Jaimini | |
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| Born | ~ 4th to 2nd century BCE[1] |
| Philosophical work | |
| School | Mimamsa |
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| Part ofa series on |
| Hindu philosophy |
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Jaimini was an ancient Indian scholar who founded theMīmāṃsā school ofHindu philosophy. He is the son ofParāśara and is considered to be a disciple of sageVyasa. Traditionally attributed to be the author of theMimamsa Sutras[2][3] and theJaimini Sutras,[4][5] he is estimated to have lived around 4th to 2nd century BCE.[4][1][6] Some scholars place him between 250 BCE and 50 CE.[7] His school is considered non-theistic,[8] but emphasizes ritual parts of theVedas as essential todharma.[9] Jaimini is known for his studies of the older Vedic rituals.
Jaimini'sguru wasBadarayana,[3] who founded theVedanta school of Hindu philosophy. He is also credited with authoring theBrahma Sutras.[10] Both Badarayana and Jaimini quoted each other as they analyzed each other's theories. Badarayana emphasises knowledge, while Jaimini emphasises rituals. They sometimes agree with each other, sometimes disagree, and often present antithesis to each other.[10]
Jaimini's contributions to textual analysis and exegesis influenced other schools of Indian philosophies. The most studiedbhashya (reviews and commentaries) on Jaimini's texts were written by scholars named Shabara,Kumarila, andPrabhakara.[11]
Jaimini's Mimamsa emerged in a time when traditional Vedic beliefs were losing their persuasive power. It was no longer taken for granted that sacrifices pleased deities, maintained the universe, or that the Vedas were infallible. Buddhist, Jain, and skeptical perspectives questioned the significance of sacrifices, while some adherents continued their practice despite doubts. This challenged the notion of a comprehensive understanding of rituals. In his works, Jaimini sought to address these criticisms.[12]
Jaimini is most known for his great treatisePurva Mimamsa Sutras, also called Karma-mimamsa (“Study ofRitual Action”), a system that investigates the rituals in the Vedic texts. The text founded the Purva-Mimamsa (Mimamsa) school of Indian philosophy, one of the six Darsanas or schools of Indian philosophy.
Dated to around the 4th century BCE, the text contains about 3,000 sutras and is the foundational text of theMimamsa school.[2] The text aims at an exegesis of theVedas with regard to ritual practice (karma) and religious duty (dharma), commenting on the earlyUpanishads. Jaimini's Mimamsa is eminently ritualist (karma-kanda) in comparison to the metaphysical focus on knowledge of the Self (Atman) andBrahman of theVedanta philosophy.[3][10] His Mimamsa Sutra was commented upon by many, of whichŚābara was among the earliest.[13][14]
Jaimini also wrote a version of theMahabharata narrated to him by his preceptorVyasa, but today, only theAshvamedhika Parva and the Shasramukhacaritam of his work are available.[15] His version of the Mahabharata is titled Jaimini Bharata.[16] It was translated into English in 2 volumes along with the Mairavanacaritam by the retiredBrigadier General Shekhar Kumar Sen and Dr. Pradeep Bhattachaarya who is also the editor of the translation.
Jaimini's Mahabharata is different from Vyasa's because it is more focused onYuddhishthira'sAshwamedha and the reconstruction of peace between the children of enemies such asKarna,Jayadratha, andShakuni. It also emphasizes the value of worshippingKrishna as anavatar ofVishnu. Jaimini Bharata is also known as Jaimini-ashwamedha.[17]
When sageVeda Vyasa classified ancient Vedic hymns into four parts based on their use in sacrificial rites and taught them to his four chief disciples – Paila,Vaisampayana, Jaimini, and Sumantu, theSamaveda was transmitted to sage Jaimini.[18]
He classified the Veda into four, namely Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. The histories and the Puranas are said to be the fifth Veda.
— Brahmanda Purana 1.4.21
One of the majorPuranas, theMarkandeya Purana, opens with a dialogue between sage Jaimini andMarkandeya and discussesphilosophy,theology,cosmology,cosmogony,dharma, andkarma.[19]
It is mentioned in the first chapter of theBrahmanda Purana that the Brahmanda Purana is a story that Jaimini is telling King Hiranyanabha atNaimisharanya.[20]
Jaimini has also appears in many parts of the Mahabharata. For instance, inAdi Parva, chapter 53, stanza 6, Jaimini is said to be present duringJanamejaya'ssarpasatra, theyagna (sacrificial ritual) he performed to kill all serpents out of vengeance for his fatherParikshit's death. Furthermore, stanza 11 in chapter 4 of theSabha Parva says that Jaimini was a part ofYudhishthira's council. He even visitedBhishma as he lay on the bed of arrows during the war, according toShanti Parva, chapter 46, stanza 7.[20]
One story connecting Jaimini with the Mahabharata is that after hearing the narration of the Mahabharata from his teacher Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata, Jaimini was confused. Since Vyasa was not around to clear his confusions, he went toMarkandeya. However, by the time he went to him, Markandeya had abandoned speech. The disciples of Markandeya directed Jaimini to four birds who had witnessed the great eighteen-day Mahabharata war. The mother of those four birds was flying above the battlefield of the great war when she was pierced by an arrow which ripped open her womb. Four eggs fell out and safely landed onto theKurukshetra ground, which had been softened as it was blood-soaked. An elephant's bell fell on the four birds and covered them protectively, keeping the eggs safe throughout the remainder of the war. After the war, they were discovered byrishis who realized that the four birds had heard much during the war and had knowledge that no other human had so blessed them with human speech. Jaimini went to those four birds and was able to clear is doubts and confusions.[17]
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