Mimamsa, Mīmāṃsā: 26 definitions
Introduction:
Mimamsa means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi, Jainism, Prakrit, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
Alternative spellings of this word include Mimansa.
In Hinduism
Dharmashastra (religious law)
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा):—The central idea of Mīmāṃsā philosophy is to know dharma. The relation between this branch and Manusaṃhitā is much connected. It is because the Manusaṃhitā mainly deals with the social and religious behavior of people following the concept of dharma. So dharma plays important role in the Manusaṃhitā. This aspect of Mīmāṃsā generally is explained by commentators with the help of the definition of dharma propounded by Jaimini, the great authority on the said branch of philosophy.
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) refers to “analysis” or “interpretation” and represents one of the nine divisions of the Paurūṣeya classification of Śāstra knowledge; all part of the ancient Indian education system, which aimed at both the inner and the outer dimension of a person.
Dharmashastra (धर्मशास्त्र, dharmaśāstra) contains the instructions (shastra) regarding religious conduct of livelihood (dharma), ceremonies, jurisprudence (study of law) and more. It is categorized as smriti, an important and authoritative selection of books dealing with the Hindu lifestyle.
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा).—A philosophical system issuing from Brahmā's mouth;1 read by the Asuras;2 an aṅga of the Vedas.3
- 1) Matsya-purāṇa 3. 4; 53. 6; Viṣṇu-purāṇa III. 6. 27; V. 1. 38.
- 2) Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa II. 35. 87; IV. 12. 17.
- 3) Vāyu-purāṇa 61. 78.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Mīmāṃsā (school of philosophy)
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) simply takes for granted the philosophical concepts of the other 5 systems; it does not enter into any analysis or debate on the nature of the Ultimate Reality, the Self, and the Universe, or their mutual relationship. Its entire methodology is dependent upon their acknowledged existence. Its basic premise of right action (dharma) can be established and validated by the means of knowledge taught by the Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika school. And, on the other hand all the declared effects of Dharma would be meaningless without the analysis of the evolution of consciousness taught by the Sāṃkhya-Yoga school.
Mīmāṃsā is divided into two systems based on the twofold division of the Vedas (karma-khāṇḍa dealing with sacrifices and jñāna-khāṇḍa dealing with spiritual knowledge); both use the same logical method of handling their problems; both use the same literary form; but each has its own limited sphere of interpretation.
The primary purpose of Mīmāṃsa is to establish the nature of right action (Dharma). The basic premise of Mīmāṃsa is that action is fundamental to the human condition. Without application, knowledge is vain; without action, happiness is impossible; without action human destiny cannot be fulfilled; therefore, right action (Dharma) is the sine-qua-non of a meaningful life on earth.
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) means “reasoned conclusion” and is broadly divided into two divisions—Pūrva Mīmāṃsā and Uttara Mīmāṃsā. Mīmāṃsā is so called because it clarifies certain points of Vedānta that are doubtful in nature, mainly because of one’s inability to understand properly (spiritual ignorance). [...] Mīmāṃsā accepts Law of Karma and souls go to heaven or hell based on the Law of Karma. Though it accepts the theory of rebirth, it does not accept the concept of annihilation of the universe. According to Mīmāṃsā, the universe constantly exists as the same, without any expansion. Though it is said that Mīmāṃsā saved the Sacred Vedas over a period of time, yet it does not accept the existence of Īśvara, the Brahman.
Mimamsa (मीमांसा, mīmāṃsā) refers to one of the six orthodox Hindu schools of philosophy, emphasizing the nature of dharma and the philosophy of language. The literature in this school is also known for its in-depth study of ritual actions and social duties.
Jyotisha (astronomy and astrology)
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा).—The Vedāṅga of philosophical investigation of scripture; a division of Indian philosophy. Note: Mīmāṃsā is a Sanskrit technical term used in ancient Indian sciences such as Astronomy, Mathematics and Geometry.
Jyotisha (ज्योतिष, jyotiṣa or jyotish) refers to ‘astronomy’ or “Vedic astrology” and represents the fifth of the six Vedangas (additional sciences to be studied along with the Vedas). Jyotisha concerns itself with the study and prediction of the movements of celestial bodies, in order to calculate the auspicious time for rituals and ceremonies.
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) refers to “a philosophical doctrine that has two divisions: (1) pūrva, or karma-mīmāṃsā, founded by Jaiminī, which advocates that by carrying out the ritualistic duties given in the Vedas, one can attain the celestial planets, and (2) uttara-mīmāṃsā founded by Bādarāyaṇa Vyāsadeva, which deals with the nature of brahma, the Absolute Truth”. (cf. Glossary page from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā).
Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).
