UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 34
In which one among the following texts does the term kshetra-patni ('mistress of the field') originate?
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Correct Option: B
Explanation: The expression kshetra-patni (“mistress of the field”) is attributed to Atharvavedic usage in the framing of this question.
Option-wise Analysis:
A: Incorrect - The Rigveda contains related agricultural deity invocations, including kshetrapati, but is not the keyed source for kshetra-patni.
B: Correct - Atharvaveda is the intended early textual attestation of the feminine expression.
C: Incorrect - Panini’s Ashtadhyayi is a grammatical treatise and not the keyed origin.
D: Incorrect - Arthashastra is a later statecraft text rather than the first attestation here.
Review note: Check exact Sanskrit textual attestations: the related Rigvedic kshetrapati may make the question easy to misread.