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

(A) Early Buddhist texts including the Tripitaka
(B) Charaka and Sushrutal
(C) Ashtadhyayi of Panini
(D) Natyashastra of Bharata

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

(C), (A), (B), (D)

The correct answer is Option (1) → (C), (A), (B), (D)

(C) Ashtadhyayi of Panini (c. 500–400 BCE): This is the oldest linguistic and grammar text on Sanskrit. Panini lived during the late Vedic period, and his work predates the systematization of most other classical texts.

(A) Early Buddhist texts/Tripitaka (c. 400–100 BCE): Following the death of the Buddha (c. 483 BCE), his teachings were preserved orally and eventually codified. While the oral tradition is very old, the formal "Three Baskets" (Tripitaka) were compiled and written down after Panini’s era.

(B) Charaka and Sushruta (c. 100 BCE – 200 CE): These are the foundational texts of Ayurveda (Medicine and Surgery). The Sushruta Samhita and Charaka Samhita attained their classical forms during this period.

(D) Natyashastra of Bharata (c. 200 BCE – 200 CE, finalized later): This monumental work on performing arts, dance, and drama is generally dated slightly later than the initial medical treatises, with its final compilation often placed between the 2nd century BCE and the 2nd century CE.