13 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on ancient Indian literature are on this page, from 1996 to 2024. UPSC matches authors with plays and texts, asks the theme of classic works such as Mrichchhakatika and Mudrarakshasa and tests scripts and Upanishadic dialogues. The explanations give the author and the subject of each.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 11–13 of 13 questions
The dialogue between Nachiketa and Yama is one of the most famous philosophical exchanges found in the Kathopanishad, a part of Yajurveda. In their dialogue, Nachiketa asks profound questions about the nature of death, immortality, and the soul’s journey, which leads to deep philosophical teachings on the eternal nature of the self (Atman) and the ultimate truth (Brahman).
The Milindapanho (Questions of King Milinda) is an important Buddhist text that records a philosophical dialogue between Indo-Greek King Menander I (Milinda) and the Buddhist monk Nagasena. This text explores profound Buddhist concepts like impermanence (Anicca), non-self (Anatta), and the doctrine of karma through logical discourse and metaphors. The Milindapanho is considered an important work in the Theravada tradition.
Arthashastra, attributed to Kautilya, contains provisions related to social and economic aspects, including marriage and divorce. According to Arthashastra, a wife deserted by her husband had the legal right to seek divorce and remarry. If a man abandoned his wife without valid reason then she could remarry after waiting for a certain period. It also mentions conditions under which a woman could remarry if her husband was missing, dead, or had become a renunciate (ascetic).
| Q | UPSC year | Correct answer |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1997 | (c) Kathopanishad |
| 12 | 1997 | (a) Nagasena |
| 13 | 1996 | (d) Arthashastra |
This page covers 13 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Literature (Art and Culture), asked from 1996 to 2024. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
The love affair of Charudatta, a poor but generous merchant, with Vasantasena, a courtesan of Ujjayini. The play by Shudraka (“The Little Clay Cart”) also portrays political change in the city.
Court intrigues at the time of Chandragupta Maurya, in which the minister Chanakya wins over Rakshasa, the minister of the defeated Nanda dynasty. It is a political drama by Vishakhadatta, thought to be of the Gupta period.
Kharosthi, used in the north-west of the subcontinent, notably in Gandhara and in Ashoka’s edicts at Shahbazgarhi and Mansehra. Brahmi, in contrast, was written from left to right.
