Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā in Its Sources

Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā in Its Sources is a comprehensive study of the classical Mīmāṃsā system based directly on its principal Sanskrit sources. Ganganatha Jha presents the school not merely as a theory of Vedic ritual interpretation but as a sophisticated philosophical tradition concerned with language, knowledge, duty, authority, action, and the structure of scriptural injunctions. The work synthesizes the doctrines of foundational Mīmāṃsā thinkers, especially Jaimini, Śabara, Kumārila Bhaṭṭa, and Prabhākara, while drawing upon the Mīmāṃsā-sūtra, the Śābara-bhāṣya, the Ślokavārttika, the Tantravārttika, and related commentarial literature. A central theme is the nature of dharma and the means by which it is known. The book examines the Mīmāṃsā claim that Vedic injunction is an autonomous and authoritative source of knowledge, together with arguments concerning the eternality and impersonality of the Veda. It analyzes the function of words and sentences, the relation between linguistic meaning and action, and the interpretive principles used to resolve apparent contradictions within ritual texts. Particular attention is given to injunctions, prohibitions, mantras, explanatory passages, subsidiary rites, principal acts, and the classification of textual relations. The volume also studies major epistemological questions, including perception, inference, verbal testimony, presumption, non-apprehension, error, validity, and the intrinsic or extrinsic character of knowledge. Jha explains the doctrinal differences between the Bhāṭṭa and Prābhākara schools and situates Mīmāṃsā in relation to Nyāya, Vedānta, Buddhist philosophy, and other Indian systems. Supported by a critical bibliography, the work remains an important source-based exposition of Mīmāṃsā hermeneutics, epistemology, ritual theory, and philosophy of language.