UPSC Prelims 2023 Q46: Ancient Indian Literary Works and Authors

With reference to ancient Indian History, consider the following pairs:

(Literary work : Author)

1. Devichandragupta : Bilhana

2. Hammira-Mahakavya : Nayachandra Suri

3. Milinda-panha : Nagarjuna

4. Nitivakyamrita : Somadeva Suri

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

  1. Only one
  2. Only two
  3. Only three
  4. All four

Answer: (b) Only two

Statement-wise explanation

  • 1: incorrect — Devichandraguptam is a Sanskrit play by Vishakhadatta, who also wrote Mudrarakshasa. It tells how Chandragupta II rescued queen Dhruvadevi from a Shaka king, killed his elder brother Ramagupta and married her. The play survives only in passages quoted by later writers on drama. Bilhana was an 11th-century Kashmiri poet who wrote the Vikramankadevacharita, a biography of the Western Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI.
  • 2: correct — The Hammira-Mahakavya is a 15th-century Sanskrit epic poem by the Jain monk Nayachandra Suri. Its subject is Hammira Chauhan of Ranthambore, who died defending his fort against Alauddin Khalji in 1301. Historians use it as a source for the Chauhans of Ranthambore.
  • 3: incorrect — The Milinda-panha ('Questions of Milinda') is a Pali dialogue on Buddhist doctrine. In it the Indo-Greek king Menander (Milinda) asks questions and the monk Nagasena answers them. Tradition links the text to Nagasena, and its actual author is unknown. Nagarjuna is a different figure: the Mahayana philosopher of about the 2nd century CE who founded the Madhyamaka school and wrote the Mulamadhyamakakarika.
  • 4: correct — The Nitivakyamrita is a 10th-century Sanskrit treatise on polity and statecraft by the Digambara Jain scholar Somadeva Suri. He also wrote the Yashastilaka (959 CE). He worked in the Deccan, among the feudatories of the Rashtrakutas. Do not confuse him with the Kashmiri Somadeva who wrote the Kathasaritsagara.

How to eliminate

This is a 'how many pairs' question, so ruling out one pair does not settle the answer. You have to judge every pair. Still, two pairs can be rejected from well-known facts. Milinda-panha is the dialogue between Menander and Nagasena, and the name Nagarjuna is a deliberate trap because it sounds like Nagasena. Devichandraguptam is about the Gupta king Chandragupta II, while Bilhana is known as the court poet of the Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI. Once these two pairs are out, the answer can only be 'only one' or 'only two'. To choose between them you need to know the two Jain authors. Nayachandra Suri wrote the Hammira-Mahakavya, and Somadeva Suri wrote the Nitivakyamrita. The 'Suri' title on both names points to Jain monk-authors, and both pairs are in fact correct. Facts to remember: Vishakhadatta wrote Devichandraguptam, and Nagasena is the respondent in Milinda-panha.

Know more

Literary sources for Indian history are often tested as pairs of work and author. Many of these texts are biographies of kings (charita), epic poems (mahakavya) or treatises on polity (niti). They are useful because they are dated and name real rulers.

Work Author Subject / period
Devichandraguptam Vishakhadatta Ramagupta, Dhruvadevi and Chandragupta II (Gupta)
Mudrarakshasa Vishakhadatta Chanakya, Chandragupta Maurya and the fall of the Nandas
Vikramankadevacharita Bilhana Western Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI (11th c.)
Hammira-Mahakavya Nayachandra Suri Hammira Chauhan of Ranthambore (15th c. text)
Milinda-panha Unknown; tradition links it to Nagasena Indo-Greek king Menander and Nagasena
Nitivakyamrita Somadeva Suri (Jain) Polity and statecraft, 10th c.
Kathasaritsagara Somadeva (Kashmiri) Collection of stories, 11th c.
Rajatarangini Kalhana History of Kashmir, 12th c.
Harshacharita Banabhatta Harshavardhana

Traps UPSC uses:

  • Similar names. Nagasena and Nagarjuna are different people. So are Somadeva Suri and the Somadeva of the Kathasaritsagara.
  • One author, two works. Vishakhadatta wrote plays on both the Mauryas and the Guptas.
  • Jain authors in history writing. Many charitas and mahakavyas, along with niti texts, were written by Jain monks with the title Suri, for example Nayachandra, Somadeva and Hemachandra.

Revise these texts by grouping each one with the dynasty it describes.

NCERT Concepts to Revise

  • Menander: Pair 3 depends on knowing who Milinda was and which text records his conversation with a Buddhist monk.
  • Indo-Greeks: The Indo-Greek background places the Milinda-panha in time and region, which helps you judge the author named in pair 3.