Option 1: Both the statements are individually true and statement II is the correct explanation of statement I.

Option 2: Both the statements are individually true but statement II is not the correct explanation of statement I.

Option 3: Statement I is true but statement II is false.

Option 4: Statement I is false but statement II is true.

The correct answer is option 2. Both statements are individually true, but statement II is not the correct explanation of statement I.

Statement I states that Mahavira initially joined a group of ascetics called Nirgranthas. This statement is true. Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara of Jainism, did initially join a group called Nirgranthas, also known as the Niganthas or Jains.

Statement II states that the sect was founded 200 years earlier by Parsva. This statement is also true. The Nirgranthas sect was indeed founded about 200 years earlier by Parsva, the 23rd Tirthankara of Jainism.

However, statement II does not explain statement I. It provides additional information about the sect`s founder and the time of its establishment but does not establish a direct cause-effect relationship or explanation for why Mahavira