Question map
With reference to the scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, consider the following statements : 1. Panini is associated with Pushyamitra Shunga. 2. Amarasimha is associated with Harshavardhana. 3. Kalidasa is associated with Chandra Gupta - II. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 3 because only the third statement is chronologically and historically accurate.
- Statement 1 is incorrect: Panini, the celebrated Sanskrit grammarian who authored the Ashtadhyayi, is generally dated between the 6th and 4th century BCE. Pushyamitra Shunga, however, ruled much later in the 2nd century BCE. It was Patanjali, the author of Mahabhasya, who was contemporary to Pushyamitra Shunga.
- Statement 2 is incorrect: Amarasimha, the author of the Sanskrit lexicon Amarakosha, was one of the "Nine Gems" (Navaratnas) in the court of Chandra Gupta II (Gupta Dynasty). Harshavardhana (Vardhana Dynasty) ruled in the 7th century CE and was associated with scholars like Banabhatta.
- Statement 3 is correct: Kalidasa, the legendary poet and playwright (author of Shakuntala and Meghaduta), is traditionally and historically recognized as the most prominent of the "Nine Gems" in the court of Chandra Gupta II (Vikramaditya).
Therefore, since only statement 3 is valid, Option 3 is the right choice.
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a classic 'Timeline Mismatch' trap. The examiner took famous figures and paired them with rulers from completely different centuries. If you had memorized the standard 'Navaratnas' list of the Gupta period and the basic chronology of Sanskrit grammar (Panini → Patanjali), this was a free hit.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: For scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, which ruler, dynasty, or royal court was the grammarian Panini associated with?
- Statement 2: For scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, which ruler, dynasty, or royal court was the lexicographer Amarasimha (author of the Amarakosha) associated with?
- Statement 3: For scholars/litterateurs of ancient India, which ruler, dynasty, or royal court was the poet Kalidasa associated with?
- Explicitly places Pāṇini around the 5th century BCE and states this was during the time of the Nandas.
- Names Pāṇini as the author of the Aṣṭādhyāyī, tying his activity to that historical period.
- Gives Panini's date (c. 500 BCE), providing chronological support for association with the Nanda era.
- Links later grammarians (Katyayana) as contemporaries of the Nandas, reinforcing the temporal-cultural milieu.
- Explicitly places Amarasimha among the 'nine jewels' (navaratnas) of Vikramaditya's royal court.
- Groups Amarasimha with other eminent Gupta-period scholars (e.g., Kalidasa, Harisena), tying him to that courtly milieu.
- States that the Amarakosha, a Sanskrit thesaurus, was compiled by Amarasimha during the Gupta period.
- Connects Amarasimha's lexicographical work to the broader Gupta-era development of Sanskrit grammar and literature.
- Explicitly names Kalidasa as one of the nine jewels (navaratnas) of Vikramaditya's court.
- Links the title Vikramaditya with the Gupta imperial context, connecting Kalidasa to the Gupta royal court.
- States it is widely believed that Kalidasa adorned the court of a Gupta ruler (Samudragupta) as one of the navaratnas.
- Lists Kalidasa's major works, reinforcing his identification as a prominent court poet of the classical (Gupta) age.
- Identifies Chandragupta II with the royal epithet Vikramāditya, clarifying which Gupta ruler is meant by 'Vikramaditya'.
- Strengthens the link between Kalidasa and the Gupta imperial court when combined with references to Vikramaditya's navaratnas.
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Directly solvable from TN Class XI History (Ch 4 & 7) or RS Sharma. If you missed this, your Ancient History core is weak.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Patronage & Court Literature. The recurring theme is 'Who adorned whose court?' and the chronological evolution of Sanskrit literature.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize these specific Patron-Scholar pairs: (1) Pushyamitra Shunga → Patanjali (Mahabhasya); (2) Kanishka → Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Charaka; (3) Harsha → Banabhatta (Harshacharita), Mayura; (4) Pulakeshin II → Ravikirti; (5) Yashovarman → Bhavabhuti; (6) Lakshmanasena → Jayadeva.
