[Solved] With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following pairs: 1. Parivrajaka – Renunciant and Wanderer 2. Shramana – Priest with a high status 3. Upasaka – Lay follower of Buddhism Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Q91.With reference to the cultural history of India, consider the following pairs:

1. Parivrajaka – Renunciant and Wanderer

2. Shramana – Priest with a high status

3. Upasaka – Lay follower of Buddhism

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

A. 1 and 2 only

B. 1 and 3 only

C. 2 and 3 only

D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B

The word Parivrajaka means “roaming ascetic”. A wandering religious mendicant. Although this term occurs in the early Brahmanic tradition of the Upaniṣhads, it is also applicable to Buddhist and Jain monks, as well as to Hindu saṃnyāsins. The Pāli equivalent is paribbājaka.

· Shramanas did not regard the brahmans as being of the highest status. Shramanas included a variety of ascetics, as well as the monks and lay followers of various sects – Buddhist, Jaina, Ajivika and others.

· Monks renounced social obligations to take on an alternative life. They lived in monasteries near villages and towns so that they could draw on the support of the lay community, namely, those who were Buddhists or Jainas but were not initiated into renunciatory groups. Lay followers were referred to as upasaka and upasika.