History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c93.30

v7.c93.30

In some works like the bhāṣya of Rāmānuja on V. S. and the Prapañcahṛdaya¹⁸⁸⁶ the Mīmāṁsāśāstra is stated to be as one whole containing twenty adhyāyas (chapters) and we are told that there was a (bhāṣya) commentary called Kṛtakoṭi on the whole of it by Bodhāyana, that later on a concise commentary was composed by Upavarṣa, that Devasvāmin wrote a commentary on 16 chapters and Bhavadāsa also composed a commentary on Jaimini, but that Śabara wrote a bhāṣya only on the first 12 chapters and did not comment on Saṅkarṣa. In I H.Q (vol. 15 pp. 262–263) reference is made to an inscription of Rājarāja (999 A.D.) which records the gift of certain lands to a learned brāhmaṇa who was to provide to four pupils board and teaching in several subjects, one of which is specified as the mīmāṁsā of twenty adhyāyas. These 20 chapters are made up as follows:—12 chapters (each divided into four *pādas*, except chapters III, VI and X, each of which has eight pādas, in all sixty pādas) ascribed to Jaiminī, 4 chapters called Saṅkarṣakāṇḍa and 4 chapters constituting the Vedāntasūtra. The twelve chapters often called Pūrvamīmāṁsā make an extensive work containing 915 or about one thousand adhikaraṇas (according to different writers) and about 2700 sūtras, dealing with numerous topics and laying down important rules of vedic interpretation. Yāj. (in I. 3) means by Mīmāṁsā probably the work of Jaimini in 12 chapters. Many writers such as Mādhavācārya ¹⁸⁸⁷ speak of two Mīmāṁsās, Pūrva and Uttara, respectively comprising the 12 chapters ascribed to Jaimini and the four chapters forming the Vedāntasūtra. Śaṅkarācārya refers to the extant Pūrvamīmāṁsā as Dvādaśalakṣaṇī in his bhāṣya on Vedāntasūtra III. 3. 26, as 'Prathamatantra' in bhāṣya on V. S. III. 3. 25, III. 3. 53 and III. 4. 27, as Prathama-kāṇḍa in bhāṣya on V. S. III. 3. 1, III. 3. 33, III. 3. 44, III. 3. 50, as Pramāṇalakṣaṇa in bhāṣya on V. S. III. 4. 42. On V. S. III. 3. 53 he speaks of the first pāda of the P. M S. as 'Śāstrapramukha eva prathame pāde' and thereby conveys that he regards that the PMS and VS form one entire śāstra.