2024 · Q74
What are bhuni, pachara, and dopati mentioned frequently in the biographies of the Vaishnava reformers of medieval Assam?
history-of-indiadelhi-sultanate
- AVessels of metal used in religious oblation
- BAgricultural implements
- CMusical instruments used at the time of Bohag Bihu festival
- DPieces of men's clothes
Explanation
The earliest and most authoritative systematic exposition of the saptanga theory is found in Kautilya's Arthashastra (4th–3rd century BCE), which devotes its sixth adhikarana to the seven prakritis of the state. The Manusmriti, Mahabharata (Shanti Parva) and later texts also discuss the theory, but the Arthashastra is the first to present it as a complete, structured doctrine. Hence Kautilya's Arthashastra is correct.