Hindu Mythology Quiz

Hindu Mythology Quiz
Does Your Grey Matter?
The quiz consists of 20 questions based on Hindu Mythology.
Researched by: Pritam Panigrahi (President, IEM Quizzard Club)

1. By: Pritam Panigrahi HINDU MYTHOLOGY

2. One and only rule: “Quizmaster is always correct.”

3. Let’s start.

4. In Hinduism, Himvaan is the personification of Himalayas and the father of X & Y. He is therefore the father in law of Shiva and Kartikeya spent much of his childhood with his maternal aunt Y, who is herself a much revered and much spoken about Goddess. She also finds mention during election times. Identify Y. Question No. 1

5. In Hindu mythology, Sanjana was the daughter of Vishwakarma , the architect of Gods and wife of Surya. Due to Surya’s blazing heat , she was unable to look at him or be close to him. On his daughter’s request, Vishwakarma , made Surya lessen his shine, so that she could go closer to him. What does Vishwakarma do with the 1/8 th of Surya’s shine which he reduced? Most of us would have seen it at least once. Question No. 2

6. During Satyuga , Ahalya was cursed by Gautam Rishi and turned into stone. When Ahalya told she was fooled by Indra’s deception and asked him to get her rid from the punishment of stone statue, he assured her that during Tretayug , Lord Rama will come and touch her with his feet, she will be back into life. Listening to this, Ahalya said that presently it was Satyuga going on and it will take thousands of years to complete and there after Dwaparyug will come and will take million more years. What did Gautam Rishi do so that Ahalya could get relieved from the curse as soon as possible? Question No. 3

7. Other names for him include: (a) Atanu (one without a body), (b) Ragavrinta (stalk of passion), (c) Kandarpa (inflamer even of a God), (d) Manmatha (churner of hearts), (e) Manasija (he who is born of mind) and (f) Madana (intoxicating). Who is he? Question No. 4

8. After the war when Vibhishana invites Rama to live in Lanka, he says , “ The city is amazing. But even though it is full of gold and heavenly I prefer to go to my motherland which is much better .” The origins of which verse can be attributed to the above event and is also the national motto of Nepal ? Question No. 5

9. According to one interpretation of the event, King Subala of the Gandhar Kingdom was imprisoned by his own son-in-law . He died in prison with his sons, all but one. He instructed him (the surviving son) to cause the downfall of the entire clan of his son-in-law by creating something from his thighs. Who was the surviving son and what did he create from his father’s thigh bones? Question No. 6

10. The personal God in Hinduism is worshipped in a five-step process: (a) Dhupa (b) Deep (c) Naivedya (d) Akshatra (e) Pushp Sanskrit verses used to describe this process have been taken from Taittriya Upanishad. This verse is so useful and sacrosanct that it became part of the Hindu ‘code of conduct’ . What part of this verse are we talking about? Question No. 7

11. X was the youngest son of Sage Vishrava , who was the son of Sage Pulastya , one of the Heavenly Guardians. X plays a small part in Mahabharata. Yudhisthira crowned himself as the Emperor of Indraprastha and began preparations for a Rajasuya sacrifice. He dispatched his brother, Sahadeva to the southern kingdoms to subjugate the rulers to his authority and supremacy. Sahadeva’s men reached the tip of the mainland , wherein Sahadeva stopped and sent his messengers to X’s kingdom. X gratefully accepted Yudhisthira’s authority and regarded it as “an act of time ”. He also sent diverse kinds of jewels, gems, pearls, celestial ornaments and costly apparel to Sahadeva and Yudhisthira . Identify X. Question No. 8

12. In one interpretation, they symbolize the 6 shastras and 4 vedas , making him a great scholar . However, one negative interpretation states that they represent these 10 traits namely: “ Ahamkara , Moha , Krodha , Anyaya , Amanavta , Irshya , Lobha , Kama, Swartha , Mada .” Symbolic significance of what? Question No. 9

13. According to some sources, one day Sita left Luv in the custody of Sage Valmiki and went into the forest to collect firewood. But when the Sage left for his daily prayers, Luv wandered into the forest and followed his mother. Upon returning, Sage Valmiki , on not finding the child , became tensed. He searched for Luv everywhere but was unable to find him. What happened next? Question No. 10

14. After the battle of Kurukshetra , Yudhisthira performed the funeral rites for all loved ones. Karna had no sons to perform his final rites as all of them had been killed. Kunti could not bear his injustice and revealed the secret that Karna was her son. Yudhisthira got deeply hurt that Kunti didn’t reveal to him earlier that Karna was his brother. The depressed prince, in turn did something. What did he do ? Question No. 11

15. The East India Company took control of this place in 1809 and banned entry of sub-castes like Pirali , Chamar , Dom. At some point, even Sant Kabir , Guru Nanak and Lord Curzon were refused entry. When Lord Mountbatten visited the place with his Executive Council Member Dr. B.R. Ambedkar , he was given a grand welcome. However, Ambedkar was not allowed inside. Which place is this? Question No. 12

