Nagarjuna is known as ‘Einstein of India’ because _____ .

Answers: Nagarjuna is one of the most well-known Buddhist philosophers and, after Lord Buddha, was regarded as the greatest Buddhist philosopher.

According to Buddhist tradition, Nagarjuna founded the Madhyamika school.  The Madhyamaka School is one of the most important institutions for preaching and teaching Mahayana Buddhism to Buddhist monks and disciples.

Complete Answer:

Nagarjuna is known as the ‘Einstein of India’ because, like Albert Einstein, he had a rare and deep insight into the nature of the universe. He was a great philosopher who lived in ancient India and founded the Madhyamika school of Mahayana Buddhism. His famous theory of Shunyavada (the philosophy of emptiness) explained that nothing has a permanent or independent existence.

Let’s see the options and see which one is correct.

Option A: Like Einstein, he had a rare insight into the nature of the universe. Nagarjuna was a renowned philosopher with a unique insight into the nature of life, not the universe, hence, this option is incorrect.

Option B: He was one of the greatest physicists of all time. Nagarjuna was a great philosopher, not a physicist, hence, this option is incorrect.

Option C: He propounded the theory of Shunyavada, similar to Einstein’s theory of Relativity. Nagarjuna proposed a concept of Shunyavada, which is related to Einstein’s theory of relativity, hence, this option is true.

Option D: He was a great dialectician. Nagarjuna was a famous philosopher, not a dialectician, hence, this option is incorrect.

Hence, the appropriate option to Nagarjuna is known as Einstein of India because is (Option C).

According to popular stories about Nagarjuna’s life, he had special meditative powers (called siddhi). Using these powers, he went deep into the earth to the home of the Nāga king (a mythical serpent being). The Nāga king was given some important Buddhist texts called the Prajñā Pāramitā Sutras by the Buddha to keep safe. When the Nāga king saw Nagarjuna, he realised that Nagarjuna was the person the Buddha had predicted would explain these teachings clearly to the world. So, he gave Nagarjuna the texts to take back to the surface.

The first part of his name, “Nāga,” comes from this story and shows his connection with the Nāgas and these special teachings. The second part, “arjuna,” means bright or shining. In pictures and statues, Nagarjuna is often shown with snakes over his head, which also links to this story.

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