Jainism MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Jainism - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is option 1.

Key Points

• Buddhism and Jainism are two Indian religions that developed in Magadha and continue to thrive in the modern age. 
• Jainism and Buddhism share many features, terminology, and ethical principles, but emphasize them differently.
• Both the Mahavira and the Buddha felt that only those who left their homes could gain true knowledge.
• They arranged for them to stay together in the sangha, an association of those who left their homes.
• The rules for Buddhist sanghas were written down in the Vinaya Pitaka. 
• All men could join the sanghas, but children had to take permission from their parents.
• Men and women in the sanghas led simple lives, meditated, and begged for food. So they were also called bhikkus (beggars) and bhikkhunis.
• Buddhism says that through enlightenment (bodhi) an individual crosses the river of samsara and attain liberation.

Hence, the common feature of Buddhism and Jainism is that Only those who left their homes could gain true knowledge.

The correct answer is - Neminath

Key Points

• Neminath
  • Neminath is the 22nd Tirthankara in Jainism.
  • He is believed to be a cousin of Lord Krishna, the Hindu deity.
  • According to Jain texts, Neminath was engaged to Rajul, but upon seeing animals meant for sacrifice, he renounced the world and became a Tirthankara.
  • Neminath is often depicted in Jain literature as having a significant connection with Krishna.

Additional Information

• Rishabh
  • Rishabh is the first Tirthankara in Jainism.
  • He is also known as Adinath and is considered the founder of Jainism.
  • Rishabh is often depicted teaching various skills to humans, like farming and cooking.
• Parshvanath
  • Parshvanath is the 23rd Tirthankara in Jainism.
  • He is one of the most popular Tirthankaras and his teachings are a significant part of Jain doctrine.
  • Parshvanath is known for advocating the "Four Great Vows" (Chaturyama).
• Mahavira
  • Mahavira is the 24th and last Tirthankara in Jainism.
  • He is one of the most important figures in Jain history and his teachings form the core of Jain philosophy.
  • Mahavira is believed to have lived in the 6th century BCE, contemporaneous with the Buddha.

The correct answer is - Vidyānanda Akalaṅka

Key Points

• Vidyānanda Akalaṅka
  • Vidyānanda Akalaṅka was a prominent Jain scholar and philosopher.
  • He is renowned for his contributions to Jain literature and philosophy.
  • Tattvārtharājāvarttika is a significant commentary on the Tattvārthasūtra, a key Jain text.
  • Vidyānanda Akalaṅka's work is highly regarded for its depth and clarity in explaining Jain doctrines.

Additional Information

• Mādhava
  • Mādhava is not associated with Jain literature but is known for his work in the field of Hindu philosophy and mathematics.
• Haribhadra
  • Haribhadra was another influential Jain scholar but did not author Tattvārtharājāvarttika.
  • He is known for his extensive works on Jainism and logic.
• Mahābodhi Viradhara
  • Mahābodhi Viradhara is not a known figure in Jain scholarship or the author of Tattvārtharājāvarttika.

The correct answer is: 'According to the Kalpasutra, at the time when Mahaveer attained Nirvana, the Jain Sadhus outnumbered Jain Sadhvis.'

Key Points

• According to Shwetambar tradition, a woman shall attain Moksha during her lifespan itself.
  • This is correct.
  • In Shwetambar Jainism, it is believed that women can attain Moksha (liberation) within their lifetimes by following the path of renunciation and righteousness.
  • This belief contrasts with Digambar Jainism, where it is held that women must be reborn as men to achieve liberation.
• However junior a Jain Sadhu (male saint) may be, whenever he arrives, Jain Sadhvi (female saint) is bound to offer a formal welcome.
  • This is correct.
  • In Jain tradition, there is a strict hierarchy where male ascetics, regardless of seniority, are considered superior to female ascetics, and Sadhvis are expected to show deference to Sadhus.
  • This is reflective of the social norms and gender roles in ancient Jainism.
• There is a controversy regarding whether the 19th Tirthankara Mallinath was a male or a female.
  • This is correct.
  • In Shwetambar Jainism, Mallinath is considered to have been a female Tirthankara, while Digambar Jainism maintains that Mallinath was male.
  • This difference highlights the doctrinal and traditional variations between the two major sects of Jainism.
• According to the Kalpasutra, at the time when Mahavira attained Nirvana, the Jain Sadhus outnumbered Jain Sadhvis.
  • This is incorrect.
  • The Kalpasutra records that at the time of Mahavira's Nirvana, Jain Sadhvis (female ascetics) significantly outnumbered Jain Sadhus (male ascetics), showing the strong participation of women in Jain monastic life.
  • Mahavira’s teachings emphasized equality and included provisions for women to follow the path of asceticism.

