The Purva Mimamsa philosophy The philosophy of two Mimamsas (Purva and Uttara) is an attempt to show that the revelations of sruti (Vedas) are in harmony with the conclusions of philosophy. The Purva Mimamsa being earlier of the two (in the logical sense at least) is ritualistic thematically, whereas the Uttara Mimamsa or Vedanta represents knowledge of the truth of things. In Vedanta the emphasis is on the Lord, and not on the Lordship. Purva Mimamsa is generally called the Mimamsa (meaning inquiry or interpretation), and in interpreting the Vedic text discusses the doctrine of the eternity of sound identified with Brahman. The entire Veda, excluding the Upanisads, is said to deal with dharma or acts of duty, of which the chief are sacrifices. Thus Purva Mimamsa is inquiry into or interpretation of the first or the Mantra portion of the Veda, and the Uttara Mimamsa is the inquiry into the later or the Upanisad portion. Note that the performance of sacred rites -- with which Purva Mimamsa deals -- is normally considered the prelude to the pursuit of wisdom leading to Moksa. The origin of Mimamsa can be traced to the Veda to denote discussion and doubt regarding the rules of ritual and doctrine. The due performance of the sacrifices used to depend on the correct interpretation of the Vedic texts. In general, Vedic text and oral tradition continued for long to be the two authorities on the performance of religious duty. During the post-Buddhist era, Jaimini attempted the work of systematizing the rules of Mimamsa, which had evolved since the earliest times of Vedic civilization, and establishing their validity in his work. The avowed aim of the Purva Mimamsa is to examine the nature of dharma. Its interest is more practical than speculative, and therefore the philosophical speculations found in it are subordinate to the ritualistic purpose. It affirms the reality of the soul and regards it as a permanent being possessing a body, to whom the results of acts accrue. The Veda enjoins the acts of duty, specifying at the same time the beneficial results which follow from their performance. The authority for the character of these acts as dharma and for their capacity to produce beneficial results is the eternal Veda, which needs no other basis to rest on. The Mimamsa welcomes all philosophical views so long they do not injure its central theme, viz. the transcendent importance of dharma interpreted in the ritualistic sense and dedicated to monotheistic (albeit polymorphic) God. Thus the scriptures governing the Hindu life need basically to be interpreted in accordance with the Mimamsa rules. The most important work in the Purva Mimamsa is the Mimamsa Sutra attributed to Jaimini (fourth century B.C.). It presupposes a long history of Vedic interpretation, since it sums up the general rules (nyayas) which were in use in the earliest times. It describes the different sacrifices and their purposes, theory of apurva as well as some philosophical propositions. In the first of its twelve chapters, Jaimini discusses the sources of knowledge and the validity of the Vedas. In addition to Jaimini, the acclaimed contributions to the Purva Mimamsa include ancient works by Kumarila, Prabhakara and Sabara et al.
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 04:40:01 +0000
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