440 Mr. CoLEBROOKE on tlie Philosophy of the Hindus. 



of delivering canons of scriptural interpretation, it incidently touches upon 

 philosophical topics ; and scholastic disputants have elicited from its 

 dogmas, principles of reasoning applicable to the prevailing points of con- 

 troversy agitated in the Hindu schools of philosophy. 



Writers on the Mimdnsd. 



The acknowledged founder of this school of scriptural interpretation is 

 Jaimini. He is repeatedly named as an authority in the Sutras which are 

 ascribed to him. Otlier ancient writers on the same subject, who are 

 occasionally quoted in those aphorisms, as Atreya, Bddari, Badaraywda,* 

 JAhucdyana, Aitisdyana, l^c. are sometimes adduced there for authority, but 

 oftener for correction and confutation. 



It is no doubt possible, that the true author of a work may speak in it of 

 himself by name, and in the third person. Nor, indeed, is that very 

 unusual. A Hindu commentator will, however, say, as the scholiasts of 

 MemCs and of Yojnya-mkya's institutes of law do, that the oral instructions 

 of the teacher were put in writing by some disciple ; and, for this reason, 

 the mention of him as of a third person is strictly proper. 



The siitras, or aphorisms, thus attributed to Jaimini, are arranged in 

 twelve lectures, each subdivided into four chapters, except the third, sixth, 

 and tenth lectures, whicii contain twice as many ; making the entire num- 

 ber sixty chapters. These again are divided into sections, cases, or 

 topics (adhicaranas), ordinarily comprising several siitras, but not uncom- 

 monly restricted to one; and instances may be noted where a single sentence 

 is split into several adliicaranas ; or, on the contrary, a single phrase 

 variously interpreted becomes applicable to distinct cases ; and siitras, 

 united under the same head by one interpreter, are by another explained 

 as constituting separate topics. The total number o? siitras is 2,652, and of 

 adhicaranas 915, as numbered by Mad'hava acharya. 



Like the aphorisms of other Indian sciences, those siitras are extremely 

 obscure ; or without a gloss utterly unintelligible. They must have been 

 from the first accompanied by an oral or written exposition ; and an ancient 

 scholiast ( Vritticdra), is quoted by the herd of commentators for subsidiary 

 aphorisms, supplying the defect of the text, as well as for explanatory com- 

 ments on it. 



* Author of the Brahmesutras. 



