Previous Year Question
With reference to ancient India, Gautama Buddha was generally known by which of the following epithets?
Nayaputta
Shakyamuni
Tathagata
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Shakyamuni and Tathagata are well-established epithets of Gautama Buddha, whereas Nayaputta is associated with Mahavira.
1. Nayaputta — Incorrect.
Nayaputta/Nātaputta was not a usual epithet of Gautama Buddha. Early Jaina texts refer to Mahavira as Nayaputta, while Pali Buddhist literature commonly refers to him as Nigaṇṭha Nātaputta. Naya/Nāta is connected with the clan to which Mahavira was traditionally associated. Thus, this is an important distinction between Mahavira and Gautama Buddha.
2. Shakyamuni — Correct.
Shakyamuni means “Sage of the Shakyas.” Gautama Buddha belonged to the Shakya clan and hence came to be known as Shakyamuni Buddha. The Metropolitan Museum explicitly identifies Shakyamuni as the historical Buddha and explains the name in terms of the sage of the Shakya tribe.
A useful distinction is:
Siddhartha Gautama — personal/historical name
Shakyamuni — epithet meaning the sage of the Shakyas
3. Tathagata — Correct.
Tathāgata is a major designation used for the Buddha in Buddhist literature. Its precise etymological interpretation has been debated and is commonly rendered along the lines of “thus-gone” or “thus-come”, but its status as an epithet of the Buddha is well established. A Buddhist inscription from Nalanda, for example, is translated using the expression “The Tathagata [Buddha]”.
A useful elimination rule is therefore: Nayaputta → Mahavira, while Shakyamuni + Tathagata → Gautama Buddha.