With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithe

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Question

With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets?NayaputtaShakyamuniTathagataSelect the correct answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: B — 2 and 3 only (Shakyamuni and Tathagata)Step-by-step Solution:Epithet 1 — Nayaputta: This is NOT an epithet of Gautama Buddha. 'Nayaputta' (meaning 'son of the Naya/Nata clan') is an epithet of Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara of Jainism. Mahavira's clan name was Naya (or Nata/Jnatrika), and early Buddhist and Jain texts use Nayaputta (Pali: Nataputta) to refer to Mahavira — often when recording debates between Buddhist monks and Jain followers. ✗Epithet 2 — Shakyamuni: This is correct — an epithet of Gautama Buddha. 'Shakyamuni' means 'the Sage (Muni) of the Shakya clan.' Siddhartha Gautama was born into the Kshatriya Shakya clan of Kapilavastu (in the Nepal terai). After his enlightenment, he was reverentially called Shakyamuni — 'the sage who belongs to the Shakya tribe.' This is one of the most commonly used epithets of the Buddha in Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese Buddhist traditions. ✓Epithet 3 — Tathagata: This is correct — an epithet of Gautama Buddha. 'Tathagata' is a Pali and Sanskrit term meaning 'Thus-Gone' (Tatha = thus; Gata = gone) or 'Thus-Come.' The Buddha used this term to refer to himself in the third person in numerous discourses in the Pali Canon. It signifies one who has attained enlightenment and transcended ordinary existence — departing from and arriving at the truth of reality. ✓Why other options are incorrect:Option A (1 only): Incorrect. Nayaputta is an epithet of Mahavira, not Buddha. The correct epithets for Buddha from the list are 2 and 3.Option C (1, 2 and 3): Incorrect. Including Nayaputta (which belongs to Mahavira) makes this wrong.Option D (None): Incorrect. Shakyamuni and Tathagata are definitively Buddhist epithets.Key Concept: Other epithets of Gautama Buddha: Siddhartha (given name — 'one who achieves his aim'); Gautama (gotra/clan name); Buddha ('the enlightened/awakened one'); Bhagavan ('the blessed one'); Sugata ('well-gone'); Jina ('the conqueror' — shared with Jainism but used for Buddha too); Sambuddha ('the fully enlightened'); Lokajyeṣṭha ('the eldest in the world'). Epithets of Mahavira: Nayaputta (Nataputta); Vardhamana (original name); Mahavira ('great hero'); Jina ('conqueror of inner enemies'); Nirgrantha ('free from all ties'); Bhagavan. Note: Both Mahavira and Buddha lived in roughly the same era (5th century BCE) in northeast India, and early texts frequently compare and contrast their teachings.

With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets?NayaputtaShakyamuniTathagataSelect the correct answer using the code given below:

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With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets?NayaputtaShakyamuniTathagataSelect the correct answer using the code given below:

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