\nLet’s establish the approximate chronological periods for each text:
\n1. Brihat Samhita of Varahamihira: Varahamihira was a 6th-century CE astronomer and mathematician (c. 505\u2013587 CE). Brihat Samhita is from this period.
\n2. Sushruta Samhita: A foundational text of Ayurveda, its core text is generally dated to the late BCE to early CE period (e.g., 1st-4th century CE).
\n3. Ashtadhyayi of Panini: The fundamental text of Sanskrit grammar, Panini’s work is widely dated to the 5th-4th century BCE.
\n4. Natyashastra of Bharat Muni: A comprehensive treatise on the performing arts, its composition period is debated but generally placed between 200 BCE and 200 CE, or broadly 1st-4th century CE, making it roughly contemporary with or slightly later than the core Sushruta Samhita.<\/p>\nArranging from earliest to latest:
\nPanini’s Ashtadhyayi (5th-4th Century BCE) comes first (3).
\nSushruta Samhita (1st-4th Century CE) and Natyashastra (1st-4th Century CE) come next. The order between 2 and 4 is debated and often considered close, but Sushruta is sometimes placed slightly earlier.
\nVarahamihira’s Brihat Samhita (6th Century CE) is the latest (1).<\/p>\n
The chronological order is 3 (Panini), followed by 2 (Sushruta) and 4 (Natyashastra), followed by 1 (Varahamihira). Option C, 3, 2, 4, 1, fits this sequence.
\n<\/section>\n\nThe accepted chronology places Panini earliest, followed by the early CE texts like Sushruta Samhita and Natyashastra, with Varahamihira being significantly later in the 6th century CE.
\n<\/section>\n