Consider the following statements regarding the socio-economic basis of the North Indian Nirguna Bhakti movement:
1. The movement was almost exclusively confined to the agrarian peasant classes.
2. It saw massive participation and leadership from the newly emerging artisan and trading classes, such as weavers, tailors, and leather workers.
3. The saints completely rejected the concept of honest, manual labor, preferring a life of wandering mendicancy.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Accepted Answer

Statement 1 is incorrect; it was not confined to peasants but heavily involved urban artisans. Statement 3 is entirely incorrect. Saints like Kabir (weaver), Ravidas (cobbler), and Nanak strongly advocated for earning a livelihood through honest, hard manual labor (Kirat Karo) and despised parasitic mendicancy. Only Statement 2 is correct.

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