Question
Assertion A: The absence of a reference to Kautilya in the surviving remains of Megasthenes' Indica cannot, by itself, prove that Kautilya never existed.
Reason R: The Indica has not survived as a complete original work; it is known through extracts and references preserved by later authors.
Choose the correct answer.
The correct answer is
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Both statements are true, and R explains the evidential caution in A. A fragmentary transmission cannot be treated as a complete inventory of everything Megasthenes recorded. This limitation does not itself settle the separate debate about the date and authorship of the Arthashastra.
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