Page:A History of Indian Philosophy Vol 1.djvu/410

 394 Mzmii:1?Zsii P h£losophy [CH. shoots, and that a special potency is believed to exist in sacrifices by which these can lead the sacrificer to Heaven or some such beneficent state of existence. Sabda pramaI)a. Sabda or word is regarded as a separate means of proof by most of the recognized Indian systems of thought excepting the J aina, Buddhist, Carvaka and V aiseika. A discussion on this topic however has but little philosophical value and I have there- fore omitted to give any attention to it in connection with the Nyaya, and the Sarpkhya-Y oga systems. The validity and au- thority of the Vedas were acknowledged by all Hindu writers and they had wordy battles over it with the Buddhists who denied it. Some sought to establish this authority on the supposition that they were the word of God, while others, particularly the Mimarpsists strove to prove that they were not written byany- one, and had no beginning in time nor end and were eternal. Their authority was not derived from the authority of any trustworthy person or God. Their words are valid in themselves. Evidently a discussion on these matters has but little value with us, though it was a very favourite theme of debate in the old days of India. It was in fact the most important subject for Mimarpsa, for the Mima1!lSa siUras were written for the purpose of laying down canons for a right interpretation of the Vedas. The slight extent to which it has dealt with its own epistemo- logical doctrines has been due solely to their laying the foun- dation of its structure of interpretative maxims, and not to writing philosophy for its own sake. It does not dwell so much upon salvation as other systems do, but seeks to serve as a rational compendium of maxims with the help of which the Vedas may be rightly understood and the sacrifices rightly per- formed. But a brief examination of the doctrine of word (Sabda) as a means of proof cannot be dispensed with in connection with Mlmaf!1sa as it is its very soul. Sabda (word) as a prama1)a means the knowledge that we get about things (not within the purview of our perception) from relevant sentences by understanding the meaning of the words of which they are made up. These sentences may be of two kinds, viz. those uttered by men and those which belong to the Vedas. The first becomes a valid means of knowledge when it is not