Indian Ethics Questions and Answers

Q: C&amacr;rv&amacr;ka views on Purushartha may be labelled as :

Carvaka views on the purusharthas may be labelled Ethical Hedonism.Of the four goals of life, the Carvakas accept only kama (pleasure) as the end and artha (wealth) as its means. They reject dharma, as resting on the authority of the Vedas, and moksha, because there is no soul to be liberated. Their teaching is normative: one ought to seek the greatest pleasure in this life, since it is the only life there is. A theory that pleasure is what we ought to pursue is ethical hedonism.Psychological hedonism is the descriptive claim that people in fact always seek pleasure. The paradox of hedonism is the observation that pleasure eludes those who aim at it directly. Universal hedonism is utilitarianism, the greatest happiness of the greatest number, whereas the Carvaka concern is the individual's own pleasure.

Q: Match List I with List II and select the correct answer from the codes given below :List IList II(a) Maitri(1) Puṇya(b) Karuṇa(2) Sukha(c) Mudita(3) Apuṇya(d) Upekṣ&amacr;(4) Duḥkha

The correct code is a-2, b-4, c-1, d-3.The pairs come from Yoga Sutra 1.33, which prescribes four attitudes that make the mind calm and clear: friendliness (maitri) towards the happy (sukha), compassion (karuna) towards those in sorrow (duhkha), gladness (mudita) towards the virtuous (punya), and indifference (upeksa) towards the wicked (apunya).The first code reverses the last two pairs, giving gladness to the wicked and indifference to the virtuous. The third and fourth codes pair compassion with virtue or friendliness with vice, which are not Patanjali's matches.

Q: Which of the following is the socially binding principle ?

The socially binding principle is Dharma.The word comes from the root dhr, to hold or sustain: dharma is what holds society together. It is the order of duties and norms that regulates the pursuit of the other goals, so that wealth and pleasure are sought within limits that keep the social order intact.Artha (wealth) and kama (pleasure) are goals of the individual that need dharma to restrain them. Moksha is liberation, the transcendence of the social order rather than the principle that binds it.

Q: Match the pairs :Group IGroup II(a) Asrava(i) Arrest of flux of karma and matter into soul(b) Samvara(ii) Moral justification of suffering(c) Vrata(iii) Karma entering into soul(d) Law of Karma(iv) A means to samvara

The correct code is a-iii, b-i, c-iv, d-ii.In Jaina ethics, asrava is the influx of karmic matter into the soul. Samvara is the stopping of that influx, the arrest of the flow of karma into the soul. The vratas, the vows of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity and non-possession, are the means by which samvara is achieved. The law of karma explains suffering as the fruit of one's own past actions, and so gives it a moral justification.The first two codes give samvara 'a means to samvara', which is circular, and the third makes asrava the means; only the last matches every pair.

Q: Which of the following is a feature of Sthitaprajna mentioned in Bhagvad Gita ?

The feature is Sam Dukhe Same Krutva.The phrase is from the Gita's 'sukha-duhkhe same krtva', treating pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike (2.38). Evenness of mind in pleasure and pain is exactly how the Gita describes the sthitaprajna, the person of steady wisdom, in the verses that follow in Chapter 2.The other three are not Gita descriptions of the sthitaprajna. 'Tat tvam asi' (Chandogya Upanishad) and 'Aham Brahmasmi' (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad) are Upanishadic great sayings, and 'Dharayati iti dharmah' is a traditional definition of dharma as that which sustains.

Q: Select the correct alternative which postulates for the moral intelligibility of the universe :

The answer is Law of Karma and Rebirth.The law of karma says that every action bears its fruit for the agent, good for good and bad for bad. Because a single life is not long enough for all actions to bear fruit, the law requires rebirth. Together they make the universe morally intelligible: no deed is lost and no suffering is without a moral cause.Karma and dharma name action and duty but not the moral order that links deeds to their results across lives. The Astanga-marga is Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga and the Astangika-marga is the Buddha's Eightfold Path; both are paths of practice, not postulates about the moral order of the world.

Q: Dharma does not mean :

Dharma does not mean Detachment.Dharma has several senses. In ethics it means duty, virtue and merit. In Jaina and Buddhist metaphysics it can mean the attributes or properties of a thing. In Buddhism the dharmas are also the ultimate constituents of reality, the momentary elements into which experience is analysed.Detachment is vairagya or anasakti, a quite different term. Since attributes, constituents of reality and duties, virtue and merit are all recognised meanings of dharma, the only option outside its range is detachment.

Q: Tilak insists that Sthitaprajna should :

Tilak insists that the sthitaprajna should work renouncing the attachment to the fruits of actions.In the Gita Rahasya, Tilak reads the Gita as a gospel of karma-yoga. The person of steady wisdom does not abandon action; he continues to work in the world for its welfare, but without attachment to the results. Renunciation is of the fruits, not of the work.'Renounce the world' is the sannyasa reading Tilak argues against. 'Work in the world' is true but omits the condition of non-attachment that defines his view. 'Work in renunciation' is ambiguous, since what is renounced is attachment to fruits, which only the last option states.

