Mauryan & Gupta — Set 7

Correct Answer: D. Mahabhasya

• **Patanjali** = wrote **Mahabhasya** — commentary on **Panini's Ashtadhyayi**; belongs to **Sunga period** (~150 BCE). • Mahabhasya = 'Great Commentary'; also discusses **Varttika** (notes by Katyayana) — crucial for Sanskrit linguistic tradition. • Patanjali is also associated with **Yoga Sutras** (a different Patanjali) — the grammarian and the yogi are often confused. • 💡 Vartika = Katyayana's notes; Ashtadhyayi = Panini's grammar (Mahabhasya = commentary on it); Nirukta = Yaska's etymology — Mahabhasya = Patanjali.

Correct Answer: A. Peace and War

• **Sandhivigrahika** = **Minister of Peace and War** (Foreign Minister) in Gupta administration — handled treaties and diplomacy. • **Harisena**, composer of the famous **Prayag Prasasti** (Allahabad Pillar inscription), held this title under Samudragupta. • He also held title **'Mahadandanayaka'** (Commander of Justice) — a powerful dual-role officer. • 💡 Justice = Dharmadhyaksha; Royal Household = Pratihara; Revenue = Samaharta/Sannidhata — Peace and War Minister = Sandhivigrahika.

Correct Answer: A. Topra Pillar

• **Topra Pillar** = Ashokan pillar originally at **Topra, Haryana**; moved to **Delhi by Firoz Shah Tughlaq** (~1356 CE). • It contains **Pillar Edicts I–VI + a 7th edict** — the only pillar with all 7 major pillar edicts in one place. • Firoz Shah also moved **Meerut Pillar** to Delhi — he used 10,000 men and a massive wooden carriage for transport. • 💡 Sanchi Pillar = in-situ (not moved); Lauriya Araraj = Bihar (in-situ); Allahabad Pillar = in-situ at Prayag — Topra Pillar moved to Delhi = Firoz Shah Tughlaq.

Correct Answer: B. Chandragupta II

• **Navratnas (Nine Gems)** = nine distinguished scholars in **Chandragupta II's** court — symbol of Gupta Golden Age. • Nine Gems: **Kalidasa** (poetry), **Varahamihira** (astronomy), **Amara Simha** (lexicography), **Dhanvantari** (medicine), **Vararuchi, Shanku, Vetalbhatta, Ghatakarpara, Kshapanaka**. • The term 'Navratna' is often misattributed to Akbar — but the Gupta version is the **original classical list**. • 💡 Kanishka = patronized Nagarjuna and Asvaghosha; Chandragupta Maurya = Chanakya as minister; Ashoka = Dhamma missionaries — Navratnas = Chandragupta II's court.

Correct Answer: D. Junagadh Inscription

• **Junagadh Inscription** = 3 inscriptions on one rock: **Ashoka** (Prakrit) + **Rudradaman I** (Sanskrit) + **Skandagupta** (Sanskrit). • Records **Sudarshana Lake**: built by **Chandragupta Maurya's governor Pushyagupta**, repaired by **Rudradaman I** (150 CE) and **Skandagupta** (455 CE). • Rudradaman's portion = **first long inscription in chaste Sanskrit** — marks Sanskrit replacing Prakrit in official use. • 💡 Aihole Inscription = Chalukya Pulakesi II; Hathigumpha = Kharavela of Kalinga; Nasik Inscription = Satavahana — Sudarshana Lake repairs = Junagadh.

Correct Answer: C. Deimachus

• **Deimachus** = Greek ambassador sent by **Antiochus I (Syria)** to court of **Bindusara** — successor to Megasthenes. • His writings are **lost** but cited by Strabo and others; probably wrote about Mauryan court and Indian customs. • The sequence: **Megasthenes** → Chandragupta Maurya; **Deimachus** → Bindusara; **Dionysius** → Ashoka (as per Pliny). • 💡 Dionysius = ambassador to Ashoka's court; Antiochus = Syrian king (not ambassador); Megasthenes = ambassador to Chandragupta Maurya — Bindusara's Greek ambassador = Deimachus.

Correct Answer: B. 319-320 CE

• **Gupta Era** = began **319–320 CE**; marks accession of **Chandragupta I** and rise of Guptas as a sovereign power. • Used for dating inscriptions across Gupta empire and even by later dynasties like the Paramaras and Chalukyas. • Gupta Samvat is NOT the same as **Vikram Samvat (57 BCE)** or **Saka Samvat (78 CE)** — three distinct eras. • 💡 58 BCE = Vikram Samvat start; 606 CE = Harsha Samvat start; 78 CE = Saka Samvat start — Gupta Era start = 319–320 CE.

Correct Answer: B. Greek

• **Indica** = written in **Greek** by **Megasthenes**; a comprehensive account of **Mauryan India** (~300 BCE). • Original text is **lost**; survives as fragments quoted by **Arrian, Strabo, Diodorus, and Pliny**. • Describes **Pataliputra city** (9 miles long, 1.5 miles wide), **Indian caste society**, Mauryan army, and **absence of slavery**. • 💡 Latin = Roman language (not used in Mauryan era); Sanskrit = Kautilya's Arthashastra; Pali = Buddhist texts — Megasthenes' Indica = Greek.

Correct Answer: B. Chandragupta II

• **Chandragupta II** = defeated **Western Satraps (Shakas)** of Gujarat/Malwa; ended their ~350-year rule in western India. • Victory gave Guptas control of **Bharuch, Sopara** ports and western trade routes to Rome and Arabia. • After victory, assumed title **'Sakari'** (enemy of Shakas) + **'Vikramaditya'**; issued **silver coins** in Shaka-style for local acceptance. • 💡 Kumaragupta = Mahendraditya (no major Shaka conflict); Skandagupta = fought Hunas; Samudragupta = eastern/southern conquests — Shaka destroyer = Chandragupta II.

Correct Answer: C. Gupta Period

• **Zero + decimal system** = fully formalized during **Gupta Period** by **Aryabhatta** (~499 CE) in his *Aryabhatiya*. • Aryabhatta also calculated **pi = 3.1416**, stated Earth rotates on its axis, and calculated length of year as **365.358 days**. • **Brahmagupta** (628 CE, post-Gupta) formalized rules for **arithmetic operations with zero** — complementing Aryabhatta's work. • 💡 Mauryan = administrative math, not theoretical; Vedic = Sulbasutras (geometry); Mughal = no original math contribution — zero/decimal system = Gupta Period.