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Q45 (IAS/2022) History & Culture › Culture, Literature, Religion & Philosophy › Jain doctrine and sects Official Key

With reference to Indian history, consider the following texts: 1. Nettipakarana 2. Parishishtaparvan 3. Avadanashtaka 4. Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana Which of the above are Jaina texts?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 2 (2 and 4 only) because both Parishishtaparvan and Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana are foundational works of Jaina literature.

  • Parishishtaparvan: Written by the 12th-century scholar Hemachandra, it is an appendix to the Trishashtishalakapurushacharitra and provides historical accounts of early Jaina teachers and kings like Chandragupta Maurya.
  • Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana: This is a major Digambara Jaina text commenced by Jinasena and completed by Gunabhadra. It narrates the hagiographies of the 63 "Great Persons" (Salakapurusas) of Jainism.

Conversely, Nettipakarana is a Buddhist guide to interpretation included in the Khuddaka Nikaya (Pali Canon). Avadanashtaka is a collection of one hundred Buddhist legends (Avadanas) written in Sanskrit. Since 1 and 3 are Buddhist texts, they are excluded, making Option 2 the only correct choice.

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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to Indian history, consider the following texts: 1. Nettipakarana 2. Parishishtaparvan 3. Avadanashtaka 4. Trishashtilaks…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 2.5/10
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This question is a classic 'Sectarian Sorting' test. It rewards aspirants who move beyond general features of Jainism/Buddhism to memorizing specific literary corpora. While 'Parishishtaparvan' is a standard fact in advanced texts (Hemachandra), the 'Trishashtilakshana Mahapurana' is a direct lift from the TN Board History book, proving that state board textbooks are goldmines for ancient history terminology.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
In Indian history, is Nettipakarana a Jaina (Jain) text?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 3: Rise of Territorial Kingdoms and New Religious Sects > Life of Mahavira > p. 39
Strength: 4/5
“It consisted of 12 angas (limbs). Another council was. It was held in Valabhi, Gujarat, in the 5th century CE. It added 12 upangas (minor sections). The Jaina monks not only wrote religious treatises but also promoted secular literature. Achārangasūtra, Sutrakṛtanga, and Kalpasūtra are the earliest Jaina texts. Most of the early Jaina texts were written in Ardha-Magadhi, the language of the common people.”
Why relevant

Lists early Jaina texts (Achārangasūtra, Sutrakṛtanga, Kalpasūtra) and notes most early Jaina texts were written in Ardha-Magadhi/Prakrit.

How to extend

Check Nettipakarana's language, style, or canonical placement — if it is in an early Prakrit dialect or cited alongside these texts, that would be a clue toward Jaina attribution.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Jaina Literature > p. 99
Strength: 4/5
“The Jaina canonical literature at first took shape in Prakrit dialects. Sanskrit came to be the medium later. Within a short time, Jainism produced many great scholars and by their efforts the Hindu itihasa and puranas were recast in Jaina versions to popularise their doctrines. Vimala produced a Jaina version of Ramayana. Siddasena Divakara laid the foundation of logic among the Jainas.”
Why relevant

States Jaina canonical literature first took shape in Prakrit and later in Sanskrit, and that Jain authors produced many texts and recast other works.

How to extend

Compare Nettipakarana’s linguistic medium and thematic content to known Jaina tendencies (Prakrit/Sanskrit, reinterpretation of stories) to see if it fits Jaina patterns.

THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings > 3.1 The spread of Jainism > p. 89
Strength: 3/5
“Gradually, Jainism spread to many parts of India. Like the Buddhists, Jaina scholars produced a wealth of literature in a variety of languages – Prakrit, Sanskrit and Tamil. For centuries, manuscripts of these texts were carefully preserved in libraries attached to temples. Some of the earliest stone sculptures associated with religious traditions were produced by devotees of the Jaina tirthankaras, and have been recovered from several sites throughout the subcontinent. Ü Discuss... Is ahimsa relevant in the twenty-first century?”
Why relevant

Notes Jaina scholars produced literature in Prakrit, Sanskrit and Tamil and that Jaina manuscripts were widely preserved.

How to extend

If Nettipakarana survives in manuscript traditions in regions/collections associated with Jaina libraries or in languages commonly used by Jaina authors, that supports investigating a Jaina provenance.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 3: Rise of Territorial Kingdoms and New Religious Sects > Jainism in Tamilnadu > p. 41
Strength: 3/5
“Jivaka Chinthamani, Yapperunkalam Karikai, Neelakesi are some of the prominent Jaina works in Tamil. As early as c. 470 CE a Jaina Dravida Sangha was established in Madurai by Vajranandi, a disciple of Boojya Padha. Jainism has survived in Tamil Nadu and there are several Jaina temples. One of the Jaina temples is at Tiruparuthikunram near Kanchipuram with beautiful ceiling paintings. This part of Kanchipuram was known as Jaina Kanchi.”
Why relevant

Gives examples of prominent Jaina works in Tamil (Jivaka Chinthamani, Neelakesi) showing Jaina authorship across genres and regions.

How to extend

If Nettipakarana appears in Tamil literary contexts or is cited alongside known Tamil Jaina works, a student could suspect a Jaina origin.

History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 3: Rise of Territorial Kingdoms and New Religious Sects > Rivalry among Heterodox Sects > p. 38
Strength: 4/5
“There was intense rivalry among the various heterodox sects. This is evident from the various religious accounts of the period. Buddhist and Jaina texts not only mention other heterodox sects but also belittle them. For example, Bhagavatisutra, a Jaina text, provides a poor account of Makkhali Gosala. Buddhagosa also ridicules Gosala in his commentaries. A Buddhist Jataka story "compares the heretics with the fire-flies, whose faint light faded before the rising glory of the sun, i.e., the Buddha".”
Why relevant

Shows that Jaina texts (e.g., Bhagavatisutra) are named and engaged in polemics with Buddhists, indicating identifiable corpora and intertextual citations.

How to extend

Search whether Nettipakarana is cited or critiqued in Buddhist or Jaina polemical literature — such intertextual references could indicate its sectarian affiliation.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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