, as the 24th Jina, with the lion as his emblem. The biographical frame RAS often tests is that Parshvanatha preceded Mahavira by about 250 years, while Mahavira was born as Vardhamana in the Jnatrika Kshatriya clan at Kundagrama near Vaishali. His parents were Siddhartha and Trishala. Therefore, none of the four statements needs to be excluded; the correct combination is all four.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Option A is incomplete because it accepts statements 1, 2 and 3 but leaves out statement 4, although Mahavira's birth in a Kshatriya clan is also correct.
- (C) Option C is incomplete because it includes statements 2, 3 and 4 but omits statement 1, although Parshvanatha was the 23rd Tirthankara.
- (D) Option D is incomplete because it includes statements 1, 3 and 4 but rejects statement 2, although Mahavira's emblem is the lion.
Concept
This tests the Ancient India syllabus area on Jainism, especially the order, symbols and biographical details of the Tirthankaras. RAS repeats this because Jainism is central to early religious movements and Rajasthan has a strong Jain historical and cultural footprint.