Assertion (A): The mid-first millennium BCE saw the emergence of new religions in India.

Question

Given below are two statements, one labelled as Assertion (A) and the other labelled as Reason (R):

Assertion (A): The mid-first millennium BCE saw the emergence of new religions in India.

Reason (R): People began speculating on the significance of the sacrificial tradition and authority of the Vedas.

(a) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct Explanation of (A).

(b) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is not the correct Explanation of (A).

(c) (A) is correct but (R) is not correct.

(d) (R) is correct but (A) is not correct.

Answer 1

(a) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct Explanation of (A).

The mid-first millennium BCE is often regarded as a turning point in world history: it saw the emergence of thinkers such as Mahavira and Gautama Buddha, among many others, in India. Thinkers were concerned with understanding and expressing the nature of the ultimate reality. And others, outside the Vedic tradition, asked whether or not there even was a single ultimate reality. People also began speculating on the significance of the sacrificial tradition.