Ø Sabda-Pramana has
got the greatest importance in Mimamsa. Testimony is Verbal authority. It is
the knowledge of the meanings of words.
1. Personal (puruseya):
it is the testimony of trustworthy persons (aptavakya). It is not valid in
itself. Its validity is inferred from the character of the trustworthy person. It
may vitiated by doubt and error and may be contradicted afterwards.
2. Impersonal (apauruseya):
it is the testimony of the Veda (vedavakaya). It is valid in itself. It has the
intrinsic validity. The veda is eternal and authorless. It is not the work of
any person, human or divine. The sages are only the seers and not the authors
of the vedas.
Ø Prabhakara
admits only Vedic testimony as real testimony and reduces human testimony to
inference because its validity is inferred from the trustworthy character of
the person.
Ø Again,
testimony may give us knowledge of the existent objects (Siddhartha-vakya)
or may command us to do something (vidhayaka-vakya).
Ø Kumarila:
he admits the distinction between the existential and injunctive propositions
and limits the scope of Veda to the latter (abhihitanvayavada). The Veda
deals with injunctions.
Ø The Veda is broadly divided into:
1. Vidhivada
or injunctions
2. Arthavada
or explanations
Ø The
so-called assertive or explanatory propositions in the Veda are authoritative
only, when they help persons to perform their duties (anvtitabhidhanavada).
Ø Testimony
is verbal cognition.
Ø Mimamsakas
says that only the sounds and the symbols are created and destroyed, while the
real words are eternal.
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