With reference to cultural history of India consider the following pairs :
1.Parivrajaka : Renunciant and Wanderer
2.Shramana : Prest with a high status
3.Upasaka : Lay follower of buddhism
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched ?(2020)
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 1 and 3 only
c) 2 and 3 only
d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: B
Travelling mendicants were usually called Parivrajaka. They were seekers of truth who did not live permanently at any one place, wandering from place to place
Shramana in sanskrit means “the one who strives” i.e. to realize the truth. Shramanas practiced an ascetic, or strict and self-denying, lifestyle in pursuit of spiritual liberation. They were commonly known as monks.
Upasaka: The term correctly refers to any Buddhist who is not a member of a monastic order, but its modern usage in Southeast Asia more often connotes the particularly pious person who visits the local monastery on the weekly holy days and who undertakes special vows.