Yoga (school of philosophy)
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) refers to the “(doctrines of) scriptural exegesis”, according to the Amanaska Yoga treatise dealing with meditation, absorption, yogic powers and liberation.—Accordingly, as Īśvara says to Vāmadeva: “[...] Not by studying the doctrines of scriptural exegesis (mīmāṃsa), logic, planets and mathematics, nor by the Vedas, Upaniṣads, Dharmaśāstras [and the like]; not even by lexicons nor metre, grammar, poetry nor rhetoric; the sage's attainment of the highest reality is gained only from the oral teachings of his own guru.[...]”.
Yoga is originally considered a branch of Hindu philosophy (astika), but both ancient and modern Yoga combine the physical, mental and spiritual. Yoga teaches various physical techniques also known as āsanas (postures), used for various purposes (eg., meditation, contemplation, relaxation).
General definition (in Hinduism)
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा), a Sanskrit word meaning "investigation" (compare Greek ἱστορία), is the name of an orthodox (Sanskrit: astika) school of Hindu philosophy whose primary enquiry is into the nature of dharma based on close hermeneutics of the Vedas. The nature of dharma is not accessible to reason or observation, and must be inferred from the authority of the revelation contained in the Vedas, which are considered eternal, authorless (apauruṣeyatva), and infallible. The school of Mimamsa consists of both atheistic and theistic doctrines and is not deeply interested in the existence of God, but rather in the character of dharma.
Mīmāṃsā is strongly concerned with textual exegesis, and consequently gave rise to the study of philology and the philosophy of language. Its notion of "speech" (Skt. śabda) as indivisible unity of sound and meaning (signifier and signified) is due to Bhartṛhari (ca. 5th century CE).
The core tenets of Pūrva Mīmāṃsā are ritualism (orthopraxy), anti-asceticism and anti-mysticism. The central aim of the school is elucidation of the nature of dharma, understood as a set ritual obligations and prerogatives to be performed properly.
In Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) or Mīmāṃsarddhipāda (“power of analysis”) is associated with Prabhāmatī and Kaṅkāla, according to the Cakrasaṃvara-maṇḍala or Saṃvaramaṇḍala of Abhayākaragupta’s Niṣpannayogāvalī, p. 45 and n. 145; (Cf. Cakrasaṃvaratantra, Gray, David B., 2007).—The Cakrasaṃvara mandala has a total of sixty-two deities. [...] Three concentric circles going outward, the body, speech and mind wheels (kāya-vāka-citta), in the order: mind (blue), speech (red), and body (white), with eight Ḍākinīs each in non-dual union with their Ḍākas, "male consorts".
Associated elements of Prabhāmatī and Kaṅkāla:
Circle: kāyacakra (mind-wheel) (blue);
Ḍākinī (female consort): Prabhāmatī;
Ḍāka (male consort): Kaṅkāla;
Bīja: oṃ;
Body-part: right ear;
Pīṭha: Oḍiyāna;
Bodily constituent: tvaṅ-mala (skin/filth);
Bodhipakṣa (wings of enlightenment): mīmāṃsā-ṛddhipāda (power of analysis).
Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा).—f (S) A philosophical system of the Hindus. The first part, the pūrvamīmāṃsā or mīmāṃsā simply, illustrates the karmakāṇḍa of the Vedas, or the practical part (the ritual) of religion and devotion, including also moral and legal obligations. The second part, or uttaramīmāṃsā, is the same as the Vedant, founded on the jñānakāṇḍa or theological portion of the Vedas, and treating of the spiritual worship of the divinity as the substance of the universe. 2 Investigation of truth, research, study.
mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा).—f A philosophical system of the Hindus. Research.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा).—[mān-vicāre svārthe san a]
1) Deep reflection, inquiry, examination, investigation; अथातो व्रतमीमांसा (athāto vratamīmāṃsā) Bṛ. Up.1.5.21; रसगङ्गाधरनाम्नीं करोति कुतुकेन काव्य- मीमांसाम् (rasagaṅgādharanāmnīṃ karoti kutukena kāvya- mīmāṃsām) R. G.; सैषा आनन्दस्य मीमांसा भवति (saiṣā ānandasya mīmāṃsā bhavati) Tait. Up.; so दत्तक°, अलंकार° (dattaka°, alaṃkāra°) &c.
2) Name of one of the six chief darśanas or systems of Indian philsophy. (It was originally divided into two systems :-the pūrvamīmāṃsā or karmamīmāṃsā founded by Jaimini, and the uttaramīmāṃsā or brahmamīmāṃsā ascribed to Bādarāyaṇa; but the two systems have very little in common between them, the first concerning itself chiefly with the correct interpretation of the ritual of the Veda and the settlement of dubious points in regard to Vedic texts; and the latter dealing chiefly with the nature of Brahman or the Supreme Spirit. The pūrvamīmāṃsā is, therefore, usually, styled only mīmāṃsā or the Mīmāṃsā, and the uttara- mīmāṃsā, vedānta which, being hardly a sequel of Jaimini's system, is now considered and ranked separately.) मीमांसाकृतमुन्ममाथ सहसा हस्ती मुनिं जैमिनिम् (mīmāṃsākṛtamunmamātha sahasā hastī muniṃ jaiminim) Pañcatantra (Bombay) 2.34.
