Indian Ethics Questions and Answers

Q: The cultivation of land by a cultivator is a an example of

The cultivation of land by a cultivator is an example of svadharma, so the answer is B.Svadharma is the duty that belongs to a person's own station and nature in life. The Bhagavad Gita says that one's own duty, even if imperfectly done, is better than the duty of another well done. For a cultivator, farming is such an assigned duty.Niskama karma (A) is action done without desire for its fruit, which describes the spirit in which a duty is done and not the duty itself. Sadharanadharma (C) means the general duties common to all people, such as truthfulness and non-violence. Brahmavihara (D) is a Buddhist set of meditations and not a duty of any occupation.

Q: How can Devaṛṇa be compensated ?

The debt to the gods (deva-rna) is repaid by performing yajna, so the answer is C.The Vedic tradition speaks of three debts with which a person is born: to the gods, to the sages and to the ancestors. The debt to the gods is discharged by sacrifice and worship, the debt to the sages by study of the Veda (brahmacarya), and the debt to the ancestors by begetting children to continue the family line.Brahmacarya (A) pays the debt to the sages and giving birth to children (B) the debt to the ancestors. Isvarapranidhana (D), devotion to God, is a Yoga practice that is not one of the three repayments.

Q: Among the following which one is not Ṛta ?

The one that is not rta is anrta, so the answer is B.In the Vedic literature rta is the cosmic and moral order: the law that governs the course of nature, the sacrifice and human conduct, and it is closely linked with satya (truth), dharma (the law upheld) and yajna (the sacrificial order that expresses it).Anrta is its negation: falsehood and disorder. It is the opposite of rta, so it is the one that does not belong, while satya, dharma and yajna are all expressions of the order.

Q: Which one is not purusārtha ?

The one that is not a purusartha is Isvara, so the answer is B.The four purusarthas, the ends of human life in Indian thought, are dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (desire and pleasure) and moksa (liberation). The first three are the trivarga of worldly life and the fourth is the highest good.Artha, kama and dharma are therefore all in the list, and Isvara (God) is the only item which is not a human end but the supreme being.

61.

Five types of Yama according to Patañjali are :

A.Ahimsā, asteya, satya, brahmaćarya and asana.
B.Ahimsā, satya, asteya, brahmaćarya, and aparigraha.
C.Satya, asteya, brahmaćarya, aparigraha and dhyāna.
D.Asteya, brahmaćarya, satya, dhyāna and asana.

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: B

The five yamas of Patañjali's Yoga are ahiṃsā, satya, asteya, brahmacarya and aparigraha (Yoga-sūtra II.30). They are the restraints of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence and non-possession, the first limb of the eightfold yoga.

Option A includes āsana, which is the third limb. Options C and D include dhyāna, the seventh limb, and āsana, and omit some yamas, so each mixes the yamas with later limbs of yoga. Only option B lists exactly the five yamas.

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62.

The cultivation of land by a cultivator is a an example of

A.Niskāma Karma
B.Svadharma
C.Sādhāranadharma
D.Brahmavihāra

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: B

The cultivation of land by a cultivator is an example of svadharma, so the answer is B.

Svadharma is the duty that belongs to a person's own station and nature in life. The Bhagavad Gita says that one's own duty, even if imperfectly done, is better than the duty of another well done. For a cultivator, farming is such an assigned duty.

Niskama karma (A) is action done without desire for its fruit, which describes the spirit in which a duty is done and not the duty itself. Sadharanadharma (C) means the general duties common to all people, such as truthfulness and non-violence. Brahmavihara (D) is a Buddhist set of meditations and not a duty of any occupation.

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63.

How can Devaṛṇa be compensated ?

A.Brahmac’arya
B.Giving birth to children
C.Performing Yajña
D.Iśvarapraṇidhāna

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: C

The debt to the gods (deva-rna) is repaid by performing yajna, so the answer is C.

The Vedic tradition speaks of three debts with which a person is born: to the gods, to the sages and to the ancestors. The debt to the gods is discharged by sacrifice and worship, the debt to the sages by study of the Veda (brahmacarya), and the debt to the ancestors by begetting children to continue the family line.

Brahmacarya (A) pays the debt to the sages and giving birth to children (B) the debt to the ancestors. Isvarapranidhana (D), devotion to God, is a Yoga practice that is not one of the three repayments.

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64.

Among the following which one is not Ṛta ?

A.Satya
B.Anṛta
C.Dharma
D.Yajña

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: B

The one that is not rta is anrta, so the answer is B.

