Consider the following statements : 1. There are no parables in Upanishads. 2. Upanishads were composed earlier than the Puranas. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only ✓ UPSC's answer
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Why the answer is (b)

• Statement 1 is wrong: the Upanishads teach through parables and dialogues — Satyakama Jabala, Nachiketa and Yama in the Katha Upanishad, Uddalaka's lesson to Shvetaketu with the banyan seed and salt in water in the Chhandogya Upanishad.

• Statement 2 is correct: the principal Upanishads belong to the late Vedic period (c. 800–500 BCE), whereas the Puranas were compiled mainly between the 3rd and 10th centuries CE, in the Gupta and post-Gupta periods.

• The Upanishads form the Vedanta, the closing part of Vedic literature; the Puranas are later Smriti texts.

• Hence 2 only, option (b).

Why the other options are wrong

(a) 1 only: Statement 1 is wrong: the Upanishads contain many parables.
(c) Both 1 and 2: Statement 1 is wrong, so both cannot be correct.
(d) Neither 1 nor 2: Statement 2 is correct: the Upanishads predate the Puranas.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2024, held on 16 June 2024. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.