History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.22

v7.c93.22

¹⁸⁸⁰ काशकृत्स्निना प्रोक्ता मीमांसा काशकृत्स्नी काशकृत्स्नीमधीते काशकृत्स्ना ब्राह्मणी। महाभाष्य on पा IV 1 14. If काशकृत्स्नि's मीमांसा dealt with पूर्वमीमांसा matters it is surprising that the extant पूर्वमीमांसासूत्र makes no reference to काशकृत्स्नि, when it names, besides जैमिनि, nine predecessors viz आत्रेय, आलेखन (VI. 5. 17), आश्मरथ्य (VI. 5. 16), ऐतिशायन, कामुकायन, कार्ष्णाजिनि, बादरायण, बादरि and लाबुकायन Dr. Umesha Mishra omits by oversight आश्मरथ्य from the list of the predecessors of जैमिनि in his 'critical bibliography of mīmāṁsā' added at the end of M. M. Jha's 'Pūrvamīmāṁsā in its sources' काशकृत्स्नि's मीमांसा, being mentioned by पतञ्जलि, must be placed not later than 200 B C. If काशकृत्स्नि wrote on पूर्वमीमांसा as is most likely, one would naturally expect that if the extant पूर्वमीमांसासूत्र was composed after 200 B. C. and about 200 A. D. (as both Jacobi and Keith propose) काशकृत्स्नि should have been mentioned by the पू मी सू. But if जैमिनि was earlier than काशकृत्स्नि or was a contemporary of the latter, then it would be natural if the पू मी सू does not mention him. Therefore, though an argument from mere silence is not very strong, it is likely that the present P. M. S. was composed at least before 200 B. C.