Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c8.11

c8.11

Jaimini, in his Pūrva-Mīmāṁsā Sūtras, has pointed out that the Mantras have a double significance. They convey a mystical meaning and produce unseen results, for which their mere recitation according to the prescribed order of their words (*pāṭha-kramaniyama*) is sufficient (*Mantrāṇāṁ adṛishṭārtha-* *muchchāraṇa-mātram*; *uchchāraṇāt adṛishṭārthāḥ*). But they also convey a meaning for the fact that the sense of a sentence (*vākyārtha*) can always be deduced from the relations of its constituent parts like verbs and cases, whether the sentence is in Vedic or secular speech (*kriyā-kāraka-sambandhena pratīyamāno vākyārtho lokaVedayoraviśishṭaḥ*) [Jaimini, i, 2, 40]. Therefore, while the Mantras must be properly pronounced to secure their spiritual effects, their meanings also must be properly mastered with the aid of the six Vedāṅgas.