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Person Patanjali
Asked 4 times across 2 UPSC exams over 10 years (2015–2025), peaking in 2025.
Key insights
- Most tested in CDS — 3 of 4 PYQs
- Most asked in 2025
- Recurs across 3 years (2015–2025)
How it travelled across exams
First appearance in each exam — the same idea, reframed.
CDS 2015 → CISF 2025
How the concept evolved
Rising — more than half its appearances (3 of 4) are since 2016.
Related concepts
Ideas UPSC tests alongside this one — keep exploring.
Sample questions
You've seen the pattern — here are a few of the actual PYQs.
CDS2025
Which one of the following statements about the grammarian Katyayana is correct ?
- A He was a contemporary of Panini.
- B He was a contemporary of Patanjali.
- C He belonged to a period between Panini and Patanjali. ✓
- D He belonged to a period later than both Panini and Patanjali.
✓ Correct answer: (C)
History › Ancient India
CISF2025
Arrange the following in chronological order, beginning from the earliest
- Shudraka
- Varahamihira
- Panini
- Patanjali the Grammarian. Select the answer
using the code given below :
- A 4-1-2-3
- B 3-4-1-2 ✓
- C 2-3-4-1
- D 3-1-2-4
✓ Correct answer: (B)
History › Ancient India
CDS2021
Consider the following statements about Patanjali's Mahabhashya
- It makes a mention of Kautilya
- It is a book on grammar and refers to historical personalities only incidentally
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- A 1 only
- B 2 only ✓
- C Both 1 and 2
- D Neither 1 nor 2
✓ Correct answer: (B)
History › Ancient India
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