16. From the Bhagvata Purana , the Vishnu Purana and the Mahabharata, it is learnt that the Samudra Manthan yielded X as one of the valuables. Lord Indra brought it to heaven . Lord Krishna is believed to have stolen X from Indra’s paradise for his wife Satyabhama to Dwarka . Identify X. Question No. 13

17. Sage Kashyapa’s two wives Vinata and Kadru gave birth to two and thousand children respectively, which include X, Aruna and thousand Nagas . X is a legendary creature depicted as Dharma-Protector in Hinduism, Astasena in Buddhism and the Yaksha of the Jain Tirthankara Shantinatha . You can find X in the national emblems of Indonesia & Thailand . Identify X. Question No. 14

18. Which mythological event is being shown here: Question No. 15

19. Netaji is considered by some people to be a God known as “ The Last Hope ” whose vehicle is a white horse . Identify him by the picture shown at left: Question No. 16

20. Which organization's tagline is: Vidyayamritam Asnute (Be immortal through knowledge) The logo of the organization is given as a hint: Question No. 17

21. The Great Indian Novel is a satirical novel by Shashi Tharoor . This work is based on Mahabharata. Here Nehru plays Dhritarashtra , Bose as Pandu , Kamla Nehru as Gandhari , Indira Gandhi as Duryodhona and Mahatma Gandhi as Bhishma . What is Draupadi ? Question No. 18

22. ‘Bed of Arrows’ is a pose where the entire body is rested on wooden blocks which enables to create a feeling of lightness and supports the heart, making it a pose of choice for cardiac patients. This asana is named in honor of one of the most cherished and respected mythological figures, whose fate is reflected in the asana . Identify the character or the asana. Question No. 19

23. Indra was once driven out of Devalok by an asura named Vrittasur . He had a boon that he cannot be killed by any weapon made of metal or wood. The Gods then fashioned _____ from the vertibral bones of Sage Dadhichi to kill Vrittasur . How is this weapon/design still commemorated in India? Question No. 20

24. Exchange the answer sheets.

25. In Hinduism, Himvaan is the personification of Himalayas and the father of X & Y. He is therefore the father in law of Shiva and Kartikeya spent much of his childhood with his maternal aunt Y, who is herself a much revered and much spoken about Goddess. She also finds mention during election times. Identify Y. Question No. 1

26. Ganga.

27. In Hindu mythology, Sanjana was the daughter of Vishwakarma , the architect of Gods and wife of Surya. Due to Surya’s blazing heat , she was unable to look at him or be close to him. On his daughter’s request, Vishwakarma , made Surya lessen his shine, so that she could go closer to him. What does Vishwakarma do with the 1/8 th of Surya’s shine which he reduced? Most of us would have seen it at least once. Question No. 2

28. He made the Sudarshan Chakra.

29. During Satyuga , Ahalya was cursed by Gautam Rishi and turned into stone. When Ahalya told she was fooled by Indra’s deception and asked him to get her rid from the punishment of stone statue, he assured her that during Tretayug , Lord Rama will come and touch her with his feet, she will be back into life. Listening to this, Ahalya said that presently it was Satyuga going on and it will take thousands of years to complete and there after Dwaparyug will come and will take million more years. What did Gautam Rishi do so that Ahalya could get relieved from the curse as soon as possible? Question No. 3

30. With his power, he rotated the time span such that Tretayuga came before Dwaparyuga . Although in Sanskrit, Dwapar means Second and Treta means Third.

31. Other names for him include: (a) Atanu (one without a body), (b) Ragavrinta (stalk of passion), (c) Kandarpa (inflamer even of a God), (d) Manmatha (churner of hearts), (e) Manasija (he who is born of mind) and (f) Madana (intoxicating). Who is he? Question No. 4

32. Kamadeva . Lord Shiva destroyed his body.

33. After the war when Vibhishana invites Rama to live in Lanka, he says , “ The city is amazing. But even though it is full of gold and heavenly I prefer to go to my motherland which is much better .” The origins of which verse can be attributed to the above event and is also the national motto of Nepal ? Question No. 5

34. According to one interpretation of the event, King Subala of the Gandhar Kingdom was imprisoned by his own son-in-law . He died in prison with his sons, all but one. He instructed him (the surviving son) to cause the downfall of the entire clan of his son-in-law by creating something from his thighs. Who was the surviving son and what did he create from his father’s thigh bones? Question No. 6

35. Shakuni and the pair of dice.

36. The personal God in Hinduism is worshipped in a five-step process: (a) Dhupa (b) Deep (c) Naivedya (d) Akshatra (e) Pushp Sanskrit verses used to describe this process have been taken from Taittriya Upanishad. This verse is so useful and sacrosanct that it became part of the Hindu ‘code of conduct’ . What part of this verse are we talking about? Question No. 7

