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:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (A) and (B) only
(A) Naths, Jogis and Siddhas were the religious cults that evolved outside the orthodox Brahmanical framework. Correct. They were religious leaders who did not function within the orthodox Brahmanical framework, and were gaining ground in this period.
(B) Many of the leaders of these cults belonged to artisanal groups. Correct. Many of them came from artisanal groups, including weavers, who were becoming important with the growth of organised craft production.
(C) The leaders of these cults accepted unquestioned authority of the Vedas. Incorrect. The reverse is true: many of these new religious leaders questioned the authority of the Vedas.
(D) The language of their expression was literary Sanskrit, therefore, they could not influence ordinary masses. Incorrect. They expressed themselves in languages spoken by ordinary people, and were popular. What they could not do was win the support of the ruling elites.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.1 The integration of cults … At the same time 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.…” |