Multiple choice

Whose contemporary was the great grammarian, Patanjali, of ancient India?

  1. Chandragupta Maurya

  2. Ashoka

  3. Pushyamitra Sunga

  4. Susarman Kanva

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C Correct answer
Explanation

Patanjali, the great grammarian who wrote the Mahabhashya (a commentary on Panini's Ashtadhyayi), was a contemporary of Pushyamitra Sunga (the founder of the Sunga dynasty). Patanjali lived around the 2nd century BC, and his work references events from Pushyamitra's reign. Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka were earlier (3rd century BC), while Susarman Kanva belonged to the later Kanva dynasty.

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