Pūrvamīmāṃsā from an Interdisciplinary Point of View

Pūrvamīmāṃsā from an Interdisciplinary Point of View is a comprehensive collective study of the Pūrvamīmāṃsā tradition, examining its historical development, philosophical foundations, interpretative methods, ritual theory, and influence upon other systems of Indian thought. Edited by K. T. Pandurangi, the volume situates Mīmāṃsā not merely as a school concerned with Vedic ritualism but as an extensive intellectual tradition encompassing epistemology, metaphysics, ontology, semantics, jurisprudence, and textual hermeneutics. The volume is organized into five major sections. The first investigates the intellectual background of Mīmāṃsā before Jaimini and its relationship with the Śrautasūtra tradition. The second examines its philosophical structure, particularly theories of knowledge, reality, language, and sentence meaning. The third focuses on dharma as the central concern of Pūrvamīmāṃsā, together with the authority and authorlessness of the Veda, the function of arthavāda, and the structure of Vedic sacrifices. The fourth evaluates Mīmāṃsā doctrines in relation to Vedānta, Nyāya, and Buddhism, including discussions of Śaṅkara, Jayanta Bhaṭṭa, the Prābhākara theory of error, and the Mīmāṃsaka critique of Buddhist philosophy. The final section considers the continuing relevance of Mīmāṃsā principles of interpretation, particularly in legal and juridical reasoning. Through contributions by specialists in Sanskrit philosophy, ritual studies, Vedānta, Nyāya, Buddhism, and law, the work presents Pūrvamīmāṃsā as a sophisticated interdisciplinary system. It is especially valuable for understanding how Vedic exegesis generated systematic theories of linguistic meaning, scriptural authority, moral obligation, and rational interpretation within Indian intellectual history.