MAH LLB 3 Year CET 2026 (1 April Shift 1)
Who was the author of the Arthashastra?
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Answer: Option A — Kautilya
Detailed Solution
The Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft, economy and administration, is attributed to Kautilya (Chanakya), adviser to Chandragupta Maurya.
Kalidasa wrote Abhijnanashakuntalam, Panini wrote the Sanskrit grammar Ashtadhyayi, and Kalhana wrote the Kashmir chronicle Rajatarangini.
Quick tip
Remember: Arthashastra = Kautilya; Ashtadhyayi = Panini; Rajatarangini = Kalhana.
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Ask a doubtMore Mahajanapadas & Mauryan Empire Questions
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Mahajanapadas & Mauryan Empire — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Mahajanapadas & Mauryan Empire, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the sixteen Mahajanapadas, the rise of Magadha under the Haryanka, Shishunaga and Nanda dynasties, Alexander's invasion, and the Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka, including Mauryan administration, Ashoka's dhamma and his edicts. Questions often ask about the capital of a Mahajanapada, the founder of a dynasty, or details of Ashoka's rule, such as the Kalinga war and his rock and pillar edicts. Key sources include Kautilya's Arthashastra and Megasthenes' Indica. James Prinsep first deciphered Ashoka's Brahmi inscriptions in 1837. Practise the Mahajanapadas and Mauryan Empire questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.