Consider the following statements: 1. Vardhamana Mahavira's mother was the daughter of Lichchhavi King Chetaka. 2. Gautama Buddha's mother was a princess from the Koliyan dynasty. 3. Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankara, belonged to Banaras. Which of these statements is/are correct?
UPSC CSE Pre 2003
A. Only 1
B. Only 2
C. 2 and 3
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: 2 and 3
Option c is the correct answer.
Statement 1 is incorrect- Trishala, the mother of Vardhaman Mahavira, was the sister (not the daughter) of Chief Chetaka of the Lichchhavi clan.
Statement 2 is correct- The Buddha's mother was Maya, and she belonged to the Koliyan clan. Maya was born in Devadaha and got married to her cousin, King Suddhodana, who was the ruler of Kapilavastu.
Statement 3 is correct- The twenty-third tirthankara, Parshvanath, came into the world in Varanasi. He left behind his royal life to become an ascetic and is connected to numerous Jain teachings. According to Jain beliefs, he lived about two centuries before Mahavira.