Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/386

 37° MlmiiJ!lsii Philosophy [CH. had it, and this it seems gave rise to the smrti literature. Dis- cussions and doubts became more common about the many intricacies of the sacrificial rituals, and regular rational enquiries into them were begun in different circles by different scholars and priests. These represent the beginnings of Mlmarpsa (lit. at- tempts at rational enquiry), and it is probable that there were different schools of this thought. That J aimini's lVlimiil!Zsii siUras (which are with us the foundations ofMlmarpsa)are only a compre- hensive and systematic compilation of one school is evident from the references he gives to the views in different matters of other preceding writers who dealt with the subject. These works are not available now, and we cannot say how much of what Jaimini has written is his original work and how much of it borrowed. But it may be said with some degree of confidence that it was deemed so masterly a work at least of one school that it has survived all other attempts that were made before him. J aimini's Mlmiil!ISii sfttras were probably written about 200 B.C. and are now the ground work of the Mlmarpsa system. Commentaries were written on it by various persons such as Bhartrmitra (alluded to in Nytiyaratniikara verse 10 of Slokaviirttika), Bhavadasa (Pratijjiasittra 63), Hari and U pavara (mentioned in Stistradipikti). It is probable that at least some of these preceded Sabara, the writer of the famous com- mentary known as the 'abara-blliiya. It is difficult to say any- thing about the time in which he flourished. Dr Ganganatha Jha would have him about 57 B.C. on the evidence of a current verse which speaks of King Vikramaditya as being the son of Sabarasvamin by a Kattriya wife. This bhaya of Sabara is the basis of the later Mlmarpsa works. It was commented upon by an unknown person alluded to as Varttikakara by Prabhakara and merely referred to as " yathahul)" (as they say) by Kumarila. Dr Gai1ganatha Jha says that Prabhakara's com- mentary Br1tati on the Sabal'a-blliiya was based upon the work of this Varttikakara. This B,.ltafi of Prabhakara had another commentary on it-IJiuvimiilii by Salikanatha Misra, who also wrote a compendium on the Prabhakara interpretation of MI- marpsa called Prakara?Zapal1cikii. Tradition says that Prab- hakara (often referred to as Nibandhakara), whose views are often alluded to as "gurumata," was a pupil of Kumarila. Ku- marila Bhana, who is traditionally believed to be the senior con- temporary of Sarikara (788 A.D.), wrote his celebrated independent