Which one of the following is a work attributed to playwright Bhasa?

Answer: (c) Madhyama-vyayoga

Bhasa is the early Sanskrit dramatist whose plays draw on the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Thirteen of them survive, and Madhyamavyayoga is one. The other titles are not his plays: Natyashastra is a treatise on drama and Mahabhashya is a work on grammar.

• ✓ (c) NCERT lists Madhyamavyayogam among Bhasa's extant plays, along with Carudattam, Pratimanatakam and Karnabharam.
• ✗ (b) Natyashastra is the oldest treatise on dramaturgy, ascribed to Sage Bharata. It is a theory text, not a play.
• ✗ (d) Mahabhashya is Patanjali's work, grouped with Panini's Ashtadhyayi among the foundational texts of Sanskrit grammar.

Remember · Bhasa wrote Sanskrit plays on epic themes (thirteen survive), including Madhyamavyayoga. Natyashastra is Bharata's treatise on drama; Mahabhashya is Patanjali's grammar work.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Ch 1 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Knowledge Traditions and Practices of India, Part I, Ch 3 (practise this chapter) · Class 9 Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Ch 5 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). · Report an error