Darshana — Paired with Vedanta
Mimamsa
मीमांसादर्शनम् — The science of Vedic inquiry and dharma. Mimamsa asks: how do we correctly interpret the Vedas to know what must be done? The most orthodox school — the Vedas are eternal, self-valid authority.
- Mimamsa (मीमांसा) — 'investigation' or 'inquiry' — is the school of Vedic interpretation and the philosophy of dharma. It is the most orthodox of the six schools.
- Founded by Jaimini, the Mimamsa Sutras (~3rd century BCE, ~2,745 sutras) are the largest sutra text — focused entirely on how to correctly interpret and apply Vedic injunctions.
- Mimamsa's central claim: The Vedas are eternal (nitya), self-valid (svatah-pramana), and unauthored (apaurusheya). They are not God's creation — they exist eternally as knowledge itself.
- Its primary concern is dharma — not metaphysics or liberation, but the correct performance of Vedic ritual duty. Dharma is what the Vedas enjoin; adharma is what they prohibit.
- Mimamsa developed the most sophisticated theory of meaning and language in the ancient world — explaining how Vedic words refer to eternal universals, not particulars.
- Over time, later Mimamsakas like Kumarila Bhatta and Prabhakara developed robust epistemology — their theory of perception and inference deeply influenced Nyaya-Vaisheshika.
Founder
Jaimini
~3rd century BCE
Associated with Samaveda
Primary Text
Mimamsa Sutras / Purva-Mimamsa Sutras (Jaimini)
~2,745 sutras in 12 chapters
The largest of all sutra texts; focused on Vedic interpretation and dharma
Key Concepts
Apaurusheya Veda
The Vedas are unauthored — not composed by any person or God. They are eternal, self-existent knowledge. This makes them the supreme authority, not subject to error or bias.
Shabda-Pramana
Verbal testimony as a primary means of knowledge. Mimamsa holds that the relationship between word and meaning (sphoTa) is eternal and universal, not conventional.
Dharma
That which is enjoined by the Vedas for human welfare. Mimamsa is the science of reading the Vedas correctly to determine what is to be done (vidhi) and what is to be avoided (nishedha).
Apurva
An unseen potency generated by ritual action — the link between a completed sacrifice and its future result. It explains how present actions produce results in another life.
Svarga & Nishreyas
Mimamsa's primary goal is svarga (heaven) through ritual; moksha (liberation) was later accommodated by Mandana Mishra's synthesis with Advaita Vedanta.
Key Texts
| Text | Content |
|---|---|
| Purva-Mimamsa Sutras (Jaimini) | ~2,745 sutras on Vedic injunctions, dharma, ritual interpretation. |
| Shabara Bhashya (Shabara Swami) | The oldest surviving Mimamsa commentary — defines the school's hermeneutics. |
| Mimamsashlokavartika (Kumarila Bhatta) | 8th-century verse commentary — systematic philosophy, epistemology, and refutation of Buddhism. |
| Prakarana-Pancika (Shali-kantha) | Prabhakara school's systematic exposition of Mimamsa epistemology. |
Browse Mimamsa Structure
Explore shlokas and subcategories in Mimamsa.