Friday, September 05, 2008

Mimamsa is Harmony

[MIMAMSA (noun) The noun MIMAMSA has 1 sense: (from the Sanskrit word for 'reflection' or 'interpretation') one of six orthodox philosophical systems or viewpoints on ritual traditions rooted in the Vedas and the Brahmanas as opposed to Vedanta which relies mostly on the Upanishads]

[Mīmāṃsā, a Sanskrit word meaning "investigation" (compare Greek ἱστορία)... Mimamsa is essentially ritualist (orthopraxy), placing great weight on the performance of Karma or action as enjoined by the Vedas.]

[Mimamsa is a Sanskrit word meaning "investigation, inquiry, discussion." ... Dharma is a key word in Mimamsa doctrine, being used in the sense of sacred and moral duties. It also means the virtue obtained by following actions in accord with the dharma. Mimamsa claims that the scriptures are the only way of knowing about dharma, and only by following the scriptures can we attain dharma as the good... The texts contain an imperfect and obscure description of the rituals and are interspersed continually with speculations on the mystical meaning of the separate ritual acts and the implements used. It was the function of the Mimamsa school to solve these problems by providing principles from their investigation which would give guidance in the interpretation of Vedic texts for performing the sacrificial rituals.

Mimamsa, in final analysis, is to "resolve" as to arrive at a harmonious state. It can be rated as another equivalent word for Harmony like Rta, or Shri. [TNM]

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