Consider the following pairs of terms from ancient Indian religious traditions and their meanings:
1. Parivrajaka, a wandering renunciant
2. Shramana, a priest of high ritual status within the Brahmanical order
3. Upasaka, a lay follower of Buddhism
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Question

Accepted Answer

B. Only two. Pairs 1 and 3 are correctly matched. Parivrajaka does mean a wandering renunciant, someone who has left settled household life, and Upasaka does mean a lay follower of Buddhism, someone who follows Buddhist teaching without formally becoming a monk. Pair 2 is wrongly matched, since Shramana traditions were ascetic movements that actually rejected Brahmanical priestly authority, not a description of a priest with high ritual status within that very order. Since only two of the three pairs hold, option B is correct.

Answer

A. Only one

Answer

B. Only two

Answer

C. All three

Answer

D. None