Indian Literature and Texts

The Gutenberg Bible, printed by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1450s in Mainz, Germany, was the first major book printed in the West using movable type. This revolutionized the spread of knowledge and religion across Europe.

The Tripitakas (Three Baskets) are the primary sacred texts of Buddhism, containing Buddha's teachings. They consist of Vinaya Pitaka (monastic rules), Sutta Pitaka (discourses), and Abhidhamma Pitaka (philosophical analysis). Jataka tales are stories about Buddha's previous lives, but not the canonical holy books.

The Bible is the only major religious book that has been widely published in various shorthand systems (like Pitman or Gregg) to assist students and stenographers in practicing their transcription skills while reading scripture.

The Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra), dated AD 868, is considered the world's oldest printed book. It was discovered in the Dunhuang caves in China. The Buddhist text was printed using woodblock printing during the Tang dynasty. The Bible, Ramayana, and Mahabharata manuscripts existed earlier but in handwritten form, not printed form. The spelling 'Hiraka Sutra' appears to be a variant/transliteration of Diamond Sutra.

The Vedas are the oldest and most authoritative Hindu scriptures (c. 1500-500 BCE), considered the supreme source of religious knowledge. While Bhagavad Gita, Puranas, and Upanishads are sacred texts, the Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama, Atharva) are regarded as the most pious as they are believed to be eternal divine revelations (shruti) rather than human compositions (smriti).

Zend Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts in Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion. It was composed in the Avestan language. Injil is the Islamic term for the Gospel of Jesus, Torah is Jewish scripture, and Zabur refers to the Psalms.

The Rig Veda is the oldest among the four Vedas of Hindu scripture, composed approximately between 1500-1200 BCE. It contains hymns dedicated to various deities and is considered the foundation of Hindu literature and culture.

To answer this question, the user needs to have knowledge of different religious texts and their associated religions. In this case, the question is asking for the holy book of the Parsis, so the user needs to be familiar with the religious beliefs and practices of the Parsi community.

Now, let's go through each option and explain why it is right or wrong:

A. Zend Avesta: This option is correct. The Zend Avesta is the holy book of the Parsis. It contains the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, the religion followed by the Parsis.

B. Koran: This option is incorrect. The Koran is the holy book of Islam, not the Parsis.

C. Bible: This option is incorrect. The Bible is the holy book of Christianity, not the Parsis.

D. Guru Granth Sahib: This option is incorrect. The Guru Granth Sahib is the holy book of Sikhism, not the Parsis.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

A. Zend Avesta

The lines 'There was neither non exist nor exist. There was neither the realm of space nor the sky beyond' are from the Nasadiya Sukta (Creation Hymn) of the Rig Veda, one of the oldest sacred texts. Despite the spelling errors in the question ('non exist', 'Bibble'), option A correctly identifies the Rig Veda as the source.

The four chronological periods of Hindi literature are: Adikal (early period, 10th-14th century), Bhaktikal (devotional period, 14th-17th century), Ritikal (classical/ornamental period, 17th-19th century), and Adhunikakal (modern period, late 19th century onwards). Each period represents distinct literary themes and styles.

'Jana' (meaning tribe or people) is the most frequently occurring political term in Rig Veda, appearing approximately 275 times. It refers to the tribal unit as the basic political organization. 'Vis' (settlement/clan) appears about 170 times, while 'Rastra' (kingdom/territory) appears much later.

The Rig-Veda is the oldest extant Indic text, composed between 1500-1200 BCE. It is the oldest of the four Vedas and one of the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language. The Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Atharva-Veda were composed later, with the Sama-Veda deriving many of its hymns from the Rig-Veda.

The Gayatri Mantra is found in Rig Veda (Book 3, Hymn 62.10), composed by sage Visvamitra. It is considered one of the most sacred mantras in Hinduism, dedicated to Savitr (the sun deity).

The Bible holds the distinction of being the only major religious text to have been printed in shorthand scripts, primarily for stenographers and those trained in shorthand writing systems. This unique publication format made scripture accessible to professionals skilled in rapid writing but not necessarily in traditional typography.

The Bible has been printed in shorthand scripts, making it the only religious book with this distinction. This reflects efforts to make religious texts accessible through various writing systems.