Additional Information

• Shwetambar and Digambar Sects:
  • The two main sects of Jainism differ in beliefs regarding gender roles, monastic practices, and interpretation of scriptures.
  • Shwetambars believe that women can attain liberation, while Digambars argue that liberation is only possible after rebirth as a man.
• The Role of Women in Jainism:
  • Jainism historically provided opportunities for women to renounce worldly life and become ascetics, a practice relatively progressive for its time.
  • The inclusion of women in monastic life highlights Mahavira’s emphasis on spiritual equality.

The correct answer is: 'Shrimal (Option 4)'.

Key Points

• Shrimal:
  • Shrimal, also known as Bhinmal, is an ancient town in Rajasthan.
  • It is renowned for its historical significance in Jainism.
  • Approximately 90,000 people in Shrimal adopted Jainism after being influenced by the teachings of Jain teacher Swayamprabhasuri.
  • Swayamprabhasuri was a prominent Jain teacher known for his eloquent teachings and influential personality.

Additional Information

• Jainism in Ancient Rajasthan:
  • Rajasthan has been a significant region for the spread of Jainism since ancient times.
  • Numerous Jain temples and relics can be found throughout the state, indicating the deep-rooted presence of Jain culture.
• Influence of Jain Teachers:
  • Jain teachers, or Acharyas, have played a crucial role in spreading the principles of Jainism.
  • They traveled extensively, teaching and converting people through their profound knowledge and spiritual influence.

Incorrect Options

• Khandela:
  • Khandela is a town in Rajasthan, but it is not specifically known for the mass adoption of Jainism due to Swayamprabhasuri's influence.
• Nagri:
  • Nagri is an ancient town in Rajasthan, known for its archaeological significance, but not particularly for Jain conversions.
• Rairh:
  • Rairh is another ancient town in Rajasthan, but it does not have the same historical relevance to Jainism as Shrimal does.

The correct answer is option 1.

Key Points

• Buddhism and Jainism are two Indian religions that developed in Magadha and continue to thrive in the modern age. 
• Jainism and Buddhism share many features, terminology, and ethical principles, but emphasize them differently.
• Both the Mahavira and the Buddha felt that only those who left their homes could gain true knowledge.
• They arranged for them to stay together in the sangha, an association of those who left their homes.
• The rules for Buddhist sanghas were written down in the Vinaya Pitaka. 
• All men could join the sanghas, but children had to take permission from their parents.
• Men and women in the sanghas led simple lives, meditated, and begged for food. So they were also called bhikkus (beggars) and bhikkhunis.
• Buddhism says that through enlightenment (bodhi) an individual crosses the river of samsara and attain liberation.

Hence, the common feature of Buddhism and Jainism is that Only those who left their homes could gain true knowledge.

The correct answer is Jainism.

Key Points

• With reference to the religious practices in India, the Anekantavada belongs to Jainism.

Additional Information

• Jainism
  • Anekantavada: Emphasises that the ultimate truth and reality is complex, and has multiple-aspects i.e theory of plurality.
  • It refers to the simultaneous acceptance of multiple, diverse, even contradictory viewpoints.
  • Syadvada: All judgments are conditional, holding good only in certain conditions, circumstances, or senses.
  • Syadavada literally means the ‘method of examining different probabilities’.
  • The basic difference between them is that Anekantavada is the knowledge of all differing but opposite attributes whereas Syadavada is a process of the relative description of a particular attribute of an object or an event.
  • It mainly aims at the attainment of liberation, for which no ritual is required.
• It can be attained through three principles called Three Jewels or Triratna i.e.
  • Right Faith (Samyakdarshana)
  • Right Knowledge (Samyakjnana)
  • Right Action (Samyakcharita)
• Five Doctrines of Jainism
  • Ahimsa: Non-injury to a living being
  • Satya: Do not speak a lie
  • Asteya: Do not steal
  • Aparigraha: Do not acquire property
  • Brahmacharya: Observe continence

The correct answer is April.

Key Points

• Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated to mark the birthday of the spiritual leader of Jainism, Lord Mahavir.
• It is celebrated in the month of April.
• Lord Mahavir is said to be born on the 13th day of the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar in 599 BC.
• His birthplace is Kundalagrama, Bihar.
• He is also considered the founder of Jainism and was the 24th and last Tirthankar of the faith.

