Vedic and Later Vedic Age — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on the Vedic age with full explanations — Vedic texts, Vedangas, rivers, terms and the Boghazkoi inscription.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
The phrase “Satyameva Jayate”, the national motto of India, is taken from which one of the following texts?
Solution
“Satyameva Jayate” (“Truth alone triumphs”) is from the Mundaka Upanishad.
- Katha Upanishad — dialogue of Nachiketa and Yama on death and the self.
- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad — Yajnavalkya’s debates with Gargi and Maitreyi.
- Chandogya Upanishad — another early prose Upanishad.
Answer: B
Consider the following:
- Shiksha
- Nirukta
- Jyotisha
- Mimamsa
How many of the above are Vedangas?
Solution
The six Vedangas are Shiksha (phonetics), Kalpa (ritual), Vyakarana (grammar), Nirukta (etymology), Chhanda (metre) and Jyotisha (astronomy). Mimamsa is one of the six orthodox schools of philosophy (darshanas), not a Vedanga. Three of the four are Vedangas.
Answer: C
Consider the following statements about the Boghazkoi inscription:
- It was found in Asia Minor (modern Turkey).
- It invokes the gods Indra, Mitra, Varuna and the Nasatyas.
- It is written in the Brahmi script.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. The inscription records a treaty between the Hittites and the Mitanni (about the 14th century BCE) and invokes gods also found in the Rigveda — which is why it is used as an external anchor for dating the Vedic age. Statement 3 is wrong: it is a cuneiform record. Brahmi inscriptions in India begin much later, with Ashoka.
Answer: D
Consider the following pairs:
| Vedic term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1. Gavishti | Search for cows (war) |
| 2. Aghanya | A royal horse sacrifice |
| 3. Nishka | A type of plough |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Solution
Only pair 1 is correct — gavishti, “search for cows”, was a word for war in a cattle-based society.
- Aghanya means “not to be killed” and was used for the cow. The horse sacrifice was the ashvamedha.
- Nishka was a gold ornament, later a unit of value.
Answer: A
The Battle of Ten Kings described in the Rigveda was fought on the banks of which river?
Solution
The Dasarajna (Battle of Ten Kings), in the seventh mandala, was fought on the Parushni (Ravi). Sudas, king of the Bharata clan, advised by Vasishtha, defeated a confederacy of ten tribes. Vipas = Beas; Sutudri = Sutlej; Asikni = Chenab.
Answer: C
The Upanishads mark a shift from ritual to philosophical inquiry in Indian thought. Discuss.
Solution
Introduction: The later Vedic age was dominated by elaborate sacrifices prescribed in the Brahmanas. The Aranyakas and Upanishads, composed towards the end of the period, turned attention from the ritual act to its meaning.
Body:
- From sacrifice to knowledge: liberation (moksha) through knowledge (jnana) rather than through ritual alone.
- Core ideas: brahman (ultimate reality), atman (the self) and their unity; karma and rebirth.
- Method: dialogue and debate — Nachiketa and Yama (Katha), Yajnavalkya with Gargi and Maitreyi (Brihadaranyaka).
- Legacy: foundation of Vedanta; influence on Buddhist and Jain debates on karma and rebirth; the national motto from the Mundaka Upanishad.
- Limits: the texts remained largely within an elite, learned circle.
Conclusion: The Upanishads gave Indian culture its tradition of philosophical questioning, which shaped later schools of thought and religious movements.