Purva-Mimamsa in its Sources c19.s1.12

c19.s1.12

According to *Prabhākara*, we can derive a truly valid *Verbal Cognition* only from Words and Sentences contained in the Veda. This, he says, is clear from the very name given to the Means of Cognition, ‘*Śāstra*’ which means *Scripture*, or more precisely, *Scriptural Injunction*. As a necessary corrolary to this, it is held that, apart from the Words found in the Scriptures, no Words can provide any Cognition of things not already known through other means of knowledge; all words used in common parlance are mostly only such as denote things that can be cognised through Perception and Inference also; while things not cognised through these can be rightly cognised only when described by words of unquestionable authority and trustworthy character. From this it follows that Cognitions provided by Words other than these,—and all non-Vedic Words and Sentences belong to this other category—can have no inherent validity by themselves.