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

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

Literary work:  Author

1. Devichandragupta: Bilhan

2. Hammira-Mahakasya: Nayachandra Suri

3. Milinda-panha: Nagarjuna

4. Nitivakyamrita: Somadeva Suri

How many of the above pairs are correctly matched

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Answer: B

Let’s analyze each pair:

1. Devichandragupta: Bilhan
   • This pair is correctly matched. Bilhan is the author of the literary work called “Devichandragupta.” It is a Sanskrit play that revolves around the life of Chandragupta II, a ruler of the Gupta Empire.
2. Hammira-Mahakasya: Nayachandra Suri
   • This pair is incorrect. Nayachandra Suri is not the author of “Hammira-Mahakasya.” The correct author of “Hammira-Mahakasya” is Nayachandra Suri’s contemporary, Nayachandra Siddhanta-chakravarti.
3. Milinda-panha: Nagarjuna
   • This pair is incorrect. Nagarjuna, a prominent Buddhist philosopher, is not the author of “Milinda-panha.” The actual author of this Pali Buddhist text is Nagasena.
4. Nitivakyamrita: Somadeva Suri
   • This pair is incorrect. “Nitivakyamrita” is not authored by Somadeva Suri. The correct author of “Nitivakyamrita” is the Jain scholar Vachaspati-Miśra.

Therefore, only one pair, “Devichandragupta: Bilhan,” is correctly matched. Hence, the answer is (b) Only two.