Question

Given below are two statements : one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A) : The main text of Vaibhāṣika sect is Abhidharmakoṣa. Reason (R) : Vasubandhu is the main preceptor of Vaibhāṣika. In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below :

• A. Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
• B. Both (A) and (R) are correct but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
• C. (A) is correct but (R) is not correct
• D. (A) is not correct but (R) is correct

Hint:

Remember the major Buddhist philosophical schools with their principal texts: 1. Vaibhāṣika -- Abhidharmakoṣa (Vasubandhu) 2. Madhyamaka -- Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Nāgārjuna) 3. Yogācāra -- Viṃśikā and Triṃśikā (Vasubandhu) 4. Buddhist Logic -- Pramāṇasamuccaya (Dignāga) These associations are frequently asked in competitive examinations.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Concept: The Vaibhāṣika school is a major sub-sect of the Sarvāstivāda tradition of early Buddhism. They are named after the Mahāvibhāṣā Śāstra, a massive commentary on the Jñānaprasthāna. The history of this school is deeply connected with the work of Ācārya Vasubandhu (4th--5th Century CE), whose writings systematized the doctrines of the school.

Step 1: Evaluating Assertion (A): The status of the Abhidharmakoṣa.
The Abhidharmakoṣa (Treasury of Abhidharma) is the most systematic and authoritative compendium of the Sarvāstivāda-Vaibhāṣika philosophy ever written. Although the Vaibhāṣikas originally depended upon the Mahāvibhāṣā, that text was extremely vast and difficult for regular study. Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakoṣa condensed the entire Vaibhāṣika doctrinal system into approximately 600 concise verses (Kārikās). For centuries, and even in modern monastic education, the Abhidharmakoṣa has remained the principal textbook for understanding Vaibhāṣika metaphysics, cosmology, psychology, and epistemology. Therefore, Assertion (A) is historically and philosophically correct.

Step 2: Evaluating Reason (R): Vasubandhu's role in the school.
Vasubandhu is regarded as the principal expositor and preceptor (Ācārya) of the Vaibhāṣika system because he mastered the doctrines preserved in Kashmir and presented them in a highly organized form. Before his later transition toward Yogācāra philosophy, he was thoroughly trained in the Sarvāstivāda-Vaibhāṣika tradition. His scholarly brilliance allowed him to summarize the extensive doctrinal material of the Vaibhāṣikas into a single coherent philosophical treatise. Even though his prose commentary (Bhāṣya) occasionally criticizes Vaibhāṣika doctrines from a Sautrāntika viewpoint, the Abhidharmakoṣa still became the standard gateway into Vaibhāṣika thought. Hence, Reason (R) is also correct.

Step 3: Analyzing the relationship between Assertion and Reason.
The question now is whether (R) correctly explains (A). The reason why the Abhidharmakoṣa became the principal text of the Vaibhāṣika sect is precisely because Vasubandhu, the foremost scholar and teacher associated with that doctrinal tradition, composed it with exceptional clarity and authority. Thus, the authority of the text mentioned in (A) directly depends upon the scholarship and doctrinal mastery described in (R). Therefore, (R) is not merely correct independently, but also serves as the proper explanation for (A).

Step 4: Historical Nuance and Conclusion.
Historically, some orthodox Vaibhāṣikas objected to Vasubandhu's critical remarks in the Koṣa-Bhāṣya. Nevertheless, in the broader tradition of Buddhist philosophical studies, the Abhidharmakoṣa is universally regarded as the standard manual of Vaibhāṣika doctrine. Therefore, both statements are correct, and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion. Hence, option (1) is the correct answer.