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 ?
Show answer
Answer: B. Statement 1 is wrong: Sautrantika and Sammitiya were schools of Buddhism, not Jainism. Statement 2 is correct: the Sarvastivadins ('those who say everything exists') held that the dharmas, the basic constituents of phenomena, exist in past, present and future, so they are not wholly momentary but persist in a latent form. So 2 only.
Watch for: Unfamiliar sect names make students guess the religion; all three named here are Buddhist schools.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because Sautrantika and Sammitiya were Buddhist sects.
- C. Wrong because statement 1 is false.
- D. Wrong because statement 2 is true.
Source to check: Upinder Singh, A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India, section on Buddhist schools; NCERT Class 12 Themes in Indian History Part I, Chapter 4 'Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings'
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.