History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.2

v7.c93.2

The Yājñavalkya-smṛti provides that there are fourteen sources of vidyās (knowledge) and of Dharma,¹⁸⁶⁸ viz. Purāṇa, Nyāya, Mīmāṁsā, Dharmaśāstra, Aṅgas (six) and the Vedas (four). A similar verse is quoted by some as Manu's, but it is not found in the extant Manusmṛti. It is therefore necessary to consider the origin and meaning of the word Mīmāṁsā, to set out the principal doctrines of that Śāstra, to mention the important rules of interpretation and the maxims of the Mīmāṁsā in their application to topics of Dharmaśāstra and to refer to some of the important works of that Śāstra together with their approximate dates.