Question

The Indica was written by:
A. Kautilya
B. Patanjali
C. Megasthenes
D. Panini

Answer 1

Hint: An ambassador of Greek king Seleucus Nicator, at the Mauryan court in Pataliputra, this scholar and diplomat wrote about society and administration.

Complete answer: The original text has never been recovered but its Latin remnants have been found. What has been helpful to piece it together is deduction from his successors who have excerpts of it in their own work. It has received a mixed reception from others.
Option A. Kautilya, also known as Vishnugupta or Chanakya (375-283 BCE) wrote the Chanakya Niti and Arthashastra, a political and economic treatise. This option is not the answer. He heavily influenced the Maurya empire. Hewas the chief advisor of both Bindusara and his father, Chandragupta.
Option B. Patanjali founded the Yoga school of philosophy. He is also known as Gonardiya. His work has 195 yoga sutras, all written in Sanskrit. The main principle here is, the soul, body and mind are all inseparable. This is an incorrect answer.
The correct answer is option C. He titled the work after the Latin word that literally translates to India. He was one of the first to describe the geography by saying this was a quadrilateral territory.
Option D. Panini is revered as the father of Sanskrit linguistics. His most famous work is called ‘Ashtadhyayi’ which translates to eight chapters in Sanskrit. He has heavily influenced European research perspectives in oriental language studies. This option is wrong.

Thus, Option C is the correct answer.

Note: The most detailed account of our country comes from this ethnographer and historian whose dates and reasons for coming are uncertain but most likely have to do with the treaty with Chandragupta. He also wrote about eastern philosophy.