Lord Buddha's image is sometimes shown with the hand gesture called 'Bhumisparsha Mudra'. It symbolizes

The correct answer is B. The Bhumisparsha mudra, the right hand touching the earth with the left resting in the lap, commemorates the moment of enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. Mara challenged Buddha's right to enlightenment, and Buddha touched the earth to call it as witness to his merit, purity and the perfections (paramitas) he had accumulated over many lives. In the traditional account, the earth goddess responded by wringing water from her hair and flooding Mara's army.

Why the others are wrong:

• A reframes the gesture as guarding the meditation against Mara's disturbance. That is not the canonical story. The earth bears witness to Buddha's merit; it does not stand guard over his meditation.
• C describes the theme of impermanence (anicca), which belongs to other teachings and is not what this mudra signifies.
• D fails because A is not an accurate description.

Core concept: iconography of Buddhist mudras, which is a standard GS-I art and culture topic. Identify the gesture, then the narrative behind it. Sarnath and Gupta-period sculptures show these mudras clearly, and the same skill helps in Mains answers on Buddhist art.

Trap: aspirants pick D because A sounds plausible. Check whether the wording matches the canonical story and avoid confusing this mudra with Dharmachakra or Abhaya.