1. Parivrajaka         :    Renunciant and Wanderer

2. Shramana           :    Priest with a high status

3. Upasaka             :    Lay follower of Buddhism

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 and 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: b

Explanation:

The renunciants were referred to by various terms including

●        paribbajaka (Sanskrit—parivrajaka, ‘wanderer’),

●        samana (Sanskrit—shramana, ‘one who strives’, i.e., to realise the truth), and

●         bhikkhu (Sanskrit—bhikshu, ‘one who lives by begging alms’).

 These were people who had left their homes and lived as wanderers, dependent on food and alms offered by sympathetic or generous householders.

Lay followers of the Buddha included male followers (upasakas) and female followers (upasikas). An upasaka/upasika was a person who had declared that he/she had taken refuge in the Buddha, dhamma, and sangha, but who had not taken monastic vows.

Hence, option b is correct.

Read: Previous Year UPSC History Questions (PYQs) With Explanation 2020