Q. Who among the following was not an Acharya in The Nalanda Vishvavidyalaya?
a) Sheelbhadra
b) Kautilya
c) Nagarjuna
d) Shantirakshit
Correct Answer :
Question from BPSC PT 71, 2025
Correct Answer: b) Kautilya
Explanation:
– Shilabhadra, Nagarjuna, and Shantirakshit are noted as eminent Acharyas associated with Nalanda.
– Shilabhadra was the abbot of Nalanda and the teacher of the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang.
– Nagarjuna is traditionally counted among Nalandaβs great masters in Buddhist sources.
– Shantirakshit was a renowned Nalanda scholar who later helped establish Buddhism in Tibet.
– Kautilya (Chanakya), author of the Arthashastra, lived in the 4th century BCE and is associated with Takshashila, not Nalanda (which arose much later in the Gupta period).