Śabara (alsoŚabara-svāmin) is a commentator onJaimini'sPurva Mimamsa Sutras, theŚābara-bhāṣyam, in turn commented upon byKumarila Bhatta.
He dates to the early centuries CE, later thanPatanjali'sMahabhashya, and earlier thanVatsyayana.
In his commentary on the Mimamsa Sutra, Śabara writes that perception, inference, supposition, or comparison cannot be a means of knowingdharma. He writes that the rest of the means of knowing depend on perception. Since perception cannot be used to understanddharma, neither can the other means of knowing. Based on this reasoning, Śabara posits that testimony, specifically the Veda, are the only way to knowdharma.[1]