Additional Information Mahavira

• Mahavira, also known as Vardhamana, was Jainism's 24th Tirthankara.
• He was the spiritual heir of Parshvanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara.
• He was a prince, the son of King Siddhartha and Queen Trishala, both of whom belonged to the Lichchhavis' Kshatriya (warrior) caste.
• Mahavira attained Kevala Gyan after 12 and a half years of intensive meditation and severe austerities (omniscience).
• He preached for 30 years and was saved in the 6th century BCE, however, the year varies per sect. Mahavira was an older contemporary of Gautama Buddha, who advocated Jainism in ancient India.

In Jainism, a Tirthankara is a saviour and spiritual teacher of the dharma. The word Tirthankara signifies the founder of a tirtha, which is a fordable passage across the sea of interminable births and deaths, the samsara.

Important Points 

The first Tirthankara was Rishabnatha or Rishabhadev.

• ​He was considered the founder of Jainism.
• Vardhamana Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara, was born in 540 B.C. in Kundagrama village near Vaishali.
  • He belonged to the Jnatrika clan.
  • He was considered the last Tirthankara.
• The 23rd Tirthankara was Parshvanatha who was born in Varanasi.

Additional Information

• Difference between Jainism and Buddhism:
  • Jainism recognized the existence of god while Buddhism did not.
  • Jainism does not condemn the varna system while Buddhism does.
  • Jainism advocates living a life of complete austerity.
  • Jainism believed in reincarnation while Buddhism does not.

Digambaras is one of the two major schools of Jainism, the other being Svetambara (white-clad). The Sanskrit word Digambara means "sky-clad", referring to their traditional monastic practice of neither possessing nor wearing any clothes.

Key Points

Bhadrabahu: 

• Bhadrabahu I, (died 298 BCE India), Jain religious leader and monk often associated with one of Jainism’s two principal sects, the Digambara.
• Bhadrabahu was the last acharya of the undivided Jain sangha. After him, the Sangha split into two separate teacher-student lineages of monks. Digambara monks belong to the lineage of Acharya Vishakha and Svetambara monks follow the tradition of Acharya Sthulabhadra.
• Bhadrabahu was born in Pundravardhana (The region mainly consisted of parts of the Northern West Bengal and North-Western Bangladesh, i.e., parts of North Bengal) to a Brahmin family during which time the secondary capital of the Mauryas was Ujjain. When he was seven, Govarddhana Mahamuni predicted that he will be the last Shruta Kaveli and took him along for his initial education. According to Svetambara tradition, he lived from 433 BCE to 357 BCE. Digambara tradition dates him to have died in 365 BC. 

​Hence, the correct answer is Bhadrabahu. 

Additional Information

• Sthulabhadra: Sthulabhadra (297-198 BCE) was the founder of the Svetambara Jain order during a 12-year famine in the Maurya Empire in the third or fourth century BC. He was a disciple of Bhadrabahu and Sambhutavijaya. His father was Sakatala, a minister in the Nanda kingdom before the arrival of Chandragupta Maurya. When his brother became the chief minister of the kingdom, Sthulabhadra became a Jain monk. 
• Parsvanath: Parshvanatha was the first Tirthankara for whom there is historical evidence. He is said to have preceded by about 250 years Mahavira, the most recent Tirthankara, who, according to tradition, died in 527 BCE. Parshvanatha established the “fourfold restraint,” the four vows taken by his followers (not to take life, steal, lie, or own property) that, with Mahavira’s addition of the vow of celibacy, became the five “great vows” (mahavratas) of Jain ascetics. Parshvanatha allowed monks to wear upper and lower garments. According to tradition, the two sets of views were reconciled by a disciple of each of the Tirthankaras, with the followers of Parshvanatha accepting Mahavira’s reforms.

In ancient India, Jainism spread during the rule of Chandragupta Maurya.

• Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Mauryan dynasty.
• After his rule of 24 years, he embraced Jainism in his later life.
• Jainism was promoted by Chandragupta Mauryan due to a great famine in Ganga Valley that led him to move to Karnataka.
• He ended his life by observing the Jaina ritual of self-mortification through fast.

Additional Information

• Chandragupta Mauryan established the Mauryan Empire in 321 BC.
• He set up his capital in Pataliputra.
• He conquered North India and gained control over Afghanistan.
• His empire was divided into four provinces ruled by different princes.
• After his death, he was succeeded by his son Bindusara.

The correct answer is option 1.

Important Points

1. Jaina Thinker Vardhman Mahavir, taught a simple doctrine: men and women who wished to know the truth must leave their homes. They must follow very strictly the rules of ahimsa, which means not hurting or killing living beings. “All beings,” said Mahavira “long to live. To all things life is dear.” 

2. In practical terms, the biggest part that ahimsa plays in the lives of lay Jains today is in the regulation of their diet.

