Mimamsashastrasarvasva 2.4

2.4

smṛtiprāmāṇyamutsṛṣṭaṃ prasaktaṃ sarvagocaram
sati vedaviruddhatve tadidānīmapodyate 2
pratyakṣaśrutiviruddhāḥ smṛtīrudāhṛtya cintyate—pramāṇamapramāṇamveti ?
tatra—pūrvādhikaraṇanyāyena pramāṇamiti pūrvapakṣaḥ
na ca pratyakṣaśrutivirodhāt smārttaśrutikalpanā navaklṛptiḥ
vrīhyādivadubhayasambhavāt | taduktam—
parasparaviruddhatva śrutīnāṃ na bhavedyadi
smṛteḥ śrutiviruddhāyāstato mūlāntaraṃ bhaved 3
rāddhāntastu—
svātanryeṇa pramāṇatvaṃ smṛtestāvanna saṃmatam
vedamūlānumānañca pratyakṣeṇa virudhyate 4
yattūbhayasambhavāditi tanna aṣṭadoṣaduṣṭavikalpāpatteḥ | sa hi
vrīhiyavayoragatyāsvīkṛtaḥ
na hi tatraikarūpatve cihnaṃ kiñcidvyavasthitam
yenaikatra pramāṇatvaṃ syādanyatrāpramāṇatā 5
śrutismṛtyoḥ punaḥ spaṣṭaṃ vyavasthākāraṇadvayam
yena śruteḥ pramāṇatvaṃ syātsmṛteścāpramāṇatā1
3 dṛṣṭamūlakasmṛtyaprāmāṇyādhikaraṇam
hetudarśanācca

The authority of Smṛti, established as a general rule applicable to all cases, / is now set aside where there is conflict with the Veda. (2)
Citing Smṛtis that are in conflict with direct scriptural statement, it is considered: are they authoritative or non-authoritative?
There, the prima facie view is that they are authoritative, according to the principle of the preceding topic.
Nor can it be said that, owing to conflict with direct scriptural statement, the postulate of an inferred scriptural basis for Smṛti is impossible;
for both are possible, just as with rice and [barley]. As it has been said:
"If there were no mutual conflict among scriptural statements,
then for a Smṛti conflicted by a scriptural statement there could be another basis." (3)
But the established conclusion is:
Authority independently is not accepted for Smṛti at all;
and the inference of a Vedic source is contradicted by direct perception [of the Veda]. (4)
As for the claim that both are possible, that is not so, because it entails the option burdened with eight defects; for that [option]
is accepted in the case of rice and barley only for lack of any alternative.
For there, in their possessing identical form, no distinguishing mark is established
whereby authority would belong to one and non-authority to the other. (5)
Between Śruti and Smṛti, however, there are clearly two reasons for distinction,
by which authority belongs to Śruti and non-authority to Smṛti. (1)
3. Topic on the non-authority of Smṛti having an observable motive.
"And because a motive is seen."