RAS question
Which of the following is NOT a work by Kalidasa?
Correct answer: (B) Mrichchhakatika.
Mrichchhakatika, also known as The Little Clay Cart, is a work by Shudraka and not by Kalidasa.
Explanation
Mrichchhakatika is the odd one out because it is attributed to Shudraka, while the other options belong to Kalidasa's corpus. Britannica's Mrcchakatika entry identifies it as a play by Shudraka and connects it with the title The Little Clay Cart. By contrast, Kalidasa's accepted works include the dramas Shakuntala, Vikramorvasiyam and Malavikagnimitram; the epics Raghuvamsha and Kumarasambhava; and the lyrics Meghaduta and Ritusamhara. The distinction is attribution, not genre: all four works are classical Sanskrit literary works, but only Mrichchhakatika is assigned to a different author.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Ritusamhara is wrong as a choice for the non-Kalidasa work because it is one of Kalidasa's lyric works.
- (C) Vikramorvasiyam is wrong because it is one of Kalidasa's dramas.
- (D) Raghuvamsha is wrong because it is one of Kalidasa's epic poems.
Concept
Literary attribution in ancient Indian history includes major Sanskrit authors and their works. RAS repeatedly asks such pairings because they are concise markers of cultural history and classical literature.