With reference to the religious history of India, consider the following statements:

1. Sautrantika and Sammitiya were the sects of Jainism.

2. Sarvastivadin held that the constituents of phenomena were not wholly momentary, but existed forever in a latent form.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct option is 2 only.

Let us analyze each statement step-by-step with reference to the ancient religious history of India:

Analysis of Statement 1:
Statement 1 asserts that Sautrantika and Sammitiya were sects of Jainism.
This statement is incorrect. Both Sautrantika and Sammitiya were prominent early schools of Buddhism, not Jainism.
- The Sautrantika school was an early Buddhist school derived from the Sarvastivada tradition, placing primary reliance on the original Buddhist sutras (Sutta Pitaka) rather than later scholastic commentaries (Abhidharma).
- The Sammitiya school was one of the sub-sects of the Pudgalavada tradition within early Buddhism, famous for their unique views regarding the nature of the personal entity or self (pudgala).

Analysis of Statement 2:
Statement 2 asserts that Sarvastivadin held that the constituents of phenomena were not wholly momentary, but existed forever in a latent form.
This statement is correct.
- The term Sarvastivada literally translates to "the doctrine that all exists" (Sarvam Asti).
- Unlike some other Buddhist schools that viewed all phenomena (dharmas) as entirely momentary and ephemeral without any lingering essence, the Sarvastivadins believed that the ultimate constituents of phenomena exist continuously through all three periods of time: past, present, and future.
- In their view, while the expression/manifestation of a phenomenon changes moment to moment, its fundamental constituent nature (dharmas) exists perpetually in a latent state in the past and future.

Therefore, only Statement 2 is correct.