ABSTRACT
Jaimini, the compiler of the Mimamsa Sutras, though some controversial issues have been raised by modern Oriental scholars as to his identity, was long accepted by Indian commentators as a disciple of Vyasa, the famous author of the Mahabharata. The word mimamsa denotes the reasoning process to be followed if one would understand the meaning of a word or a sentence in the Vedas. The epithet purva indicates that the primary aim of the Mimamsa philosophy is to explain the true meaning of the purva, or earlier portion of the Vedas. Mimamsa philosophy thus lays most stress upon work, which chiefly denotes the performance of ceremonial rites. Moral conduct, in the Mimamsa philosophy, is a necessary condition for the performance of rites, but moral conduct is not regarded as an ideal in itself; rather, right living is a prerequisite for the performance of Vedic rites.