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा).—f.
(-sā) One of the philosophical systems of the Hindus, or rather a two-fold system, the two parts of which form two of the six Darśhanas or schools of philosophy; the first part, the Purva Mimansa, or Mimanś simply, originates with the Muni Jaimini, and illustrates the Karma-kanda of the Vedas or the practical part, (the ritual,) of religion and devotion, including also moral and legal obligations. The second part, or Uttara Mimansa, ascribed to Vyasa, is the same as the Vedanta, founded on the Jnana-kanda, or theological portion of the Vedas, and treating of the spiritual worship of the Supreme Being or soul of the universe. E. mān to seek knowledge, affs. aṅ and ṭāp; the derivative takes the augment of the reduplicate form of the verb.
Mīmāṃsa (मीमांस).—see man.
--- OR ---
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा).—i. e. mīmāṃsa + a, f. Two of the philosophical systems of the Hindus, distinguished as pūrva and uttara.
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा).—[feminine] reflection, consideration, examination, [Name] of a philos, system.
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—consists of two kinds. The first called Pūrvamīmāṃsā, Karmamīmāṃsā, Dharmamīmāṃsā, Bhāṭṭa, is based on the Jaiminisūtra. The second Uttaramīmāṃsā, Vedānta, rests on the authority of the Brahmasūtra by Bādarāyaṇa. The following works belong only to the Pūrvamīmāṃsā.
1) Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा):—[from mīmāṃsaka] f. profound thought or reflection or Consideration, investigation, examination, discussion, [Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa; Taittirīya-āraṇyaka]
2) [v.s. ...] theory (cf. kāvya-m)
3) [v.s. ...] ‘examination of the Vedic text’, Name of one of the 3 great divisions of orthodox Hindū philosophy (divided into 2 systems, viz. the Pūrva-mīmāṃsā or Karma-mīmāṃsā by Jaimini, concerning itself chiefly with the correct interpretation of Vedic ritual and text, and usually called the Mīmāṃsā; and the Uttara-mīmāṃsā or Brahma-mīmāṃsā or Śārīraka-mīmāṃsā by Bādarāyaṇa, commonly styled the Vedānta and dealing chiefly with the nature of Brahmă or the one universal Spirit), [Indian Wisdom, by Sir M. Monier-Williams 46; 98 etc.]
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा):—(sā) 1. f. One of the philosophical systems of the Hindus.
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा):—
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा):—f. —
1) Reflexion , Ueberlegung , Ansicht ; Abwägung , Erörterung , Beanstandung. —
2) die Erörterung des heiligen Textes , Bez. eines best. philosophischen Systems , das sich in die purva oder karma und in die uttara , brahma , śārīraka oder vedānta spaltet. Als Gründer des ersten gilt Jaimini , als der des 2ten Bādarāyaṇa. Ueber dieses System handeln die folgenden Werke : katahalavati f. , kastubha n. , jīvarakṣā f. , ta tvacandrikā f. , tantravārtika n. , nayaviveka m. , nayavivekadīpikā f. , nayavivekaśaṅkādīpikā f. , nayavivekālaṃkāra m. , nyāyaprakāśa m. , nyāyaviveka m. (richtig nayaviveka) , paribhāṣā f. , bālaprakāśa m. , bhāṣya n. , bhāṣyavārtika n. , bhāṣyavivaraṇa n. , makarannda m. ([Private libraries (Gustav) 1]), rthapradīpa m. , vādārtha m. ([Private libraries (Gustav) 1]), vārtika n. , vidhibhuṣaṇa n. , vyākhyā f. ([Private libraries (Gustav) 1]), śārīrakabhāṣya n. ([Classified index]), śāstraprakāśa m. ([Private libraries (Gustav) 1]), śāstrasarvasva n. , ślokavārtika n. , saṃgraha m. ([Private libraries (Gustav) 1]), saṃgrahakaumudī f. ([Bühler, Bombay 1877 .No.407]), sarvasva n. , sārasaṃgraha m. , siddhāntāryā ([Classified index]), sarvasva n. , sārasaṃgraha m. , siddhāntāryā ([Classified index]), sutra n. , sutradīdhiti f. und stabaka.
