It is difficult to say how the sacrificial system of worship grew in India in the Brahmanas. This system once set up gradually began to develop into a net-work of elaborate rituals, the details of which were probably taken note of by the priests. As some generations passed and the sacrifices spread over larger tracts of India and grew up into more and more elaborate details, the old rules and regulations began to be collected probably as tradition had it, and this it seems gave rise to the smriti literature.

Discussions and doubts became more common about the many intricacies of the sacrificial rituals, and regular rational enquiries into them were begun in different circles by different scholars and priests. These represent the beginnings of Mimamsa (lit. attempts at rational enquiry), and it is probable that there were different schools of this thought. That Jaimini’s Mimamsa sutras (which are with us the foundations of Mimamsa) are only a comprehensive and systematic compilation of one school is evident from the references he gives to the views in different matters of other preceding writers who dealt with the subject.

These works are not available now, and we cannot say how much of what Jaimini has written is his original work and how much of it borrowed. But it may be said with some degree of confidence that it was deemed so masterly a work at least of one school that it has survived all other attempts that were made before him. Jaimini’s Mimamsa sutras were probably written about 200 B.C. and are now the ground work of the Mimamsa system. Commentaries were written on it by various persons such as Bhartrimitra (alluded to in Nyayaratnakara verse 10 of Shlokavarttika), Bhavadasa (Pratijnasutra 63), Hari and Upavarsha (mentioned in Shastradipika). It is probable that at least some of these preceded Shabara, the writer of the famous commentary known as the Shabara-bhashya. It is difficult to say anything about the time in which he flourished. Dr Ganganatha Jha would have him about 57 B.C. on the evidence of a current verse which speaks of King Vikramaditya as being the son of Shabarasvamin by a Kshattriya wife. This bhashya of Shabara is the basis of the later Mimamsa works. It was commented upon by an unknown person alluded to as Varttikakara by Prabhakara and merely referred to as “yathahuh” (as they say) by Kumarila. Dr Ganganatha Jha says that Prabhakara’s commentary Brihati on the Shabara-bhashya was based upon the work of this Varttikakara.

This Brihati of Prabhakara had another commentary on it - rijuvimala by Shalikanatha Mishra, who also wrote a compendium on the Prabhakara interpretation of Mimamsa called Prakaranapancika. Tradition says that Prabhakara (often referred to as Nibandhakara), whose views are often alluded to as “gurumata,” was a pupil of Kumarila. Kumarila Bhatta, who is traditionally believed to be the senior contemporary of Shankara (788 A.D.), wrote his celebrated independent exposition of Shabara’s bhashya in three parts known as Shlokavarttika (dealing only with the philosophical portion of Shabara’s work as contained in the first chapter of the first book known as Tarkapada), Tantravarttika (dealing with the remaining three chapters of the first book, the second and the third book) and tuptika (containing brief notes on the remaining nine books) (1).

Kumarila is referred to by his later followers as Bhatta, Bhattapada, and Varttikakara. The next great Mimamsa scholar and follower of Kumarila was Mandana Mishra, the author of Vidhiviveka, Mimamsanukramani and the commentator of Tantravarttika, who became later on converted by Shankara to Vedantism. Parthasarathi Mishra (about ninth century A.D.) wrote his Shastradipika, Tantraratna, and Nyayaratnamala following the footprints of Kumarila. Amongst the numerous other followers of Kumarila, the names of Sucarita Mishra the author of Kashika and Someshvara the author of Nyayasudha deserve special notice. Ramakrishna Bhatta wrote an excellent commentary on the Tarkapada of Shastradipika called the Yuktisnehapurani-siddhanta-candrika and Somanatha wrote his Mayukhamalika on the remaining chapters of Shastradipika. Other important current Mimamsa works which deserve notice are such as Nyayamalavistara of Madhava, Subodhini, Mimamsabalaprakasha of Shankara Bhatta, Nyayakanika of Vacaspati Mishra, Mimamsaparibhasha by Krishnayajvan, Mimamsanyayaprakasha by Anantadeva, Gaga Bhatta’s Bhattacintamani, etc. Most of the books mentioned here have been consulted in the writing of this chapter.

The importance of the Mimamsa literature for a Hindu is indeed great. For not only are all Vedic duties to be performed according to its maxims, but even the smriti literatures which regulate the daily duties, ceremonials and rituals of Hindus even at the present day are all guided and explained by them. The legal side of the smritis consisting of inheritance, proprietory rights, adoption, etc. which guide Hindu civil life even under the British administration is explained according to the Mimamsa maxims. Its relations to the Vedanta philosophy will be briefly indicated in the next chapter. Its relations with Nyaya-Vaisheshika have also been pointed out in various places of this chapter. The views of the two schools of Mimamsa as propounded by Prabhakara and Kumarila on all the important topics have also been pointed out. Prabhakara’s views however could not win many followers in later times, but while living it is said that he was regarded by Kumarila as a very strong rival (2).

Hardly any new contribution has been made to the Mimamsa philosophy after Kumarila and Prabhakara. The Mimamsa sutras deal mostly with the principles of the interpretation of the Vedic texts in connection with sacrifices, and very little of philosophy can be gleaned out of them. Shabara’s contributions are also slight and vague. Varttikakara’s views also can only be gathered from the references to them by Kumarila and Prabhakara. What we know of Mimamsa philosophy consists of their views and theirs alone. It did not develop any further after them. Works written on the subject in later times were but of a purely expository nature. I do not know of any work on Mimamsa written in English except the excellent one by Dr Ganganatha Jha on the Prabhakara Mimamsa to which I have frequently referred.

1: Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasada Shastri says, in his introduction to Six Buddhist Nyaya Tracts, that “Kumarila preceded Sankara by two generations.”
2. There is a story that Kumarila, not being able to convert Prabhakara, his own pupil, to his views, attempted a trick and pretended that he was dead. His disciples then asked Prabhakara whether his burial rites should be performed according to Kumarila’s views or Prabhakara’s. Prabhakara said that his own views were erroneous, but these were held by him only to rouse up Kumarila’s pointed attacks, whereas Kumarila’s views were the right ones. Kumarila then rose up and said that Prabhakara was defeated, but the latter said he was not defeated so long as he was alive. But this has of course no historic value.

brahmanas, commentaries, enquiry, ganganatha jha, india, literature discussions, sacrifices, sacrificial rituals, sutras