CDS History · Ancient India
Buddhism, Jainism and Other Schools
Buddhist texts, nuns and goddesses; the Jain gems, vows and sects with the Ajivikas; and the Charvaka, Vedanta and other schools of thought.
Why this matters
Thirteen questions, nine of them HARD. They rarely ask the Buddha's life story. They ask a name from the texts: a nun, a sutta, a goddess, a Jain teacher, a branch of the Charvakas. The Charvaka school alone was asked twice.
Concept 1 of 3: Buddhist texts, nuns and goddesses
The Buddha's teachings were collected in Pali into three 'baskets'. He admitted women to the order, and later Buddhism added goddesses of its own, some of them older spirits turned to the faith.
Definition
- The Pali canon, the Tipitaka, has three baskets: Vinaya (rules for monks and nuns), Sutta (the Buddha's discourses) and Abhidhamma (philosophy).
- The Sutta Pitaka is divided into Nikayas. The Majjhima Nikaya holds the Madhura Sutta, where the monk Kachchana tells King Avantiputta that birth does not fix a person's rank.
- The Jatakas, stories of the Buddha's earlier births, are in Pali.
- The first woman ordained was Mahapajapati Gotami, the Buddha's foster mother. Nuns could reach liberation, but under eight rules they were placed below the monks.
- Theris were elder nuns; their verses form the Therigatha. Khema was a leading woman disciple of the Buddha.
- Hariti was a child-eating yakshi whom the Buddha turned into a protector of children. Prajnaparamita is wisdom; Tara protects from the eight great fears.
| Name | Who or what |
|---|---|
| Theri | An elder Buddhist nun; their verses are the Therigatha |
| Mahapajapati Gotami | The Buddha's foster mother, the first woman ordained |
| Khema | A Buddhist nun, a leading woman disciple of the BuddhaQ CDS 2021 (II): Khema was the one who was not a Jain acharya. |
| Hariti | A child-eating yakshi who became a protector of childrenQ |
| Madhura Sutta | Majjhima Nikaya: Kachchana tells King Avantiputta that birth fixes no rankQ |
| Jatakas | Stories of the Buddha's earlier births, in PaliQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (I) 2023 — General Knowledge · Q77Moderate
Example 1 · Ancient India · Buddhism, Jainism and Other Schools
Who among the following were referred to as the 'Theris' in ancient India?
Nuns were not made equal to monks
The Buddha accepted that women could reach liberation, but the eight rules placed nuns below monks in the order. A statement giving them equal status is false.
Khema was Buddhist, not Jain
Khema was a Buddhist nun. Bhadrabahu, Haribhadra and Siddhasena Divakara were Jain acharyas.
Concept 2 of 3: Jainism and the Ajivikas
Jain ideas were older than Mahavira, who was the last of 24 teachers. A famine split the monks into two groups that disagree to this day, and a rival sect, the Ajivikas, believed fate decided everything.
Definition
- Jainism has 24 tirthankaras. Parshva (the 23rd) spread Jain ideas before Mahavira (the 24th).
- The three gems (triratna): right faith (samyag-darshana), right knowledge (samyag-jnana) and right conduct (samyag-charitra).
- The five vows: non-violence (ahimsa), truth (satya), not stealing (asteya), not owning things (aparigraha) and chastity (brahmacharya).
- During a famine in Magadha, Bhadrabahu led a group of monks south: they became the Digambaras (sky-clad). Those who stayed under Sthulabhadra became the Shvetambaras (white-clad). Shvetambaras accept the canon of 12 Angas and believe women can attain liberation.
- Mahavira's first woman disciple, Chandana, had been a captive sold as a slave.
- The Ajivikas, led by Makkhali Gosala, believed fate (niyati) controls everything. They had their own order and canon, practised severe austerity, and were rivals of both Jains and Buddhists.
| Term | Fact |
|---|---|
| Triratna | Right faith, right knowledge, right conduct |
| Five vows | Non-violence, truth, not stealing, not owning, chastity |
| Shvetambara | White-clad monks who stayed in Magadha under SthulabhadraQ CDS 2023 (II): the move south of the Vindhyas was wrongly given to them. |
| Digambara | Sky-clad monks, who went south with Bhadrabahu |
| Ajivikas | Makkhali Gosala's sect: fate rules all; rivals of Jains and BuddhistsQ |
| Chandana | Mahavira's first woman disciple, once a captive slaveQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2025 · CDS (I) 2025 — General Knowledge · Q31Moderate
Example 2 · Ancient India · Buddhism, Jainism and Other Schools
Which of the following is one of the 'three gems' (triratna) of Jainism ?
