The Vākyārthamātṛkā of Śālikānatha Miśra with his own vṛtti (Sri Garib Dass oriental series)

Publisher: Sri Satguru Publications
Author: R. N. Sharma
Language: English
Edition: 1987
ISBN: 9788170301103
Pages: 104
Cover: Hardcover
Dimensions: 23 cm x 15 cm
Weight: 240 gm

About the Book

The Prakarana Pancika is a seminal work of the Prabhakara school of Purvamimamsa, serving as an essential primer that explores foundational topics such as pramana (means of knowledge), prameya (objects of knowledge), and other core principles that distinguish the Prabhakara system from other Indian philosophical schools.

The eleventh prakarana of this work, Vakyartha-Matrka, is a collection of verses with an accompanying vrtti (commentary) by the author. It is divided into two sections:

1. Prathama Pariccheda – Serves as an introduction with 22 karikas and sangraha shlokas, establishing the Anvitabhidhanavada (Theory of Expression of the Correlated), while critically examining and refuting the Abhihitanvayavada of the Bhatta Mimamsakas and the Sphota theory of the Grammarians. It also discusses the three essential factors for comprehending sentence meaning: Expectancy (Akanksha), Proximity (Sannidhi), and Compatibility (Yogyata).

2. Dvitiya Pariccheda – Focuses on interpreting Niyoga (moral imperative) as the meaning of the optative case-ending and elaborates on Apurva (unique result) as the essence of Vedic optatives, while discussing the effect of non-Vedic optatives. This section presents 46 karikas and critiques the views of Mandana Misra as expressed in Brahmasiddhi.

The book offers a faithful English translation of Vakyarthamatrka, making this complex Prabhakara Mimamsa philosophy accessible to those not well-versed in Sanskrit. It is a valuable resource for scholars and students of Indian philosophy, logic, and the theory of meaning, illuminating the Mimamsa framework and the original teachings of Prabhakara.