Previous Year Question

Option A is correct. In Buddhist philosophy, Nirvana is associated with the cessation of craving, greed, hatred and delusion. In the early Buddhist text Samyutta Nikaya 38.1 — Nibbānapañhā Sutta, when Sariputta is asked what Nibbana is, he answers that the ending of greed, hate and delusion is Nirvana (Pali: Nibbāna).

The imagery of the extinguishing or quenching of a fire is also directly associated with Nirvana (Pali: Nibbāna). Therefore, “the extinction of the flame of desire” best describes the concept. It does not merely mean suppressing one particular desire; it signifies ending the craving and attachment that sustain suffering and the cycle of worldly existence.

Option B is incorrect. Nirvana should not be understood as the “complete annihilation of self.” Buddhism does not accept an eternal and unchanging self; therefore, Nirvana is not the destruction of a pre-existing permanent soul.

Option C points towards the peace associated with Nirvana, but it is not its best definition. Nirvana is associated with peace and cessation of suffering, but early Buddhist texts define it more fundamentally in terms of the ending of greed, hatred and delusion.

Option D is also not the correct definition. Nirvana is a profound spiritual attainment, but Buddhist texts do not merely describe it as “a mental stage beyond all comprehension”; they clearly explain its cause and the path to its realization. Samyutta Nikaya 38.1 also identifies the Noble Eightfold Path as the path for realizing Nirvana (Pali: Nibbāna).