Question

Who wrote Panchtantra?
1. Sudraka
2. Vishnu Gupta
3. Vishnu Sharma
4. Bharata Muni

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : Vishnu Sharma

The correct answer is Vishnu Sharma.

• Vishnu Sharma is the author of the Panchtantra.
• Panchtantra is an ancient collection of animal fables.
  • The original collection is believed to be compiled in Kashmir around 200 BC.
  • In the current form, it was compiled between the third and fifth centuries AD.
  • The Panchatantra is intended as a textbook of policy, especially for kings and statesmen.
  • The introduction attributes the stories to a Brahmin named Vishnusharman who used animal fables to instruct the three dull-witted sons of a king.

• Vishnu Gupta is popularly known as Chanakya or Kautilya.
  • He was a teacher and scholar at Taxila.
  • He is the mind behind the usurping of the Nanda throne and the rise of the Mauryan Empire through his student, Chandragupta.
  • He was also the Chief Minister during Chandragupta's reign.
  • He wrote Arthashastra which is a book on statecraft, economics, and military strategy.
  • Chanakya is also called ‘Indian Machiavelli”.
• Sudraka
  • He was an Indian king and a playwright.
  • He wrote the Mṛcchakaṭikā (Little Clay Cart).
  • It is a very famous play in India and Europe.
  • It is a Sanskrit drama of political intrigue and romantic comedy.
• Bharata Muni
  • He was an ancient Indian dramatist and musicologist.
  • He wrote the Natya Shastra.
  • It is a detailed treatise and handbook on dramatic art that deals with all aspects of classical Sanskrit theatre.