Indian Philosophy v2.c25.s2.47

v2.c25.s2.47

The kernel of the Veda consist of those declarations in injunctive form which prompt men towards certain modes of action by declaring that such action leads to beneficial results. Accepting that ritual is all in all in the Vedas, Jaimini holds that parts apparently unconnected with it are useless,¹ and so they have to be interpreted as bearing on ritual injunctions. Other texts are authoritative only in so far as they help the individual to action.² The Mīmāṃsakas attempt to prove that every part of the sacred text refers to acts of duty. The broad division of the Veda is into the Mantras and the Brāhmaṇas. The contents of the Veda are also classified into (1) injunctions (vidhi), (2) hymns (mantras), (3) names (nāmadheya), (4) prohibitions (niṣedha), and (5) explanatory passages (arthavāda).³