Indian Mythology Quiz

1. THE THIRSTY CROW
Indian Mythology Quiz (17 August 2014)

2. PRELIMS
• 20 Questions
• * questions will be used to resolve ties
• Each question carries 1 mark

3. #1 A *
B *
C
D
E F
G
H
I
J *

4. ‘Whenever there is a decay of righteousness and a rise of unrighteousness,
I shall manifest myself !
For the protection of the good,
For the destruction of the wicked and the establishment of righteousness,
I am born in every age !
How is this verse popularly known in Indian mythology ?
#2

5. Actor Goga Kapoor played what famous role in the 1988 TV series Mahabharata ?
#3

6. Only temple in India dedicated to whom ? He is generally viewed in a negative
manner in Indian culture
It is located in Pavithreswaram, Kollam District, Kerala
#4*

7. It is said that Indra once killed a demon, despite him not causing any harm to
anyone. So he was cursed for this sin which was thought unredeemable. He was
freed from being a wanderer by the power of a Shivalingam in a forest, which was
later developed into a temple by a Pandyan King.
This Pandyan King was childless and so Shiva gave him darshan and granted him
boons. So was born an Ayojina girl (not from the womb), who had eyes shaped like
that of a fish.
Who are we talking about ?
#5

8. Raja Ravi Varma’s Paintings

9. #6

10. #7

11. #8*

12. #9

13. #10*

14. ANSWER TIME !
Exchange Sheets !!

15. #1 Bharata *
Shantanu *
Bhishma
Kunti
Krishna Draupadi
Pandu
Pandavas
Parikshita
Vidur *

16. ‘Whenever there is a decay of righteousness and a rise of unrighteousness,
I shall manifest myself !
For the protection of the good,
For the destruction of the wicked and the establishment of righteousness,
I am born in every age !
How is this verse popularly known in Indian mythology ?
#2
Yada Yada hi Dharmasya….

17. Actor Goga Kapoor played which famous character in the 1988 TV series
Mahabharata ?
#3
Kansa

18. Only temple in India dedicated to whom ? He is generally viewed in a negative
manner in Indian culture
It is located in Pavithreswaram, Kollam District, Kerala
#4* Shakuni

19. It is said that Indra once killed a demon, even if he had not caused any harm to
anyone. So he was cursed for this sin which was thought unredeemable. He was
freed from being a wanderer by the power of a Shivalingam in a forest, which was
later developed into a temple by a Pandyan King.
This Pandyan King was childless and so Shiva gave him darshan and granted him
boons. So was born an Ayojina girl (not from the womb), who had eyes shaped like
that of a fish.
Who are we talking about ?
#5
Meenakshi (Meena + Akshi)

20. Raja Ravi Varma’s Paintings

21. #6
Ravana cutting off Jatayu’s wings

22. #7
Kartikeya/Murugan

23. #8*
Damayanti

24. #9
Shakuntala from
Abhijnanashakuntalam

25. #10*
Shantanu wooing Satyavati

26. GROUND RULES
• This quiz is worth 20 points in THE THIRSTY CROW
• Round instructions as we go along
• No talking !
• No stalking !
• No nosepicking either !
• Quizmaster is GOD, obviously !

27. INFINITE BOUNCE (CLOCKWISE)
• 10 Questions
• +10 for direct question
• +5 on the pass
• No negatives

28. The 9th Mandala of the Rigveda was called the ___ Mandala. It contains hymns
addressed to ‘___ pavamana’. ___ was kept and distributed by the Gandharvas.
Sharyanavat was possibly the name of the pond or lake on the banks of which ___
could be found. It is described as ‘green tinted’ and ‘bright shining’ by the
composers of the Rig Veda.
Much of the details regarding have been forgotten leading to widespread
speculation about the effects of ___ on the human body.
Fill in the Blanks
#1

29. SOMA

30. #2
According to the Shiva Mahapurana, once Brahma and Vishnu had an argument over
supremacy of creation. So, Shiva pierced the three worlds as a huge endless pillar of
light, the _______. Vishnu and Brahma travelled in opposite directions to each end
of the pillar to find where the light ends.
Brahma lied that he had found the end, which made Vishnu concede defeat. Shiva
appeared as a second pillar of light, cursing Brahma that he would never be
worshipped in religious ceremonies and Vishnu would be worshipped till the end of
eternity.
Story behind what ??? OR FITB.

31. JYOTIRLINGA
The places where Shiva appeared as the pillar of light are the spots of the famous Shiva temples
considered the most holy.