37. Atithi Devo Bhava .

38. X was the youngest son of Sage Vishrava , who was the son of Sage Pulastya , one of the Heavenly Guardians. X plays a small part in Mahabharata. Yudhisthira crowned himself as the Emperor of Indraprastha and began preparations for a Rajasuya sacrifice. He dispatched his brother, Sahadeva to the southern kingdoms to subjugate the rulers to his authority and supremacy. Sahadeva’s men reached the tip of the mainland , wherein Sahadeva stopped and sent his messengers to X’s kingdom. X gratefully accepted Yudhisthira’s authority and regarded it as “an act of time ”. He also sent diverse kinds of jewels, gems, pearls, celestial ornaments and costly apparel to Sahadeva and Yudhisthira . Identify X. Question No. 8

39. Vibhishana .

40. In one interpretation, they symbolize the 6 shastras and 4 vedas , making him a great scholar . However, one negative interpretation states that they represent these 10 traits namely: “ Ahamkara , Moha , Krodha , Anyaya , Amanavta , Irshya , Lobha , Kama, Swartha , Mada .” Symbolic significance of what? Question No. 9

41. 1 0 heads of Ravana .

42. According to some sources, one day Sita left Luv in the custody of Sage Valmiki and went into the forest to collect firewood. But when the Sage left for his daily prayers, Luv wandered into the forest and followed his mother. Upon returning, Sage Valmiki , on not finding the child , became tensed. He searched for Luv everywhere but was unable to find him. What happened next? Question No. 10

43. He created Kush.

44. After the battle of Kurukshetra , Yudhisthira performed the funeral rites for all loved ones. Karna had no sons to perform his final rites as all of them had been killed. Kunti could not bear his injustice and revealed the secret that Karna was her son. Yudhisthira got deeply hurt that Kunti didn’t reveal to him earlier that Karna was his brother. The depressed prince, in turn did something. What did he do ? Question No. 11

45. He cursed all womanhood that no woman shall succeed in keeping a secret in the near future.

46. The East India Company took control of this place in 1809 and banned entry of sub-castes like Pirali , Chamar , Dom. At some point, even Sant Kabir , Guru Nanak and Lord Curzon were refused entry. When Lord Mountbatten visited the place with his Executive Council Member Dr. B.R. Ambedkar , he was given a grand welcome. However, Ambedkar was not allowed inside. Which place is this? Question No. 12

47. Jagannath Puri .

48. From the Bhagvata Purana , the Vishnu Purana and the Mahabharata, it is learnt that the Samudra Manthan yielded X as one of the valuables. Lord Indra brought it to heaven . Lord Krishna is believed to have stolen X from Indra’s paradise for his wife Satyabhama to Dwarka . Identify X. Question No. 13

49. Parijat , the kalpa-taru .

50. Sage Kashyapa’s two wives Vinata and Kadru gave birth to two and thousand children respectively, which include X, Aruna and thousand Nagas . X is a legendary creature depicted as Dharma-Protector in Hinduism, Astasena in Buddhism and the Yaksha of the Jain Tirthankara Shantinatha . You can find X in the national emblems of Indonesia & Thailand . Identify X. Question No. 14

51. Garuda.

52. Which mythological event is being shown here: Question No. 15

53. Draupadi’s Swayamvar .

54. Netaji is considered by some people to be a God known as “ The Last Hope ” whose vehicle is a white horse . Identify him by the picture shown at left: Question No. 16

55. Kalki avatar of Lord Vishnu.

56. Which organization's tagline is: Vidyayamritam Asnute (Be immortal through knowledge) The logo of the organization is given as a hint: Question No. 17

57. BHU.

58. The Great Indian Novel is a satirical novel by Shashi Tharoor . This work is based on Mahabharata. Here Nehru plays Dhritarashtra , Bose as Pandu , Kamla Nehru as Gandhari , Indira Gandhi as Duryodhona and Mahatma Gandhi as Bhishma . What is Draupadi ? Question No. 18

59. Democracy.

60. ‘Bed of Arrows’ is a pose where the entire body is rested on wooden blocks which enables to create a feeling of lightness and supports the heart, making it a pose of choice for cardiac patients. This asana is named in honor of one of the most cherished and respected mythological figures, whose fate is reflected in the asana . Identify the character or the asana. Question No. 19

61. Bhisma & Bhismasana .

62. Indra was once driven out of Devalok by an asura named Vrittasur . He had a boon that he cannot be killed by any weapon made of metal or wood. The Gods then fashioned _____ from the vertibral bones of Sage Dadhichi to kill Vrittasur . How is this weapon/design still commemorated in India? Question No. 20

63. Vajra , it froms the motif of the Param Vir Chakra.

64. Thank You.