RAS question
The concept of 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' (Non-violence is the highest duty) is prominently featured in:
Correct answer: (A) Mahabharata.
The maxim "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma", meaning that non-violence is the highest duty, is prominently featured in the Mahabharata.
Explanation
The phrase "Ahimsa Paramo Dharma" is associated with the Mahabharata, including the Adi Parva and Anushasana Parva. The Sanskrit Documents page is a live Mahabharata source for the Anushasana Parva and contains the line "ahiMsA paramo dharmas", confirming that the maxim is part of the Mahabharata tradition. The idea is often linked in exam memory with Jainism and Buddhism, but the formulation is prominently featured in the Mahabharata. Only the Mahabharata belongs to the epic textual setting of this maxim; the other works are associated with different genres or emphases.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Manusmriti is a text of social and legal norms, while the phrase is specifically located in the Mahabharata rather than in this dharmashastra setting.
- (C) Arthashastra is concerned with statecraft, so it does not belong to the epic-literary setting of the maxim.
- (D) Rigveda is not the source emphasised for this maxim; the anchor is the Mahabharata's epic tradition.
Concept
Ancient Indian ethical ideas appear in major textual traditions as well as religious movements. RAS repeatedly asks such questions because one phrase can be associated with a wider value system but anchored in a specific source text.