32. #3
Gist of whose conversation with whom ??
Such pure devotion is expressed in 9 ways. The ways are Bhajan, Kirtan, Japa,
Satsang and so on. Total surrender in my faith is considered the highest form of
Bhakti for me. Anyone who practises these 9 methods makes me very happy and
reaches me without fail. That which is so difficult for saints to attain has been
attained by you so easily, _____. This is because of your sincere devotion.
FITB

33. SHABARI

34. __ ______ is the symbol that represents the One Supreme Reality and is a central
tenet of Sikh religious philosophy. It is the first phrase in the Mul Mantar, referring to
the existence of ‘one consonant’ and is consequently a part of the Sikh morning
prayer, Japji Sahib.
FITB
#4

35. IK ONKAR

36. Contrary to popular perception, Dhritarashtra had 103 children. The 102nd and 103rd (X & Y)
were from a Vaishya woman, in fear that Gandhari’s pregnancy may not yield a favourable
result.
These sons were the righteous ones among the Kaurava brothers. While X acted as an
informant for the Pandavas during the war due to his support for dharma at all costs, Y
chose not to leave his brothers because of his unflinching loyalty to them inspite of his
devotion to dharma.
This pair has a parallel in Ramayana in the form of Vibhishana and Kumbhakarna.
When the Pandavas retired to the Himalayas, they left the kingdom in the charge of X.
X and Y ???
#5

37. X= Yuyutsu, Y= Vikarna

38. In response to intense prayers of King Purushottam Dev, X and Y left their temple
and rode out to Kanchi in a white horse and black horse respectively. On the way
they grew thirsty and happened to meet a milkmaid who gave them butter milk. As
payment, the milkmaid was not given money but a ring telling her to claim dues
from King Purushottam Dev who would cross in some time on his way to Kanchi.
When the king passed by, indeed; the milkmaid produced the ring and claimed her
dues saying there were two men on a white horse and a black horse who asked her
to do so. The king instantly knew who they were. With this confidence, he
successfully conquered Kanchi.
This story is so powerful that a mere mention of white horse-black horse brings to
memory the images of X and Y.
X and Y please ??
#6

39. X= Jagannath, Y= Balabhadra

40. She has been described by the author of the epic as generally very ugly:
1. Pot bellied
2. Cross-eyed
3. Thinning, brown hair
4. A grating voice that is very harsh on the ears
5. A heart full of wickedness
It is generally believed that she continued to live in the city of her birth along with
the future king, her brother.
Who is being talked about ? AND Which Indian city gets its name from a pivotal
incident associated with her ?
#7

41. Surpanakha, Nashik

42. According to Vana Parva in the Mahabharata, ______ was so absorbed in practising
austerities that white ants started building their nests around his body and through
his hair, leaving only his eyes.
Sukanya, daughter of King Sharyati on a trip to the forest poked curiously through
two eyes in an ant hill which caused ______ to burst out in fury. His anger was
quelled only when the King offered Sukanya in marriage to him.
The Ashvini Kumars arrived at their cottage and requested Sukanya to marry one of
them. However Sukanya requested them to give _____ his youth back so that she
could make an unbiased choice. They agreed to do so and made two products which
restored ______’s youth. Sukanya subsequently identified her husband and
(re)married him. His ashram was on Dhosi Hill, an extinct volcano in modern day
Mahendragarh, Haryana.
What were the two products ?
#8

43. Chyawanprash & Kayakalp

44. Vedic mythology refers to this place as an ancient settlement conquered by King
Bharata in the epic Ramayana. Bharata was also called Pushkal and so the name of
the settlement became Pushkalavati. However, research has proven this claim as
debatable and hence suggests an alternative name of this town, ‘Purushapura’, or
the ‘City of Men’.
Which modern day city is this ?
#9

45. Peshawar

46. What is missing from this list and what are they collectively called ?
___________
Manimekalai
Chivaka Chintamani
Valayapathi
Kuntalakeci
#10

47. Silappathikaaram, The Five great epics of Tamil Literature

48. INFINITE BOUNCE (ANTICLOCKWISE)
• 10 Questions
• +10 for direct question
• +5 on the pass
• No negatives

49. What is this table about ?
#1
Shishya (Lineage) Mahavakya Veda Sampradaya
Padmapada Prajnanam Brahma Rig Veda Bhogavala
Sureswara Aham Brahmasmi Yadur Veda Bhurivala
Hastamalakacharya Tattvamasi Sama Veda Kitavala
Totakacharya Ayamatma Brahma Atharva Veda Nandavala

50. Details of The Char Dhams when formed by Adi Shankaracharya

51. #2
What is being depicted
here and why is this so
important in Indian
mythology ?