Vows are not gems
Asteya (not stealing) and brahmacharya (chastity) are among the five vows. The three gems are right faith, right knowledge and right conduct.
The Ajivikas were rivals, not allies
The Ajivikas competed with both Jains and Buddhists; Makkhali Gosala broke bitterly with Mahavira. No alliance with the Jains against the Buddhists is recorded.
Concept 3 of 3: Charvaka, Vedanta and the guardian gods
Six orthodox schools accepted the Vedas. The Charvakas rejected them and everything beyond the senses: no soul, no afterlife. Much later Shankara gave Vedanta its most famous form.
Definition
- The six orthodox (astika) schools accept the authority of the Vedas: Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta.
- The Charvaka or Lokayata school was materialist: only the material world exists, so there is no life after death. Its two branches were the Dhurta and the Sushikshita.
- Shankara taught Advaita (non-dual) Vedanta, building on the work of Gaudapada, and tried to show that the Upanishads and the Brahmasutras teach one system. Tradition credits him with founding four mathas.
- The Lokapalas, guardians of the directions: Indra (east), Yama (south), Varuna (west), Kubera (north).
| School or name | Key idea |
|---|---|
| Charvaka (Lokayata) | Only the material world exists; branches Dhurta and SushikshitaQ CDS 2022 (II): Dhurta and Sushikshita were the Charvaka branches; Nyaya and Vaisheshika were not. |
| Nyaya and Vaisheshika | Orthodox schools that accept the Vedas |
| Advaita Vedanta | Shankara: one reality; built on GaudapadaQ |
| Lokapalas | Indra (east), Yama (south), Varuna (west), Kubera (north)Q |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (II) 2026 — General Knowledge · Q80Easy
Example 3 · Ancient India · Buddhism, Jainism and Other Schools
Which of the following schools of thought believed that 'this material world is the only thing that exists' and therefore 'there can be no life after death' ?
Nyaya and Vaisheshika are not Charvaka
Nyaya and Vaisheshika are orthodox schools that accept the Vedas and the soul. The Charvaka branches are the Dhurta and the Sushikshita.
Brahma and Shiva are not Lokapalas
The four Lokapalas are Indra, Yama, Varuna and Kubera. An option with Brahma, Shiva or Skanda is wrong.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Buddhist texts, nuns and goddesses6 rows
| Name | Who or what |
|---|---|
| Theri | An elder Buddhist nun; their verses are the Therigatha |
| Mahapajapati Gotami | The Buddha's foster mother, the first woman ordained |
| Khema | A Buddhist nun, a leading woman disciple of the BuddhaQ CDS 2021 (II): Khema was the one who was not a Jain acharya. |
| Hariti | A child-eating yakshi who became a protector of childrenQ |
| Madhura Sutta | Majjhima Nikaya: Kachchana tells King Avantiputta that birth fixes no rankQ |
| Jatakas | Stories of the Buddha's earlier births, in PaliQ |
Jainism and the Ajivikas6 rows
| Term | Fact |
|---|---|
| Triratna | Right faith, right knowledge, right conduct |
| Five vows | Non-violence, truth, not stealing, not owning, chastity |
| Shvetambara | White-clad monks who stayed in Magadha under SthulabhadraQ CDS 2023 (II): the move south of the Vindhyas was wrongly given to them. |
| Digambara | Sky-clad monks, who went south with Bhadrabahu |
| Ajivikas | Makkhali Gosala's sect: fate rules all; rivals of Jains and BuddhistsQ |
| Chandana | Mahavira's first woman disciple, once a captive slaveQ |
Charvaka, Vedanta and the guardian gods4 rows
| School or name | Key idea |
|---|---|
| Charvaka (Lokayata) | Only the material world exists; branches Dhurta and SushikshitaQ CDS 2022 (II): Dhurta and Sushikshita were the Charvaka branches; Nyaya and Vaisheshika were not. |
| Nyaya and Vaisheshika | Orthodox schools that accept the Vedas |
| Advaita Vedanta | Shankara: one reality; built on GaudapadaQ |
| Lokapalas | Indra (east), Yama (south), Varuna (west), Kubera (north)Q |
Watch out for (6)
- Nuns were not made equal to monks→ Buddhist texts, nuns and goddesses
- Khema was Buddhist, not Jain→ Buddhist texts, nuns and goddesses
- Vows are not gems→ Jainism and the Ajivikas
- The Ajivikas were rivals, not allies→ Jainism and the Ajivikas
- Nyaya and Vaisheshika are not Charvaka→ Charvaka, Vedanta and the guardian gods
- Brahma and Shiva are not Lokapalas→ Charvaka, Vedanta and the guardian gods
Test yourself on Ancient India
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.