Correct Option
The correct option is
Panini - Prakrit Grammar
Explanation
This question requires identifying the correct historical associations regarding the lineage, origin, or literary contributions of prominent ancient figures.
Statement-wise Analysis
- Pair (a): Buddha - Sakya Gana (Correctly Matched)
Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) was born into the Sakya clan, which was a gana (a republican oligarchy) located in the foothills of the Himalayas. He is often referred to as Sakyamuni (Sage of the Sakyas). - Pair (b): Mahavira - Lichchhavis (Correctly Matched)
Vardhamana Mahavira belonged to the Jnatrika clan, but he had a strong maternal connection to the Lichchhavis. His mother, Trishala, was a Lichchhavi princess and the sister of Chetaka, the chief of the Lichchhavi confederacy in Vaishali. - Pair (c): Zoroaster - Iran (Correctly Matched)
Zoroaster (Zarathustra) was an ancient Iranian prophet whose teachings founded Zoroastrianism. His teachings are preserved in the book Zend Avesta, which shares linguistic similarities with the Vedas. - Pair (d): Panini - Prakrit Grammar (Incorrectly Matched)
Panini is the most celebrated grammarian of Sanskrit, not Prakrit. He composed the Ashtadhyayi, a comprehensive treatise on Sanskrit grammar, around the 5th to 4th century BCE.
Key Takeaway
Panini is the architect of classical Sanskrit grammar (Ashtadhyayi), whereas Prakrit was the vernacular language used by common people and adopted by Jain and Buddhist monks for their sermons.