2024 GS Paper I, all questions
UPSC Prelims 2024 · GS Paper I
Question 64: History and Culture
Sanghabhuti, an Indian Buddhist monk, who travelled to China at the end of the fourth century AD, was the author of a commentary on :
aPrajnaparamita Sutra
bVisuddhimagga
cSarvastivada Vinaya
dLalitavistara
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (c).
Sanghabhuti, an Indian Buddhist monk who went to China in the late fourth century, is known for his commentary on the Sarvastivada Vinaya, the monastic code of the Sarvastivada school, which was rendered into Chinese. The Prajnaparamita Sutra, Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga (a Theravada manual) and the Lalitavistara (a life of the Buddha) are not linked to him.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Wrong: the Prajnaparamita Sutra is a Mahayana text, not Sanghabhuti's commentary subject.
- (b) Wrong: the Visuddhimagga is Buddhaghosa's Theravada manual.
- (c) Right: Sanghabhuti wrote a commentary on the Sarvastivada Vinaya.
- (d) Wrong: the Lalitavistara is a biography of the Buddha.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2024, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.