Q: While interpreting Bhagavad-gita, the concept of 'Niskama-karma' is underlined by :

The answer is Madhva and Tilak.Tilak's Gita Rahasya makes niskama karma, desireless action, the central teaching of the Gita. Madhva's Gita commentaries also stress action performed without desire for its fruit, offered as worship of Vishnu, as the discipline that purifies the mind and leads to knowledge and devotion. They differ on the final goal, but both underline niskama karma in reading the Gita.So naming only one of them leaves out the other, and 'neither' denies what both commentators teach.

Q: Cross the odd one out keeping in mind Jaina Ethics :

The odd one out is Kamma, Kusala Kamma, Akusala Kamma.The other three options are drawn from the seven (or nine) Jaina tattvas: jiva, ajiva, asrava, bandha, samvara, nirjara and moksa. They trace the soul's bondage and release, from the influx of karma (asrava) and bondage (bandha) to its stopping (samvara), shedding (nirjara) and final liberation (moksa).Kamma, kusala kamma and akusala kamma are Pali terms from Buddhist ethics, meaning action, wholesome action and unwholesome action. They do not belong to the Jaina scheme, so that set is the odd one.

11.

Cārvāka views on Purushartha may be labelled as :

A.Psychological Hedonism
B.Ethical Hedonism
C.Paradox of Hedonism
D.Universal Hedonism

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2019, SET Exam - 2019,

Answer: B

Carvaka views on the purusharthas may be labelled Ethical Hedonism.

Of the four goals of life, the Carvakas accept only kama (pleasure) as the end and artha (wealth) as its means. They reject dharma, as resting on the authority of the Vedas, and moksha, because there is no soul to be liberated. Their teaching is normative: one ought to seek the greatest pleasure in this life, since it is the only life there is. A theory that pleasure is what we ought to pursue is ethical hedonism.

Psychological hedonism is the descriptive claim that people in fact always seek pleasure. The paradox of hedonism is the observation that pleasure eludes those who aim at it directly. Universal hedonism is utilitarianism, the greatest happiness of the greatest number, whereas the Carvaka concern is the individual's own pleasure.

Discuss in Forum

12.

Match List I with List II and select the correct answer from the codes given below :

List I	List II
(a) Maitri	(1) Puṇya
(b) Karuṇa	(2) Sukha
(c) Mudita	(3) Apuṇya
(d) Upekṣā	(4) Duḥkha

A.a-2, b-4, c-3, d-1
B.a-2, b-4, c-1, d-3
C.a-2, b-1, c-3, d-4
D.a-3, b-4, c-1, d-2

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2019, SET Exam - 2019,

Answer: B

The correct code is a-2, b-4, c-1, d-3.

The pairs come from Yoga Sutra 1.33, which prescribes four attitudes that make the mind calm and clear: friendliness (maitri) towards the happy (sukha), compassion (karuna) towards those in sorrow (duhkha), gladness (mudita) towards the virtuous (punya), and indifference (upeksa) towards the wicked (apunya).

The first code reverses the last two pairs, giving gladness to the wicked and indifference to the virtuous. The third and fourth codes pair compassion with virtue or friendliness with vice, which are not Patanjali's matches.

Discuss in Forum

13.

Which of the following is the socially binding principle ?

A.Dharma
B.Artha
C.Kāma
D.Mokṣa

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2019, SET Exam - 2019,

Answer: A

The socially binding principle is Dharma.

The word comes from the root dhr, to hold or sustain: dharma is what holds society together. It is the order of duties and norms that regulates the pursuit of the other goals, so that wealth and pleasure are sought within limits that keep the social order intact.

Artha (wealth) and kama (pleasure) are goals of the individual that need dharma to restrain them. Moksha is liberation, the transcendence of the social order rather than the principle that binds it.

Discuss in Forum

14.

Match the pairs :

Group I	Group II
(a) Asrava	(i) Arrest of flux of karma and matter into soul
(b) Samvara	(ii) Moral justification of suffering
(c) Vrata	(iii) Karma entering into soul
(d) Law of Karma	(iv) A means to samvara

A.a-iii, b-iv, c-i, d-ii
B.a-iii, b-iv, c-ii, d-i
C.a-iv, b-ii, c-iii, d-i
D.a-iii, b-i, c-iv, d-ii

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

The correct code is a-iii, b-i, c-iv, d-ii.

In Jaina ethics, asrava is the influx of karmic matter into the soul. Samvara is the stopping of that influx, the arrest of the flow of karma into the soul. The vratas, the vows of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity and non-possession, are the means by which samvara is achieved. The law of karma explains suffering as the fruit of one's own past actions, and so gives it a moral justification.

