Mimansa is a Sanskrit word meaning "reflection" or "revered thought." According to Hindu philosophy, this is one of six darshanas, or ways to look at the world. The other five darshanas are Yoga, Samkhya, Vaisesika, Nyaya and Vedanta. Mimansa is generally considered to be the oldest of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy. She had a significant impact on Hindu law.
Name of teaching
In another transcription, this school of philosophy is called mimamsa. It provides rules for the interpretation of the early Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas, and offers philosophical justification for observing Vedic rituals.
It is also called karma-mimamsa (“study of actions”) or purva-mimamsa (“preliminary study”). This name is explained by the fact that it is associated with the earliest parts: the Vedas, Samhitas and Brahmins, which focus on rituals. The other of the six darshanas, the Vedanta, also has a different name - uttara-mimamsa (“later study”), because it focuses on the Upanishads, which are a later part of Vedic scripture.
Another name for mimansa is karmamarga, since it teaches that karma is the main thing. But here the concept does not have the same meaning as in Vedanta, which speaks of three ways: karma, bhakti and jnana. In Vedanta, karma is not observed for its own sake and is not an end in itself, but is dedicated to Ishvara without any expectation of a reward. Therefore karmamarga is the same as karmayoga. It is this view of karma that is set forth in the Bhagavat Gita.
There is no bhakti (emotional attachment) in the philosophy of mimansa karmamarga. Nevertheless, the Vedic rituals create prosperity in the world, lead to a disciplined and harmonious social life and bring the performer inner purity. Mimamsa considers karma an end in itself; The Vedanta regards this as a means to a higher purpose.
What is studying
The goal of the philosophical school of mimansa is enlightenment about dharma, which its scientists define as ritual obligations and privileges that maintain harmony for man and the world. The Vedas are considered infallible and therefore possess the power necessary for knowing the dharma.
At the metaphysical level, mimance is a school that believes in the reality of the individual soul and the outside world, but postulates that there is no reason to believe that God exists or has ever existed. Everything in the universe has come and continues to exist through natural processes.
Philosophers Perception
Advaita, or nonduality, to some extent agrees with the provisions of Mimamsa. She accepts Vedic karma, as well as the six pramanas (perceptions, or sources of knowledge) identified by Kumarilabhatta. The non-dualism of Sankara, Ramanuja and the dualism of Madhva are all Vedic doctrines, and all three do not contradict Vedic rituals. While in the first case all six pramanas of mimamsa are accepted, in the second (we are talking about Ramanuja) - only three pratyaksas, anumana and Vedas.
The three leading Vedanta teachers (Shankara, Ramanuja and Madhva) do not completely reject the mimamsa, but the paths they follow go beyond this view: devotion in the case of Visistadvaita, Dvata and jnana in the case of Advaita.
Relation to Sacred Texts
Purva mimansa is to some extent an analysis of the meaning of words, especially the words of the Vedas. There is some difference between the two basic concepts, which is that purva mimamsa studies the parts of the Vedas that deal with the Dharma (norms and rules). On the other hand, Vedanta is associated only with those parts that relate to Brahman (transpersonal absolute, “soul of the world”).
Dharma is quite simple. It represents the fulfillment of those actions that cause good, and the avoidance of those that cause evil. Therefore, the task of mimamsa is in reading the sastra. This allows you to determine which actions are allowed or prohibited, which ones are good or bad, and what consequences they will lead to. At the same time, both mimamsa and Vedanta relate to those texts that are associated with Brahman.
One of the problems is what to do with the Upanishads and other Vedic texts, such as mythological stories, which do not prescribe or prohibit actions. Mimamsa puts them in a category called arthavada (praise or description). They are associated with the Dharma because they describe or explain it.