Sanatana Dharma in simple terms – 9

Six Vedic philosophical systems – Part 3

Mimaamsa (Poorva Mimaamsa)

Founder: Sage Jaimini who wrote the Mimaamsa Sutras. A well-known text in this system is the commentary of Jaimini Sutras written by Shaabaraswamin called Shaabara Bhashyam.

Poorva Mimaamsa and its following part called Uttara Mimaamsa are often combined as a single Mimaamsa shastra. Mimaamsa shastra has 3 parts based on three corresponding sections of the Vedas: Karma kaanda (nature and manner of performing rituals, taken up by Jaimini Sutras – 12 chapters – adhyaayaas), Deva kaanda (on nature and status of celestial deities, covered by the Sutras of Sage Kashakrstna – 4 adhyaayaas), and Brahma or Jnaana kaanda (on the nature of the Supreme, the means to attain It and the nature of the state of liberation, taken up by the Sutras of Sage Vyasa/Baadaraayana – 4 adhyaayaas). As the middle kaanda is currently not extant, one often limits one’s perusal to Karma and Brahma kaandas. However, we know of its existence through its reference in other texts.

Jaimini rishi gives importance to the ritualistic portions (Karma kaanda part) of the Vedas; Kumarila Bhattar and many other commentators also give greater importance to this part, and this part does not explicitly mention Ishvara. Hence Poorva Mimaamsa is sometimes called Nirishvara-mimaamsa.

In general, Mimaamsa when it is named without any qualification often denotes Poorva Mimaamsa.

The main tenets of Poorva Mimaamsa

The main tenets of Poorva Mimaamsa are:

Dharma as duty defined by Vedic injunction: Dharma is understood as the set of ritual and moral duties enjoined by the Vedas. Right action is determined not by reason or utility, but by scriptural command (vidhi).

Supreme authority of the Vedas (Shabda–pramaana): The Vedas are considered eternal, authorless (apaurusheya), and self-evident in their authority. They are the primary means of valid knowledge (pramaana) regarding dharma.

Concept of Apoorva**:** Ritual actions produce an unseen potency or force called apoorva, which persists after the act and eventually yields its fruit (such as heavenly reward), bridging the gap between the performance of a ritual and its future result.

Categories of Vedic injunctions: Vedic statements are classified as vidhi – injunctions, arthavada – explanatory statements, mantra – hymns, nishedha – prohibitions, to clarify how they guide ritual and ethical action.

Atman: It accepts an enduring self (Atman) that experiences the consequences of actions.

Means to liberation through duty: Mimaamsa emphasises correct performance of duty (karma) as central to liberation. Liberation is attained after expiation of all karma with the right knowledge of Atman.

Read about Jivatma, the individual Self or Atman→

Kumarila Bhatta and the Bhatta school

Two eminent sage-philosophers of this system remain well-known to this day.

Kumarila Bhatta (c. 7th century CE) was one of the most influential philosophers of the Poorva Mimaamsa school, known for his systematic defence, through his writings, of Vedic following against the rising influence of Buddhist philosophy which rejected the authority of the Vedas. His sub-school is known as the Bhatta school and here are the main points about him:

Kumarila is famous for his rigorous arguments against Buddhist doctrines and against the Buddhist denial of a permanent self (anaatman).

Kumarila accepted six means of valid knowledge (pramanaas): pratyaksham (perception), anumaanam (inference), shabdam (verbal testimony), upamaanam (comparison), arthapatti (postulation), and anupalabdhi (non-cognition/absence). He was a strong proponent of the intrinsic validity of knowledge (svatah pramanya) — that cognitions are self-valid unless later contradicted. Recall that we have already talked about pramaanas on more than one occasion (Q: Can you say where?).

Kumarila defended a robust realist metaphysics, holding that the external world and the self are all real and directly knowable — in opposition to Buddhist idealism (Yogaachara) and momentariness (kshanikavaada).