In the Vedic literature rta is the cosmic and moral order: the law that governs the course of nature, the sacrifice and human conduct, and it is closely linked with satya (truth), dharma (the law upheld) and yajna (the sacrificial order that expresses it).

Anrta is its negation: falsehood and disorder. It is the opposite of rta, so it is the one that does not belong, while satya, dharma and yajna are all expressions of the order.

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65.

Which one is not purusārtha ?

A.Artha
B.Iśvara
C.Kāma
D.Dharma

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: B

The one that is not a purusartha is Isvara, so the answer is B.

The four purusarthas, the ends of human life in Indian thought, are dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (desire and pleasure) and moksa (liberation). The first three are the trivarga of worldly life and the fourth is the highest good.

Artha, kama and dharma are therefore all in the list, and Isvara (God) is the only item which is not a human end but the supreme being.

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66.

Consider List I and List II and select the code correctly matched :

List - I	List - II
(1) Veda	(i) Rta
(2) Gīta	(ii) Lokasaṁgraha
(3) Jainism	(iii) Triratna
(4) Buddhism	(iv) Pañc’asīla

A.1-(i), 2-(ii), 3-(iii), 4-(iv)
B.1-(i), 2-(iii), 3-(iv), 4-(ii)
C.1-(iii), 2-(ii), 3-(i), 4-(iv)
D.1-(i), 2-(ii), 3-(iv), 4-(iii)

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: A

The correct matching is Veda with Rta, Gita with Lokasamgraha, Jainism with Triratna and Buddhism with Pancasila, so the answer is A.

The Vedic idea of cosmic order is rta. The Gita speaks of acting for the welfare of the world (lokasamgraha). Jainism teaches the three jewels (triratna): right faith, right knowledge and right conduct. Buddhism lays down the five precepts (pancasila) for the lay follower.

Each of the other codes interchanges at least one pair, for example Jainism with the pancasila or Buddhism with the triratna, and so is wrong.

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67.

Which of the following does not form a part of Brahma Vihāra ?

A.Maitri
B.Dayā
C.Muditā
D.Upekṣā

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: B

Daya does not form a part of the Brahma Vihara. The four Brahma Viharas, the 'divine abodes' of Buddhist meditation, are Maitri (loving kindness), Karuna (compassion), Mudita (sympathetic joy) and Upeksa (equanimity). Daya is a general word for mercy, close in sense to karuna, but it is not one of the four names. Maitri, Mudita and Upeksa are all in the list, so each of those options is wrong. The answer is Daya.

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68.

Saṁyak Darśana in Jaina ethics means

A.Correct perception
B.The realisation of truth
C.The respect for the teaching of the Tirthankara
D.None of the above

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: C

Samyak darśana in Jaina ethics means respect for the teaching of the Tīrthaṅkara, option C. It is the first of the three jewels of Jainism, right faith, right knowledge and right conduct, and right faith is the faith in the truths as taught by the Tīrthaṅkaras.

Correct perception (option A) is a literal reading of the Sanskrit word darśana and does not give its technical sense. The realisation of truth (option B) is closer to right knowledge. Option D is wrong because option C states the usual meaning.

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69.

Consider the List - I and List - II and select the code correctly matched :

List - I	List - II
(a) Brāhmaṇa	(i) Academic activities
(b) Kṣatriya	(ii) Fight for the country
(c) Vaiśya	(iii) Serving other classes
(d) Śudra	(iv) Business

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

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: C

The correct matching is Brāhmaṇa with academic activities, Kṣatriya with fighting for the country, Vaiśya with business, and Śūdra with serving the other classes, a-i, b-ii, c-iv, d-iii, option C. These are the traditional functions of the four varnas.

Option A gives business to the Śūdra and service to the Vaiśya, which reverses the last two pairs. Options B and D interchange the first two pairs or give fighting to the Vaiśya. Only option C pairs all four with their duties.

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70.

Which one is the correct sequence of the four kinds of purusārthas ?

A.Artha, Kāma, Dharma, Mokṣa
B.Kāma, Artha, Dharma, Mokṣa
C.Dharma, Artha, Kāma, Mokṣa
D.Mokṣa, Dharma, Artha, Kāma

Exam Year(s)

UGC NET - 2012,

Answer: C

The correct sequence of the four purusārthas is Dharma, Artha, Kāma, Mokṣa, option C. Righteousness comes first, since it governs the pursuit of wealth and pleasure, and liberation, the final goal, comes last.

Option A and option B begin with artha or kāma, placing wealth or desire above dharma. Option D puts mokṣa first, which reverses the order of the ends. The traditional order, dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa, is the one in the key.

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