3. Followers of Mahavira, who were known as Jainas, had to lead very simple lives, begging for food, had to be honest, and were especially asked not to steal. Also, they had to observe celibacy.

4. Jains believe that the only way to save one's soul is to protect every other soul, and so the most central Jain teaching, and the heart of Jain ethics, is that of ahimsa (non-violence).

Hence, Option 1 is the right answer

Additional Information

• The most famous thinker of the Jainas, Vardhamana Mahavira, was a Kshatriya prince of the Lichchhavis, under the Vajji sangha. At the age of thirty, he left home and went to live in a forest. For twelve years he led a hard and lonely life, at the end of which he attained enlightenment.
• He taught a simple doctrine: men and women who wished to know the truth must leave their homes and follow very strictly the rules of ahimsa, which means not hurting or killing living beings.  
• The teachings of Mahavira and his followers used Prakrit making ordinary people understand the same. Prakrit was a language that was used in different parts of the country and named after the regions in which they were used.
• Followers of Mahavira, known as Jainas, had to lead very simple lives, begging for food; being honest; observing celibacy and being especially asked not to steal. And men had to give up everything, including their clothes.
• Jainism was supported mainly by traders. Farmers, who had to kill insects to protect their crops, found it more difficult to follow the rules. Yet, over hundreds of years, Jainism spread to different parts of north India, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• For several centuries the teachings of Mahavira were transmitted orally. They were written down in the form in which they are presently available at a place called Valabhi, in Gujarat, about 1500 years ago.

The correct answer is option 1)  Discipline and hard life

• Digambara(“sky-clad”),  one of the two principal sects of the Indian religion Jainism, whose male ascetics shun all property and wear no clothes.
• The ascetics of the other sect, the Shvetambara (“White-robed”), wear white robes. Ascetics of neither sect bathe because personal cleanliness is a feature of the world they have abandoned.
• The main points that distinguish the Digambaras from the Shvetambaras, apart from monastic nudity, are the former’s belief that the perfect saint (kevalin) needs no food to stay alive, that Mahavira never married, and that no woman can reach moksha without being reborn as a man.
• Moreover, Digambara images of every Tirthankara are always naked, without ornaments, and with downcast eyes.
• The Digambaras also reject the Shvetambara canon of religious texts and believe that the early literature was gradually forgotten and lost completely by the 2nd century CE.
• So, the hard life and discipline were the main points of dispute between them. 

The correct answer is Group of Monuments at Pattadakal.

• Pattadakal, in Karnataka, represents the high point of an eclectic art which, in the 7th and 8th centuries under the Chalukya dynasty, achieved a harmonious blend of architectural forms from northern and southern India.
• An impressive series of nine Hindu temples, as well as a Jain sanctuary, can be seen there. One masterpiece from the group stands out – the Temple of Virupaksha, built c. 740 by Queen Lokamahadevi to commemorate her husband's victory over the kings from the South.

Additional Information

• A Jain temple or Derasar is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism.
• Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and secular Jain buildings generally reflect the prevailing style of the place and time they were built. 
• Vimal Shah, minister of the then Solanki ruler of Gujarat, built Jian Temple in the year 1031 A.D.
• The special feature of this temple is its ceiling which is circular in eleven richly carved concentric rings.

The correct answer is Vardhamana Mahavira.Key Points

• Vardhamana Mahavira:-
  • Also known as Mahavira, was an important figure in Jainism.
  • He was the 24th Tirthankara ("ford-maker" or spiritual teacher) of Jainism.
  • Mahavira was born in 599 BC and died in 527 BC, though different sources may vary slightly in the exact dates.
  • Mahavira taught a philosophy of asceticism and self-restraint focused on non-violence (ahimsa), truth (satya), non-stealing (asteya), chastity (brahmacharya), and non-possession (aparigraha). These five principles collectively form the main pillars of Jain ethical code.
• Jainism:-
  • It is an ancient Indian religion that emphasizes non-violence, self-control, and spiritual liberation through the practice of austerities and meditation.

Additional Information

• Chandraprabha:-
  • He was the eighth Tirthankara (spiritual teacher). He is an important figure worshipped and respected by Jains. 
• Rishabhanatha:-
  • He is also known as Rishabhadeva or Adinatha.
  • He is considered the first Tirthankara (spiritual teacher) in Jain tradition.
  • Rishabhanatha is a savior and spiritual guide who is believed to have formed the bridge between the mortal world and the divine.
• Padmaprabha:-
  • He is the sixth Tirthankara (spiritual teacher) of Jainism.
  • Born into a royal family, Padmaprabha took the path of asceticism after growing disenchanted with material pursuits and pleasures.