Choose the correct statements.

(A) Naths, Jogis and Siddhas were the religious cults that evolved outside the orthodox Brahmanical framework.
(B) Many of the leaders of these cults belonged to artisanal groups.
(C) The leaders of these cults accepted unquestioned authority of the Vedas.
(D) The language of their expression was literary Sanskrit, therefore, they could not influence ordinary masses.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

(A) and (B) only

The correct answer is Option (4) → (A) and (B) only

Given statements:

(A) Naths, Jogis and Siddhas were the religious cults that evolved outside the orthodox Brahmanical framework. (correct)
(B) Many of the leaders of these cults belonged to artisanal groups. (correct)
(C) The leaders of these cults accepted the unquestioned authority of the Vedas. (incorrect)
(D) The language of their expression was literary Sanskrit, therefore, they could not influence ordinary masses. (incorrect)

Around the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries other religious leaders, who did not function within the orthodox Brahmanical framework, were gaining ground. These included the Naths, Jogis and Siddhas. Many of them came from artisanal groups, including weavers, who were becoming increasingly important with the development of organised craft production. Demand for such production grew with the emergence of new urban centres, and long-distance trade with Central Asia and West Asia.

Many of these new religious leaders questioned the authority of the Vedas, and expressed themselves in languages spoken by ordinary people, which developed over centuries into the ones used today. However, in spite of their popularity these religious leaders were not in a position to win the support of the ruling elites.