Purva Mimamsa Sutras
Encyclopedia
The Mimamsa Sutra or the Purva Mimamsa Sutras (ca. 300-200 BCE), written by Rishi
Jaimini is one of the most important ancient Hindu philosophical texts. It forms the basis of Mimamsa
, the earliest of the six orthodox schools (darshanas) of Indian philosophy
. According to tradition, sage Jaimini was one of the disciples of sage Veda Vyasa, the author of Mahabharata.
The text provides rules for the interpretation of the Vedas and also provides philosophical justifications for the observance of Vedic rituals, by offering meaning and significance of Vedic rituals to attain Moksha.
, the only extant commentary on all the 12 chapters of the Mimamsa Sutras of Jaimini.
The major commentaries written on the text as well as the Śabara Bhāṣya were by Kumarila Bhatta
and Prabhakara Mishra
.
is perpetual, and the best one can aim for is higher birth among the Deva
s. Therefore, they say, the whole purpose of the Vedas
is to engage human beings in rituals for creating good karma, and consequently the mature soul's prime responsibility is to ascertain the exact meaning of the Vedas' sacrificial injunctions and to execute them. Codana-laksano 'rtho dharmah: "Duty is that which is indicated by the injunctions of the Vedas."(Mimamsa Sutra 1.1.2)
The Brahma Sutras
, however, especially in the fourth chapter, which deals with life's ultimate goal, elaborately describes the soul's potential for achieving liberation from birth and death, while it subordinates ritual sacrifice to the role of helping one become qualified to receive spiritual knowledge. As stated there (Brahma Sutra 4.1.16), agnihotradi tu tat-karyayaiva tad-darsanat: "The Agnihotra and other Vedic sacrifices are meant only for producing knowledge, as the statements of the Vedas show." And the very last words of the Vedanta-sutra (4.4.22) proclaim, anavrttih sabdat: "The liberated soul
never returns to this world, as promised by the revealed scripture."
Thus the fallacious conclusions of the speculative philosophers prove that even great scholars and sages are often bewildered by the misuse of their own God-given intelligence. As the Katha Upanisad (1.2.5) says,
avidyayam antare vartamanah
svayam dhirah panditam-manyamanah
janghanyamanah pariyanti mudha
andhenaiva niyamana yathandhah
"Caught in the grip of ignorance, self-proclaimed experts consider themselves learned authorities. They wander about this world befooled, like the blind leading the blind."
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
Jaimini is one of the most important ancient Hindu philosophical texts. It forms the basis of Mimamsa
Mimamsa
' , a Sanskrit word meaning "investigation" , is the name of an astika school of Hindu philosophy whose primary enquiry is into the nature of dharma based on close hermeneutics of the Vedas...
, the earliest of the six orthodox schools (darshanas) of Indian philosophy
Indian philosophy
India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to ancient times. According to Radhakrishnan, the earlier Upanisads constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world."...
. According to tradition, sage Jaimini was one of the disciples of sage Veda Vyasa, the author of Mahabharata.
Overview
The work is divided in to twelve adhyayas (chapters), which are further divided in to sixty padas (sections).The text provides rules for the interpretation of the Vedas and also provides philosophical justifications for the observance of Vedic rituals, by offering meaning and significance of Vedic rituals to attain Moksha.
Commentaries
Over the centuries many commentaries were written on this text, most important being the Śabara Bhāṣya written by ŚābaraSabará
Sabará is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Belo Horizonte.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais...
, the only extant commentary on all the 12 chapters of the Mimamsa Sutras of Jaimini.
The major commentaries written on the text as well as the Śabara Bhāṣya were by Kumarila Bhatta
Kumarila Bhatta
' was a Hindu philosopher and Mimamsa scholar from Assam. He is famous for many of his seminal theses on Mimamsa, such as Mimamsaslokavarttika. Bhatta was an staunch believer in the supreme validity of Vedic injunction, a great champion of Purva-Mimamsa and a confirmed ritualist...
and Prabhakara Mishra
Prabhakara
Prabhākara was an Indian philosopher grammarian in the Mimamsa tradition. His views and his debate with led to the Prābhākara school within Mimamsa.Commentaries on Prabhakara have been written by Shalikanatha in the 8th c....
.
Criticism
Jaimini, in his Mimamsa Sutra, presents material work and its results as the whole of reality (vipanam rtam). He and later proponents of Karma-mimamsa philosophy teach that material existence is endless, that there is no liberation. For them the cycle of karmaKarma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
is perpetual, and the best one can aim for is higher birth among the Deva
Deva (Hinduism)
' is the Sanskrit word for god or deity, its related feminine term is devi. In modern Hinduism, it can be loosely interpreted as any benevolent supernatural beings. The devs in Hinduism, also called Suras, are often juxtaposed to the Asuras, their half brothers. Devs are also the maintainers of...
s. Therefore, they say, the whole purpose of the Vedas
Vedas
The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism....
is to engage human beings in rituals for creating good karma, and consequently the mature soul's prime responsibility is to ascertain the exact meaning of the Vedas' sacrificial injunctions and to execute them. Codana-laksano 'rtho dharmah: "Duty is that which is indicated by the injunctions of the Vedas."(Mimamsa Sutra 1.1.2)
The Brahma Sutras
Brahma Sutras
The Brahma sūtras , also known as Vedānta Sūtras , are one of the three canonical texts of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy. A thorough study of Vedānta requires a close examination of these three texts, known in Sanskrit as the Prasthanatrayi, or the three starting points...
, however, especially in the fourth chapter, which deals with life's ultimate goal, elaborately describes the soul's potential for achieving liberation from birth and death, while it subordinates ritual sacrifice to the role of helping one become qualified to receive spiritual knowledge. As stated there (Brahma Sutra 4.1.16), agnihotradi tu tat-karyayaiva tad-darsanat: "The Agnihotra and other Vedic sacrifices are meant only for producing knowledge, as the statements of the Vedas show." And the very last words of the Vedanta-sutra (4.4.22) proclaim, anavrttih sabdat: "The liberated soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
never returns to this world, as promised by the revealed scripture."
Thus the fallacious conclusions of the speculative philosophers prove that even great scholars and sages are often bewildered by the misuse of their own God-given intelligence. As the Katha Upanisad (1.2.5) says,
avidyayam antare vartamanah
svayam dhirah panditam-manyamanah
janghanyamanah pariyanti mudha
andhenaiva niyamana yathandhah
"Caught in the grip of ignorance, self-proclaimed experts consider themselves learned authorities. They wander about this world befooled, like the blind leading the blind."