Purva Mimamsa Sutras

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The Mimamsa Sutra (Sanskrit: मीमांसा सूत्र, Mīmāṁsā Sūtra) or the Purva Mimamsa Sutras (ca. 300-200 BCE^[1]), 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.

Overview

The work is divided in to twelve adhyayas (chapters), which are further divided in to sixty padas (sections).^[1]

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.^[2]

Commentaries

Over the centuries many commentaries were written on this text, most important being the Śabara Bhāṣya written by Śābara, the only extant commentary on all the 12 chapters of the Mimamsa Sutras of Jaimini. ^[3] The major commentaries written on the text as well as the Śabara Bhāṣya were by Kumarila Bhatta and Prabhakara Mishra.

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 karma is perpetual, and the best one can aim for is higher birth among the Devas. 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."

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Hiriyanna, M. (1995). The Essentials of Indian Philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banrasidass. pp. 130. ISBN 81-208-1330-8. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=QeRIP-TuKLAC&pg=PA130&dq=mimamsa+sutra+twelve+chapters&hl=en&ei=OUc5TeHeI4WnrAfZiOn0CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwADge#v=onepage&q&f=false. 
2. ^ Jaimini: Mimamsasutra at Sansknet project
3. ^ Shabara Bhashya at Chinmaya Mission