The purpose of Darśana-Śāstra

Darśana-Śāstra is a serious act to do a philosophy. Acts something like kāka-danta-parikṣā or jala-tāḍana are useless exercise without any purpose, and therefore there has to be some purpose-prayojana. In the absence of intention even a stupid person won’t commence any activity. 

प्रयोजनम् अनुद्दिश्य न मन्दोऽपि प्रवर्तते।

यावत् प्रयोजनं नोक्तं तावत् तत् केन गृह्यते ।

And all these systems were having vāda within and with each other. There are so many philosophical systems, and thats the beauty of different worldview and debate on the same text. So, the philosophical system which is called the Darśana-Śāstra is divided into two — Darśana and Śāstra. Darśana gives goal of life, it makes us realize and discover of what we are. Goal is of total transformation. Śāstra is the means of achievement of goals, it provides method, path and model to the world views.

तत्  शास्त्रं पुरुषश्रेयस् अभिधत्ते।

सर्वो हि शास्त्रार्थः पुरुषार्थपर्यवसायी।

All system of thoughts ultimately must terminate in showing puruśārtha which is the ultimate goal of life. So, philosophy is to be done for a purpose.

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.