Prabhakara Misra and the Guru school

Prabhakara Misra (c. 7th–8th century CE) was the founder of the other major sub-school of Poorva Mimaamsa, traditionally regarded as a contemporary of Kumarila Bhatta. His sub-school is known as the Guru school (Prabhakara himself was referred to as “Guru”).

A hallmark of Prabhakara’s thought is his view that Vedic injunctions (vidhi) motivate action through the sense of duty itself (niyoga or krutikartavyata — “one ought to do this”), rather than primarily through desire for a promised result. This is a key point of divergence from Kumarila, who gave more weight to the connection between ritual act and desired fruit (via apoorva and result-orientation).

Like Kumarila, Prabhakara was a realist, but he accepted only five pramanaas excluding anupalabdhi (non-cognition) as a separate pramaana.

Prabhakara held that moksha (liberation) results from the exhaustion of accumulated karma through disciplined performance of obligatory duties, rather than through knowledge alone.

Poorva Mimaamsa and Ishvara

Jaimini says that the fruits of the karmas are given by the karmas themselves through apoorva (potency generated by the performance of rituals which confers the fruits at the appropriate time). However, Jaimini does not explicitly deny Ishvara although the later proponents like Kumarila Bhattar and Prabhakara are of the opinion that Jaimini did not admit the existence of Ishvara.

Read about The Law of Karma→

Let us stop here for now. In the next article we will examine the sixth school which is currently predominant in Bharat. It is the Vedanta or Uttara Mimaamsa school. We will learn that there are many sub-schools within this system and will elaborate briefly on three major ones – Advaita (propounded by Shri Sankaracharya), Vishishta-advaita (usually written as Vishishtadvaita, propounded by Shri Ramanujacharya), Dvaita (propounded by Shri Madhvacharya) – and mention a few other important sub-schools too.

Poorva Mimaamsa and Uttara Mimaamsa

Before concluding, I would like to add that there is there is no real opposition between Poorva Mimaamsa and Uttara Mimaamsa schools. Acharyas like Shri Bodhaayana, Shri Ramanuja and Shri Vedanta Deshikan, great sage-philosophers of the Vishishta-advaita system, explicitly say this and reconcile the two systems into one. In general, the principles of interpretation laid down by Jaimini, based on the Nyaaya logic theory, are accepted by Vedantins of all schools and are used to interpret the primary text of the Vedanta system – the Vedanta/Brahma Sutras. Baadaraayana also explicitly accepts Jaimini’s interpretation in many of his sutras. In fact, according to the Mahabharata, Jaimini was a disciple of Vyasa/Baadaraayana. More on Vedanta next time!

Note: Readers can use the following link to quickly find my earlier articles:

All other articles:
https://bhogya.online/author/jayalakshmi/

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Purva Mimamsa philosophy?

Purva Mimamsa is one of the six Vedic philosophical systems and gives importance to the ritualistic portions of the Vedas, particularly the Karma kaanda. It is associated with Sage Jaimini, who wrote the Mimaamsa Sutras.

What is the main idea of Purva Mimamsa?

The article explains that Purva Mimamsa understands Dharma as duties enjoined by the Vedas and gives importance to correct performance of karma. It also considers the Vedas to be the primary source of valid knowledge regarding Dharma.

What is apoorva in Mimamsa philosophy?

Apoorva is described as an unseen potency produced by ritual action. According to the article, this potency persists after the ritual and eventually yields its fruit, thereby connecting the performance of an action with its future result.

Who were Kumarila Bhatta and Prabhakara Misra?

Kumarila Bhatta and Prabhakara Misra were two eminent philosophers associated with major sub-schools of Poorva Mimamsa. Kumarila is associated with the Bhatta school, while Prabhakara is associated with the Guru school. The article describes differences between their views on valid knowledge and the motivation for performing Vedic duties.

How are Purva Mimamsa and Vedanta related?

The article explains that Poorva Mimamsa and Uttara Mimamsa are often combined as a single Mimamsa Shastra. It also describes how the principles of interpretation associated with Jaimini are accepted by Vedantins and notes that the two traditions need not be viewed as opposed to one another.