Vedic Shastra Gyan
Test your knowledge of the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, the six darshanas, and the great Vedic sciences in this bilingual quiz drawn from Eternal Raga's scriptures.
16 questions · Free · No sign-in needed
📖 Browse all questions & answersContains the answers — open only when you are done playing.
1. Which Vedanga is described as the 'eyes' of the Veda Purusha and deals with astronomy and timekeeping?
- ✓ Jyotisha
- • Shiksha
- • Nirukta
- • Chandas
Answer: In the Paniniya Shiksha metaphor, Jyotisha (astronomy and timekeeping) is the eyes of the Veda, because it sees the right time for rituals.
Read the full story →2. In the Upaveda classification, which applied science is traditionally attached to the Samaveda?
- • Dhanurveda (warfare)
- • Ayurveda (medicine)
- ✓ Gandharvaveda (music and performing arts)
- • Sthapatyaveda (architecture)
Answer: Gandharvaveda, the science of music, dance, and performing arts, is the Upaveda attached to the Samaveda, whose chanting gives rise to the seven svaras.
Read the full story →3. Among the six darshanas, which school founded by Kanada proposes that all material reality is made of indivisible atoms (paramanus)?
- ✓ Vaisheshika
- • Nyaya
- • Samkhya
- • Purva Mimamsa
Answer: Vaisheshika, founded by Kanada, holds that material reality is composed of eternal, indivisible atoms (paramanus) and is India's philosophy of nature.
Read the full story →4. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras define yoga as 'chitta vritti nirodha.' What does this phrase mean?
- • The union of body and breath
- ✓ The cessation of the fluctuations of the mind
- • The mastery of physical postures
- • The worship of a creator God
Answer: Patanjali defines yoga as chitta vritti nirodha, the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, so that pure awareness (Purusha) can recognise itself.
Read the full story →5. The 27 nakshatras each span exactly how many degrees of the ecliptic?
- ✓ 13 degrees 20 minutes
- • 30 degrees
- • 15 degrees
- • 12 degrees
Answer: Each nakshatra spans exactly 13 degrees 20 minutes, so that 27 of them close the full 360-degree circle of the ecliptic without remainder.
Read the full story →6. In the nakshatra system, what is the 'Yogatara' of a nakshatra?
- • The presiding deity of the nakshatra
- • The lunar day on which it begins
- ✓ The anchor or junction star that fixes the nakshatra to a point in the sky
- • The planet that rules the nakshatra
Answer: The Yogatara is the specific bright anchor (junction) star within a nakshatra that ties it to a fixed point on the celestial sphere; for example, Chitra is anchored to Spica.
Read the full story →7. According to the Shastra Vriksha, which is the oldest of the four Vedas, organised into 10 Mandalas?
- • Yajurveda
- • Samaveda
- ✓ Rigveda
- • Atharvaveda
Answer: The Rigveda is the oldest Veda, with 1,028 suktas and 10,552 mantras organised into 10 Mandalas, primarily composed of hymns of praise.
Read the full story →8. Each Veda internally contains four layers. Which is the innermost, philosophical layer also collectively called Vedanta?
- • Samhita
- • Brahmana
- • Aranyaka
- ✓ Upanishad
Answer: The Upanishads form the innermost, philosophical layer of each Veda, after the Samhita, Brahmana, and Aranyaka, and their collective name Vedanta means 'end of the Veda.'
Read the full story →9. Which three texts together form the Prasthana Trayi, the triple foundation of Vedanta philosophy?
- • The four Vedas, the Vedangas, and the Upavedas
- ✓ The Upanishads, the Brahma Sutra, and the Bhagavad Gita
- • The Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Puranas
- • The Nyaya Sutra, the Yoga Sutra, and the Mimamsa Sutra
Answer: The Prasthana Trayi consists of the Upanishads (Shruti Prasthana), the Brahma Sutra (Nyaya Prasthana), and the Bhagavad Gita (Smriti Prasthana).
Read the full story →10. How many principal (Mukhya) Upanishads did Adi Shankaracharya write commentaries on?
- • Eighteen
- • One hundred and eight
- • Four
- ✓ Ten
Answer: Ten Upanishads are considered Mukhya (principal) because Adi Shankaracharya wrote commentaries on them: Isha, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, and Brihadaranyaka.
Read the full story →11. In which text did Brahmagupta, in 628 CE, lay down the first formal arithmetic rules for zero (shunya)?
- • Aryabhatiya
- • Surya Siddhanta
- ✓ Brahmasphutasiddhanta
- • Bakhshali manuscript
Answer: Brahmagupta defined zero as a number and gave formal arithmetic rules for it in his Brahmasphutasiddhanta, written in Ujjain in 628 CE.
Read the full story →12. The word 'Panchang' literally means 'five limbs.' Which of the following is one of those five limbs?
- ✓ Tithi (lunar day)
- • Rashi (zodiac sign)
- • Lagna (ascendant)
- • Gotra (lineage)
Answer: The five limbs of the Panchang are Tithi, Vara, Nakshatra, Yoga, and Karana; Tithi tracks the Moon's angular distance from the Sun.
Read the full story →13. In the Panchang, what is a 'Karana'?
- • A full lunar month
- • The Moon's position among the stars
- ✓ Half of a tithi
- • A solar weekday
Answer: A karana is half a tithi, beginning when the Moon moves six degrees ahead of the Sun, so each tithi contains exactly two karanas.
Read the full story →14. According to Hindu yuga cosmology, the durations of the four yugas follow which ratio?
- • 1:1:1:1
- ✓ 4:3:2:1
- • 1:2:4:8
- • 10:8:6:4
Answer: The four yugas (Satya, Treta, Dvapara, Kali) follow a 4:3:2:1 ratio, the same ratio as the four throws of the ancient dice game from which their names derive.
Read the full story →15. In the Katha Upanishad, the young seeker Nachiketa learns the truth about the eternal Atman from which teacher?
- ✓ Yama, the lord of death
- • His father Vajashravasa
- • Sage Yajnavalkya
- • Indra, the king of gods
Answer: In the Katha Upanishad (Krishna Yajurveda), Nachiketa waits three days at the door of Yama, the lord of death, and wins the teaching on the eternal Atman as his third boon.
Read the full story →16. Panini's Ashtadhyayi, the great work of Vyakarana, begins with fourteen sound-groups traditionally said to have emerged from Shiva's drum. What are they called?
- ✓ The Maheshvara (Shiva) Sutras
- • The Brahma Sutras
- • The Pratishakhyas
- • The Nirukta padas
Answer: The fourteen Maheshvara Sutras (Shiva Sutras), said to have emerged from the beats of Shiva's damaru, are prefixed to the Ashtadhyayi and organise Sanskrit's phonemes into pratyahara-capable groups.
Read the full story →