In the Mauryan dynasty, who was the son and immediate successor of Chandragupta Maurya on the imperial throne?

Introduction / Context:
This question comes from ancient Indian political history and focuses on the Mauryan dynasty, one of the earliest and largest empires in the subcontinent. Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire with the help of Chanakya (Kautilya). After him, his son took over the throne before the famous emperor Ashoka. Identifying this immediate successor helps build a clear family and succession tree for the Mauryan rulers.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The starting ruler is Chandragupta Maurya.
• The question asks for his son who succeeded him on the throne.
• The options include Bindusara, Chandragupta II, Ashoka and Binbsara (a misspelt distractor).
• We assume familiarity with the basic sequence of Mauryan rulers.

Concept / Approach:
The typical order of early Mauryan rulers is Chandragupta Maurya, followed by his son Bindusara, and then by his grandson Ashoka. Chandragupta II, sometimes called Vikramaditya, belongs to the later Gupta dynasty and is unrelated to the Mauryan line. Ashoka is extremely famous but is the grandson, not the son, of Chandragupta. The option "Binbsara" appears to be a misspelled form of Bindusara and should be treated as an incorrect distractor. Thus, the correct immediate successor and son is Bindusara.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Chandragupta Maurya founded the Mauryan Empire with its capital at Pataliputra. Step 2: Remember that after Chandragupta abdicated or died, his son Bindusara became emperor. Step 3: Bindusara is then succeeded by his own son Ashoka, who later became one of India's most celebrated rulers. Step 4: Recognise that Chandragupta II is a Gupta ruler, not Mauryan, and that "Binbsara" is not the standard spelling of any Mauryan king. Step 5: Conclude that the son and immediate successor of Chandragupta Maurya was Bindusara.

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard histories of ancient India and the Mauryan Empire list the early rulers in order: Chandragupta Maurya, Bindusara and Ashoka. They discuss Bindusara's reign as a transitional period between the empire's creation and its zenith under Ashoka. Chandragupta II is always placed in the Gupta period several centuries later. These consistent genealogical accounts confirm that Bindusara is the correct answer and that any differently spelled variant in the options should be treated as a distractor.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Chandragupta II: A Gupta dynasty ruler known as Vikramaditya, not related to the Mauryan family line of Chandragupta Maurya.
Ashoka: The famed Mauryan emperor and grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, but he came after Bindusara and was not the immediate successor.
Binbsara: This appears to be a misspelling and is not the standard name of Chandragupta Maurya's son; the recognised historical name is Bindusara.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes skip Bindusara in their memory and jump directly from Chandragupta Maurya to Ashoka because Ashoka is so well known. This leads them to incorrectly identify Ashoka as the son of Chandragupta, when he was actually the grandson. Others may confuse Chandragupta Maurya with Chandragupta II, not realising they belong to different dynasties. To avoid such mistakes, remember the simple sequence: Chandragupta Maurya → Bindusara → Ashoka, and separately, in the Gupta dynasty, rulers like Chandragupta I and II appear much later.

Final Answer:
The son and immediate successor of Chandragupta Maurya was Bindusara.