Abstract

Purvamimamsa Is One Of The Six Systems Of Indian Philosophy And A Very Ancient One. The Jaimini Sutras Consisting Of 2700 Sutras Arranged In 12 Chapters Are The Primary Source Of Purvamimamsa. It Is Developed Into Two Schools, Bhatta School Initiated By Kumarila Bhatta And Prabhakara School Initiated By Prabhakara. Mimamsa Has Made Rich Contribution To The Areas Of Epistemology, Linguistics And Programme Organization. The Concept Of The Intrinsic Validity Of Cognition Including The Impersonal Nature Of The Veda And Acceptance Of The Cognition Of Certain Entities Such As Ethical Values Beyond The Empirical Means Of Cognition, Are Its Contribution To Epistemology. Considering The Language As Autonomous At Word, Sentence And Discourse Levels And Developing A Distinct Hermeneutics To Interpret The Vedic Passages And Developing The Rules Of Interpretation, Are Its Contribution To Linguistics. Developing Detailed Guidelines For Organizing The Ritual Programme Is, However, Its Most Important Contribution. The Rules Of Interpretation Evolved By Purvamimamsa For The Purpose Of Interpreting Vedic Passages Are So Fundamental And Universal That These Can Be Applied To Interpret Any Other Scripture. These Are Utilized By Other Indian Philosophical Systems, Dharmasastras And Ancient Indian Judicial System. Maxwells' Rules Of Interpretation Closely Resemble Purvamimamsa Rules. The Guidelines Laid Down For Ritual Organization Are Also Very Systematic And Could Be Applied To Any Other Programme Organization. These Aspects Of Purvamimamsa Are Highlighted In This Volume.