Explanation
- A
1 only
(a) 1 only. Deification of the Buddha is a Mahayana marker, but path-of-the-bodhisattva and image worship are also Mahayana features, so 1 only is not the key.
- B
1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 2 only. Both are Mahayana, yet statement 3 (image worship and rituals) is also a Mahayana development against early aniconic practice, so dropping 3 is not the key.
- C
2 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only. Those two hold, but deification (statement 1) is equally Mahayana, so this pair is not the key.
- D
1, 2 and 3
(d) 1, 2 and 3. Mahayana treats the Buddha as a transcendent/deified figure, centres the bodhisattva path, and develops image worship and ritual. All three listed features belong, so this is the official key.
Summary. Official key is (d) 1, 2 and 3. Mahayana (‘Great Vehicle’) deifies the Buddha, asks the aspirant to follow bodhisattvas toward Buddhahood, and supports images and puja. Early/Nikaya practice was more aniconic and arhat-centred. Honour the stored letter (d).
Same topic · past papers
UPSC has asked this before
These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.
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2020 · Q22 · General Studies · 2 marks
With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements: 1. Sthaviravadins belong to Mahayana Buddhism. 2. Lokottaravadin sect was an offshoot of Mahasanghika sect of Buddhism. 3. The deification of Buddha by Mahasanghikas fostered the Mahayana Buddhism. Which of the statements given above is/are Correct?