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Do not read names in isolation. Always tag a scholar with their 'Century' and 'Patron'. Panini (5th C. BCE) cannot be with Shunga (2nd C. BCE). Amarasimha is a Gupta-era lexicographer (Classical Sanskrit), distinct from the later Harsha era.
Pāṇini lived around the 5th century BCE and his career falls within the era identified with the Nanda dynasty.
High-yield for chronology questions: mastering Panini’s dating links literary history to political history (state formation under the Nandas). Useful for matching cultural developments with dynastic timelines and answering source-based questions on periodisation.
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: The Rise of Empires > DON'T MISS OUT > p. 95
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Emergence of State and Empire > Art and Culture > p. 60
Panini authored the Aṣṭādhyāyī, which became the foundational text for later grammarians and commentators.
Important for questions on intellectual history and continuity: shows how a primary work (Ashtadhyayi) established a grammatical tradition that later scholars (e.g., Katyayana, Patanjali) expanded — links to cultural continuity across dynasties.
- Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: The Rise of Empires > DON'T MISS OUT > p. 95
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Sanskrit Grammar > p. 99
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 4: Emergence of State and Empire > Art and Culture > p. 60
Gupta courts patronized Sanskrit scholars and compiled major works, illustrating dynastic roles in fostering literary activity.
Helps answer questions on patronage and the role of courts in cultural production; connects literary output (grammar, poetry, lexicons) to political centres and enables comparative questions about royal support across periods.
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Fahien's account on Mathura and Pataliputra > p. 93
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Sanskrit Grammar > p. 99
Vikramaditya's court included nine eminent scholars (navaratnas), and Amarasimha is listed among them.
High-yield for culture and history questions: explains how royal courts institutionalized literary patronage and lets candidates attribute specific scholars to particular rulers/dynasties. Connects cultural institutional history with identification of major literary figures and their patrons.
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Fahien's account on Mathura and Pataliputra > p. 93
Amarakosha is recorded as compiled by Amarasimha during the Gupta period.
Essential for answering questions on Sanskrit literature, lexicography and periodization; helps assign major literary works to historical contexts and supports comparative questions about intellectual production across dynasties.
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Sanskrit Grammar > p. 99
The Gupta era fostered developments in Sanskrit grammar and produced lexicographical works such as the Amarakosha.
Useful for essays and source-based questions linking political stability to cultural florescence; aids in framing arguments about the Gupta 'golden age' in literature and linguistics and connects to studies of Panini, Patanjali, and later lexicographers.
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Sanskrit Grammar > p. 99
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Fahien's account on Mathura and Pataliputra > p. 93
Kalidasa is named as one of the navaratnas associated with a Gupta ruler's court, illustrating the concept of a royal 'nine jewels' group of eminent scholars.
High-yield for understanding patterns of royal patronage and cultural prestige in ancient India; helps answer questions on how courts promoted literature and identified eminent scholars. It connects to topics on court culture, literary history, and identification of patron-poet relationships.
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Fahien's account on Mathura and Pataliputra > p. 93
- History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Secular Literature > p. 99
The 'Sibling Trap' in Statement 1: The scholar actually associated with Pushyamitra Shunga was Patanjali (who wrote the commentary on Panini's work). UPSC swapped the commentator (Patanjali) with the original author (Panini). Expect a future question on Patanjali's 'Mahabhasya' or Bhadrabahu (associated with Chandragupta Maurya).
The 'Timeline Gap' Hack. Panini is the 'Father of Linguistics' (Vedic to Classical transition, ~500 BCE). Pushyamitra Shunga is the 'Destroyer of Mauryas' (~185 BCE). That is a ~300-year gap—impossible. Eliminate Statement 1 immediately. This leaves only Options B and C. Knowing Kalidasa is a Gupta legend (Chandragupta II) confirms Statement 3 is correct.
Mains GS1 (Art & Culture): Use this to discuss 'Royal Patronage as a driver of Standardization'. Just as the Guptas (Vikramaditya) institutionalized Sanskrit via the Navaratnas (Amarasimha's dictionary, Kalidasa's poetry), state patronage is essential for language codification and cultural unification.