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit words: Mīmaṃsā, Vimaṃsā.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Hindi dictionary
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा) [Also spelled mimansa]:—(nf) one of the six systems of Indian philosophy (~[sā, pūrva] the philosophy of Jaimini, also termed [karmamīmāṃsā; ~sā, uttara] the Vedantic philosophy of [bādanārāyaṇa], also termed [braṃhamīmāṃsā]); profound thought or reflection, deep deliberation, thorough investigation; ~[saka] a follower of the [mīmāṃsā] system of philosophy; an investigator, one who has given profound thought or reflection (to a subject); ~[sita] well thought over/reflected upon, duly investigated/examined; ~[sya] to be thought over or reflected upon, to be examined or investigated.
...
Prakrit-English dictionary
1) Mīmaṃsa (मीमंस) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Mīmāṃs.
2) Mīmaṃsā (मीमंसा) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Mīmāṃsā.
Prakrit is an ancient language closely associated with both Pali and Sanskrit. Jain literature is often composed in this language or sub-dialects, such as the Agamas and their commentaries which are written in Ardhamagadhi and Maharashtri Prakrit. The earliest extant texts can be dated to as early as the 4th century BCE although core portions might be older.
Kannada-English dictionary
Mīmāṃsa (ಮೀಮಾಂಸ):—[noun] = ಮೀಮಾಂಸೆ - [mimamse -] 1.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Mīmāṃsā (मीमांसा):—n. 1. deep reflection; inquiry; examination; investigation; 2. name of one of the six chief Darsanas (दर्शन [darśana] ) of systems of Indian philosophy; It was originally divided into systems: the पूर्वमीमांसा [pūrvamīmāṃsā ] and कर्ममीमांसा [karmamīmāṃsā ] founded by Jaimini; and the उत्तरमीमांसा [uttaramīmāṃsā ] or ब्रह्ममीमांसा [brahmamīmāṃsā ] ascribed to Badarayana; but the two systems have very little in common between them; the first concerning itself chiefly with the correct interpretation of the ritual of the Veda and the settlement of dubious points in regard to Vedic texts; and the letter dealing chiefly with the nature of Brahma or the supreme spirit;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: The, The, Mimamsa, Te.
Starts with (+13): Mimamsa Sutra, Mimamsabalaprakasha, Mimamsabhashya, Mimamsabhatta, Mimamsakara, Mimamsakaumudi, Mimamsakaustubha, Mimamsakrit, Mimamsakusumanjali, Mimamsakutuhala, Mimamsamakaranda, Mimamsamamsala, Mimamsamamsalaprajna, Mimamsamandana, Mimamsanyaya, Mimamsapaduka, Mimamsapalvala, Mimamsaparibhasha, Mimamsapathana, Mimamsaprakriya.
Full-text (+438): Purva Mimamsa, Uttaramimamsa, Brahmamimamsa, Mimamsa Sutra, Karmamimamsa, Sharirakamimamsa, Upamimamsa, Mimamsaka, Kavyamimamsa, Mimamsakrit, Mimamsashiromani, Nijaksharamimamsa, Dvadashavidhaputramimamsa, Purushakaramimamsa, Dattakamimamsa, Mimamsakara, Cakramimamsa, Sahityamimamsa, Masamimamsa, Munimatamimamsa.
Relevant text
Search found 222 books and stories containing Mimamsa, Mīmāṃsā, Mīmāṃsa, Mīmaṃsa, Mīmaṃsā, Mīmāmsa, Mimamsas, The mimamsa; (plurals include: Mimamsas, Mīmāṃsās, Mīmāṃsas, Mīmaṃsas, Mīmaṃsās, Mīmāmsas, Mimamsases, The mimamsas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Srikara Bhashya (commentary) (by C. Hayavadana Rao)
Part 11 - Connection between Jaimini Sutras and Badarayana Sutras
Chandogya Upanishad (english Translation) (by Swami Lokeswarananda)
Verse 5.11.1 < [Section 5.11]
Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (by Rajendralala Mitra)
Divine Omnipotence: A mediæval view < [May, 1928]
Some Thoughts on the Veda and its Study < [January – March, 1978]
On Syllabic Melody of Nannaya’s Poetry < [April – June, 1979]
Liberation in early Advaita Vedanta (by Aleksandar Uskokov)
5. Mīmāṃsā and Vedānta as Pūrva-and Uttara-Mīmāṃsā < [Introduction]
6. The Self in Liberation < [Chapter 4 - Liberation in the Brahma-sūtra]
4. The Vedāntic Mahā-vākyas < [Chapter 10 - Sarvajñātman and the doctrine of Upaniṣadic Mahā-vākya]
Brahma Sutras (Shankaracharya) (by George Thibaut)
I, 1, 1 < [First Adhyāya, First Pāda]
III, 3, 33 < [Third Adhyāya, Third Pāda]
Related products
