RAS question
Which Satavahana ruler is credited with composing 'Gathasaptashati' (Gathasattasai), an anthology of Prakrit poems?
Correct answer: (A) Hala.
Hala, the 17th Satavahana ruler, is traditionally credited with composing or compiling the Gathasaptashati, a Prakrit anthology of 700 verses.
Explanation
The attribution is to Hala. He was the 17th Satavahana ruler and is traditionally credited with composing or compiling the Gathasaptashati, a 700-verse anthology and one of the earliest Prakrit literary works. eGyanKosh (IGNOU), Unit 8: Patterns of Trade, Urbanisation and Linkages: North India (c. 600 BC-300 AD) supports the same core link: while listing literary evidence for the period c. 200 BC-AD 200, it refers to the Gathasaptasati of the Satavahana ruler Hala and describes it as a Prakrit collection of poems. That is why the question is testing a ruler-work association, not merely recognition of the Satavahana dynasty.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Simuka is not the ruler linked to the Gathasaptashati; eGyanKosh names Hala.
- (C) Gautamiputra Satakarni is a different Satavahana option, but the composition or compilation of the Gathasaptashati is attributed here to Hala.
- (D) Vashishthiputra Pulumavi is not credited with the Gathasaptashati; eGyanKosh specifically associates the Prakrit poem collection with Hala.
Concept
This tests the ancient-history linkage between ruling dynasties and literary works, especially Satavahana-period Prakrit literature. Such associations recur in RAS because they connect polity, culture and source-based history in a compact MCQ format.