Correct Answer:
(A) Kundagram
Mahavira Swami was born in Kundagram (Kundalpur) near Vaishali in approx. 599 BC. His mother Trishala was the sister of Chetak, the head of Lichchhavi republic, and father Siddhartha was the head of Gyatrik Kshatriya. Nandivardhan was his elder brother.
Ques: 2
Mahavira Jain breathed his last breath at –
Correct Answer:
(C) Pavapuri
Mahavira Swami was born in Kundagram near Vaishali in 599 BC. He attained Nirvana at the age of (approx) 72 years in 527 BC in Pavapuri, located near Rajgriha (Rajgir).
Ques: 3
On the banks of which river did Mahavira Swami attain enlightenment?
Correct Answer:
(D) Rijupalika
Mahavir Swami attained enlightenment at the bank of river Rijupalika in the village of Jrimbhik.
Ques: 4
Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding Vardhamana Mahavira?
Correct Answer:
(D) He established five doctrines of Jainism.
Mahavira led the life of a householder, but in his quest for truth he abandoned the world at the age of 30 and became an ascetic. In the 13th year of his wandering, at the age of 42, Vardhamana attained enlightenment or Nirvana. He then became a Tirthankara and came to be called a Jina or Mahavira. Hence, option (a) is correct.
Mahavira rejected Vedic authority. Hence, Jainism is an unorthodox religion. According to Jainism, the world has no beginning or end. It goes through a series of progress and decline according to an eternal law. Hence, option (b) is correct.
Parshva, Mahavira’s predecessor, had asked his followers to cover the upper and lower portions of their bodies. Mahavira asked them to discard their clothing altogether. This implies that Mahavira asked his followers to lead a more austere life. Because of this, in later times, Jainism split into two sects: Shvetambaras or those who donned white garments and Digambaras who remained naked. Hence, option (c) is correct.
Jainism taught five doctrines: (i) do not commit violence, (ii) do not tell a lie, (iii) do not steal, (iv) do not hoard, and (v) observe continence (brahmacharya). It is said that only the fifth doctrine was added by Mahavira: the other four were taken over by him from previous teachers. Hence, option (d) is incorrect.
Ques: 5
Which Tirthankara came before Mahavira?
Correct Answer:
(D) Parshvanatha
Parshvanatha was indeed a Tirthankara who came before Mahavira in Jainism. Parshvanatha was the 23rd Tirthankara, while Mahavira was the 24th and final one.