52. This is painting of the Sarpamedha Yajna, where Rishi Vaishampayana
recited the Mahabharata to King Janamejaya, when he asked about the
story of his ancestors

53. In Hindu mythology, Apasmara was a dwarf who represented ignorance and
epilepsy. Where have we seen and ‘ignored’ Apasmara ?
#3

55. He is worshipped as Khatushyamji
in Rajasthan. Because he was
widely believed to have been
sacrificed before the Mahbharata
war, his head watched the battle
from the top of an adjoining hill.
Due to his sacrifice, he was
deified by Krishna himself.
Who are we talking about ?
#4

56. Barbarika

57. Giri-Vara-Vindhya-Shiro-adhi-Nivaasini Vissnnu-Vilaasini Jissnnu-Nute
Bhagavati He Shiti-Kannttha-Kuttumbini Bhuri-Kuttumbini Bhuri-Krte
Jaya Jaya He Mahissaasura-Mardini Ramya-Kapardini Shaila-Sute
Suravara-Varssinni Durdhara-Dharssinni Durmukha-Marssinni Harssa-Rate
Tribhuvana-Possinni Shangkara-Tossinni Kilbissa-Mossinni Ghossa-Rate
Danuja-Nirossinni Diti-Suta-Rossinni Durmada-Shossinni Sindhu-Sute
Jaya Jaya He Mahissaasura-Mardini Ramya-Kapardini Shaila-Sute
Excerpt of which famous hymn ?
#5

58. Aigiri Nandini

59. The personal God in Hinduism is worshipped in a five-step process:
1. Dhupa
2. Dipa
3. Naivedya
4. Akshata
5. Pushpa
Sanskritic verses used to describe this process have been taken from the 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 ?
#6

61. X is the most irresistible and destructive weapon of Kali and Shiva, discharged by the
mind, the eyes and the bow. It destroys the target completely and holds the power
of annihilating human creations and vanquishing all beings.
It was used by Arjuna to kill Jayadratha and by Lakshmana to kill Meghnada.
What ?
#7

62. Pashupatastra

63. According to a story in the Ramcharitamanas, X was growing continually in size due
to Narada. To temper the vanity of X, Sage Agastya travelled with his family to the
South of India. X bowed in reverence for the great sage upon which Agastya half-
heartedly asked if it could stay like that till he came from his trip to the south. X
agreed and has stayed that way till day because, as we all know, Sage Agastya never
returned from the South.
X ??
#8

64. Vindhya Mountains

65. Shu Hikosaka, a Japanese scholar studies Buddhist scriptures thoroughly and also
performed a field survey that the ancient mountain Potalaka, the residence of
Avalokiteshwara described in the Gandhavyuha sutra and Hieun Tsang’s records is
the real mountain X.
The mountain is situated in Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu and is also the purported
site for the divine establishment of the Tamil culture by Sage Agastya.
Which mountain/hill are we talking about ?
#9

66. Pothigai Hills

67. Indra was once driven out of Devaloka by an asura named Vritra. The asura was the
recipient of a boon that any weapon made before he a got that boon or made from
metal/wood would do him no harm.
Indra thus approached Vishnu with this problem. Vishnu suggested that only the
weapon made from the bones of Sage Dadhichi could help him win against Vritra.
Thus, Indra and Brahma approached Dadhichi who gladly accepted he requested
and gave his own life for the good of the world.
The Gods then fashioned the _____ from his vertebral bones.
FITB and how is this weapon/design still commemorated in India ?
#10

68. Vajra, It forms the motif of the Param Vir Chakra

69. CONNECT 1
• 5 Questions
• No points for individual answers
• +50/-25, +40/-20, +30/-15, +20/-5,
+10 for the theme
• Think laterally to arrive at the
connect

75. CONNECT ??
Disguises adopted by the Pandava Brothers during their
Agyatavasa (Incognito 14th year) in Virata

76. CONNECT 2
• 7 Questions
• +10 points for individual answers
• +70/-35, +60/-30, +50/-25, +40/-20,
+30/-15, +20/-10, +10 for the theme

84. ANSWERS

85. Parashurama

86. Veda Vyasa

87. Kripacharya

88. Ashwatthama

89. Bali

90. Vibhishana

91. Dara Singh
(Hanuman)

92. CONNECT ??
The seven Chiranjivis- Mythological characters
believed to be immortal and alive even today

93. THANK YOU !!