Focus of Pūrvamīmāṃsā

 Pūrvamīmāṃsā focussed on two factors

1. Value of Culture and Traditions
2. System of Interpretation

Pūrvamīmāṃsā developed a tool for interpretation of text in context of Vedic rituals. Ancient India was ritual based culture, for the enactment of value education. What is value? The values were not of accumulating but there was a culture of giving and sharing, from where it gets reflected? This can be seen from small clauses. There are beautiful and meaningful thoughts in the text like out of sixteen priests the leader Adhvaryu says, “idam agnaye” (this is for the fire), “idam na mama”, this clause means, “this is not mine” i.e. sacrifice is the message of rituals, bhoga is not the message. But a man cannot live without bhoga, like for Upanishad says, 

कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेत् शतं समाः। 

एवं त्वयि नान्य था अस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे।। ईशोपनिषद्-2

Doing verily works in this world one should wish to live a hundred years. Thus it is in thee and not otherwise than this; action cleaves not to a man.     

jijīviṣet śataṁ samāḥ, which means live for hundred years. kurvanneveha karmāṇi, do whatever you want to live for hundred years, but this thought is attached with a clause. This thought comes with tena tyaktena bhuñjita where tyāga-sacrifice is the message. This message becomes the philosophy of life. This is the best form of Yoga, i.e., niṣkāma karma yoga found in Bhagvad Gita. The origin of the idea of niṣkāma karma yoga in Bhagvad Gita comes from rituals of Rg Veda. 

There had been many hinderances in passing down the necessity and context of the rituals. On the onset of revivals there may have been many questions on the rituals of the texts. There was a necessity to comprehend them. The necessity to comprehend the context of Vedic rituals, on the other hand, led to the development of an interpretation system. This tool was developed by the Pūrvamimāṃsā and eventually this tool was used by everyone to suit their worldview. It became a universal tool. 

School of Prabhākara—Development

School of Prabhākara—Development

Prabhākara is Kumārila’s student and yet he is called Guru. Tatvacintāmaṇī elaborates, Kumārila while teaching Prabhākara and other students, came across the sentence which was not properly translated by Kumārila himself. In his view the sentence has retained an ambiguity. The sentence was

तत्रापिनोक्तमत्रापितुनोक्तम्  [तत्र तु नोक्तम् अत्रापि नोक्तम्]

अतो द्विरुक्तम्

Kumārila was unable to make any sense out of it, since he translated as, “Here also is not said, there also is not said, but it is said twice.” For this same verse Prabhākara dissolved the sandhi in another way,

तत्र अपिना उक्तम्

अत्रापि तुन उक्तम्

He helped his guru to decipher. तत्र तुना उक्तम् (this is stated by the word “तु” previously), अत्र अपिना उक्तम् (this is stated by the word “अपि” here”). Therefore, it has been stated twice. 

Thus the story elucidates the authority of student Prabhākara upon Kumārila. Another story is ; debate of social custom to be followed. Both were having opposite views.

Kumārila is now no more propagated, Prabhākara takes up from there.

ज्ञानभूमिः

In one of the classes of Prof. VN Jha sir, under the auspices of Vidya Vatika, Rishi Rina Trust, I learnt how the Nyāya language was frequently used in the commentary of Gita (3.18) so beautifully by Shri Madhusudana, in one of the Sanskrit through Bhagvadgita classes. Karma is not the means of निःश्रेयस. निःश्रेयस is नित्य.  In a very early stages of learnings we learnt about abhyudaya and niḥśreyasa about which I will post in yet another blog. There are ways to understand the seven ladders which are prescribed in Yoga Vasiṣṭha to achieve the niḥśreyasa-mukti. And साधन चतुष्ट्य (Tatvabodha) gives a glimpse on how one achieves the first ladder of the preparatory stage called ज्ञानभूमिः among the successive seven ladders. 

ज्ञानभूमिः 

— is the first preparatory stage which is achieved through साधन चतुष्टय। 

1. नित्य-अनित्य-वस्तु-विवेक—Distinguish between non eternal and eternal. This will lead to 2nd साधन.
2. इह-अमुत्र-फल-भोग-विराग—One should cultivate detachment towards enjoyment of the result -swarga; this leads to third stage of preparation.
3. शम-दमादि-षट्-सम्पद्—(Tatvabodha classes) this understanding and internalization will take you to the stage of stable desire.

• शमः—अन्तरिन्द्रियनिग्रहः—control over internal sense organ
• दमः —बहिन्द्रियनिग्रहः—control over outer sense organ, bringing calmness
• उपरतिः—उपरतस्य इन्द्रियस्य पुनः विषय प्रवृत्ति निरोधः—control over resurfaced viṣaya
• तितिक्षा—सुखदुःखादि द्वन्द सहिष्णुत—tolerance of the opposites
• समाधानम्—चित्तस्य एकाग्रता—steady focus of your mind
• श्रद्धा—गुरु-वेदान्तवाक्येषु विश्वासः—one is not swayambhu on knowledge, have to base upon Guru and Vedānta

4. Mumukṣutva—Stable desire

These are the well reasoned preparations to reach to the second stage called vicāraṇa out of seven stages.