The first two codes give samvara 'a means to samvara', which is circular, and the third makes asrava the means; only the last matches every pair.

Discuss in Forum

15.

Which of the following is a feature of Sthitaprajna mentioned in Bhagvad Gita ?

A.Sam Dukhe Same Krutva
B.Tat tvam asi
C.Aham Brahmasmi
D.Dharayati iti Dharmah

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: A

The feature is Sam Dukhe Same Krutva.

The phrase is from the Gita's 'sukha-duhkhe same krtva', treating pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike (2.38). Evenness of mind in pleasure and pain is exactly how the Gita describes the sthitaprajna, the person of steady wisdom, in the verses that follow in Chapter 2.

The other three are not Gita descriptions of the sthitaprajna. 'Tat tvam asi' (Chandogya Upanishad) and 'Aham Brahmasmi' (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad) are Upanishadic great sayings, and 'Dharayati iti dharmah' is a traditional definition of dharma as that which sustains.

Discuss in Forum

16.

Select the correct alternative which postulates for the moral intelligibility of the universe :

A.Karma and Dharma
B.Law of Karma and Rebirth
C.Astanga-marga
D.Astangika-marga

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: B

The answer is Law of Karma and Rebirth.

The law of karma says that every action bears its fruit for the agent, good for good and bad for bad. Because a single life is not long enough for all actions to bear fruit, the law requires rebirth. Together they make the universe morally intelligible: no deed is lost and no suffering is without a moral cause.

Karma and dharma name action and duty but not the moral order that links deeds to their results across lives. The Astanga-marga is Patanjali's eight-limbed yoga and the Astangika-marga is the Buddha's Eightfold Path; both are paths of practice, not postulates about the moral order of the world.

Discuss in Forum

17.

Dharma does not mean :

A.Attributes
B.Constituents of reality
C.Detachment
D.Duties, Virtue, Merit

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: C

Dharma does not mean Detachment.

Dharma has several senses. In ethics it means duty, virtue and merit. In Jaina and Buddhist metaphysics it can mean the attributes or properties of a thing. In Buddhism the dharmas are also the ultimate constituents of reality, the momentary elements into which experience is analysed.

Detachment is vairagya or anasakti, a quite different term. Since attributes, constituents of reality and duties, virtue and merit are all recognised meanings of dharma, the only option outside its range is detachment.

Discuss in Forum

18.

Tilak insists that Sthitaprajna should :

A.Renounce the world
B.Work in the world
C.Work in renunciation
D.Work renouncing the attachment to the fruits of actions

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

Tilak insists that the sthitaprajna should work renouncing the attachment to the fruits of actions.

In the Gita Rahasya, Tilak reads the Gita as a gospel of karma-yoga. The person of steady wisdom does not abandon action; he continues to work in the world for its welfare, but without attachment to the results. Renunciation is of the fruits, not of the work.

'Renounce the world' is the sannyasa reading Tilak argues against. 'Work in the world' is true but omits the condition of non-attachment that defines his view. 'Work in renunciation' is ambiguous, since what is renounced is attachment to fruits, which only the last option states.

Discuss in Forum

19.

While interpreting Bhagavad-gita, the concept of 'Niskama-karma' is underlined by :

A.Tilak
B.Madhva
C.Madhva and Tilak
D.Neither Madhva nor Tilak

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: C

The answer is Madhva and Tilak.

Tilak's Gita Rahasya makes niskama karma, desireless action, the central teaching of the Gita. Madhva's Gita commentaries also stress action performed without desire for its fruit, offered as worship of Vishnu, as the discipline that purifies the mind and leads to knowledge and devotion. They differ on the final goal, but both underline niskama karma in reading the Gita.

So naming only one of them leaves out the other, and 'neither' denies what both commentators teach.

Discuss in Forum

20.

Cross the odd one out keeping in mind Jaina Ethics :

A.Jiva, Ajiva, Asrava
B.Asrava, Bandha, Samvara
C.Samvara, Nirjara, Moksa
D.Kamma, Kusala Kamma, Akusala Kamma

Exam Year(s)

MH SET - 2020, SET Exam - 2020,

Answer: D

The odd one out is Kamma, Kusala Kamma, Akusala Kamma.

The other three options are drawn from the seven (or nine) Jaina tattvas: jiva, ajiva, asrava, bandha, samvara, nirjara and moksa. They trace the soul's bondage and release, from the influx of karma (asrava) and bondage (bandha) to its stopping (samvara), shedding (nirjara) and final liberation (moksa).

Kamma, kusala kamma and akusala kamma are Pali terms from Buddhist ethics, meaning action, wholesome action and unwholesome action. They do not belong to the Jaina scheme, so that set is the odd one.

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