the footprints of Kumarila. Amongst the numerous
other followers of Kumarila, the names of Sucarita
Mis’ra the author of
Kas’ika and
Somes’vara the author of
Nyayasudha deserve
special notice. Ramak@r@s@na Bha@t@ta wrote an
excellent commentary on the
Tarkapada of
S’astradipika
called the
Yuktisnehapura@ni-siddhanta-candrika
and Somanatha wrote his
Mayukhamalika on the
remaining chapters of
S’astradipika.
Other important current Mima@msa works which deserve
notice are such as
Nyayamalavistara of Madhava,
Subodhini, Mima@msabalaprakas’a of S’a@nkara
Bha@t@ta,
Nyayaka@nika of Vacaspati Mis’ra,
Mima@msaparibha@sa by K@r@s@nayajvan,
Mima@msanyayaprakas’a
by Anantadeva, Gaga Bha@t@ta’s
Bha@t@tacintama@ni,
etc. Most of the books mentioned here have
been consulted in the writing of this chapter.
The importance of the Mima@msa literature for a Hindu
is indeed great. For not only are all Vedic duties
to be performed according to its maxims, but even the
sm@rti literatures which regulate the daily duties,
ceremonials and rituals of Hindus even at the present
day are all guided and explained by them. The
legal side of the sm@rtis consisting of inheritance,
proprietory rights, adoption,
etc. which guide
Hindu civil life even under the British administration
is explained according to the Mima@msa maxims.
Its relations to the Vedanta philosophy will be briefly
indicated in the next chapter. Its relations with
Nyaya-Vais’e@sika have also been pointed out
in various places of this chapter. The views
of the two schools of Mima@msa as propounded by Prabhakara
and Kumarila on all the important topics have
_______________________________________________________
____________
[Footnote 1: Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasada S’astri
says, in his introduction to Six Buddhist Nyaya
Tracts, that “Kumarila preceded Sa@nkara
by two generations.”]
372
also been pointed out. Prabhakara’s views
however could not win many followers in later times,
but while living it is said that he was regarded by
Kumarila as a very strong rival [Footnote ref 1].
Hardly any new contribution has been made to the Mima@msa
philosophy after Kumarila and Prabhakara. The
Mima@msa sutras deal mostly with the principles
of the interpretation of the Vedic texts in connection
with sacrifices, and very little of philosophy can
be gleaned out of them. S’abara’s
contributions are also slight and vague. Varttikakara’s
views also can only be gathered from the references
to them by Kumarila and Prabhakara. What we know
of Mima@msa philosophy consists of their views and
theirs alone. It did not develop any further
after them. Works written on the subject in later
times were but of a purely expository nature.
I do not know of any work on Mima@msa written in English
except the excellent one by Dr Ga@nganatha Jha on
the Prabhakara Mima@msa to which I have frequently
referred.