With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements: 1. The concept of Bodhisattva is central to Hinayana sect of Buddhism. 2. Bodhisattva is a compassionate one on his way to enlightenment 3. Bodhisattva delays achieving his own salvation to help all sentient beings on their path to it. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct answer is B (2 and 3 only).

• Statement 1 is wrong. The Bodhisattva ideal is central to Mahayana, not Hinayana. Mahayana made the Bodhisattva the model religious figure, someone who postpones final Nirvana to help others. The older school, now called Theravada, stressed the arhat who seeks personal liberation. 'Hinayana' is a term used mainly by Mahayana critics, and it is not a neutral label.
• Statement 2 is correct. A Bodhisattva is a being on the path to Buddhahood, marked by compassion (karuna).
• Statement 3 is correct. The Bodhisattva vow is to delay one's own final liberation until all sentient beings are freed. This is the core of the Mahayana doctrine.

The concept links to the emergence of Mahayana under Kushana patronage, which is useful for the Ancient History section and for Mains questions on the evolution of Buddhism and its social appeal to lay devotees. Idols of Bodhisattvas from Gandhara and Mathura are standard art-history material.

Trap: Aspirants often accept the 'Hinayana' label in statement 1 without checking which school owns the Bodhisattva doctrine. The school that stresses individual arhatship is the one to link with Hinayana.