Arrange the following in chronological order, beginning with the earliest.

(A) Early Buddhist texts including the Tripitaka

(B) Charaka and Sushruta

(C) Ashtadhyayi of Panini

(D) Natyashastra of Bharata

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Option 1 -> (C), (A), (B), (D) - Panini → Buddhist texts → Ayurvedic texts → Natyashastra - follows correct chronological sequence.

Option 2 -> (C), (B), (A), (D) - Places Charaka-Sushruta before Buddhist texts, which is incorrect.

Option 3 -> (B), (A), (D), (C) - Places Ayurvedic texts first and Panini last, which is chronologically wrong.

Option 4 -> (B), (D), (A), (C) - Completely inverted order, placing Panini at the end instead of beginning.

Hence, Option 1: (C), (A), (B), (D) -> The correct chronological sequence is: Ashtadhyayi of Panini (4th century BCE), Early Buddhist texts/Tripitaka (5th-3rd century BCE compilation), Charaka and Sushruta Samhitas (2nd century BCE-2nd century CE), and Natyashastra of Bharata (200 BCE-200 CE). Panini's grammar predates Buddha's teachings, Buddhist texts were compiled after Buddha's death, followed by the systematization of Ayurvedic knowledge and later the codification of dramatic arts. -> correct