f elaborate rituals, the details
of which were probably taken note of by the priests. As some
generations passed and the sacrifices spread over larger tracts of
India and grew up into more and more elaborate details, the old
rules and regulations began to be collected probably as tradition

370

had it, and this it seems gave rise to the sm@rti literature. Discussions
and doubts became more common about the many
intricacies of the sacrificial rituals, and regular rational enquiries
into them were begun in different circles by different scholars and
priests. These represent the beginnings of Mima@msa (lit. attempts
at rational enquiry), and it is probable that there were
different schools of this thought. That Jaimini's _Mima@msa sutras_
(which are with us the foundations of Mima@msa) are only a comprehensive
and systematic compilation of one school is evident from
the references he gives to the views in different matters of other
preceding writers who dealt with the subject. These works are not
available now, and we cannot say how much of what Jaimini has
written is his original work and how much of it borrowed. But it
may be said with some degree of confidence that it was deemed so
masterly a work at least of one school that it has survived all other
attempts that were made before him. Jaimini's _Mima@msa sutras_
were probably written about 200 B.C. and are now the ground work
of the Mima@msa system. Commentaries were written on it by
various persons such as Bhart@rmitra (alluded to in _Nyayaratnakara_
verse 10 of _S'lokavarttika_), Bhavadasa {_Pratijnasutra_ 63}, Hari and
Upavar@sa (mentioned in _S'astradipika_). It is probable that at least
some of these preceded S'abara, the writer of the famous commentary
known as the _S'abara-bha@sya_. It is difficult to say anything
about the time in which he flourished. Dr Ga@nganatha
Jha would have him about 57 B.C. on the evidence of a current
verse which speaks of King Vikramaditya as being the son
of S'abarasvamin by a K@sattriya wife. This bha@sya of S'abara
is the basis of the later Mima@msa works. It was commented
upon by an unknown person alluded to as Varttikakara by
Prabhakara and merely referred to as "yathahu@h" (as they say)
by Kumarila. Dr Ga@nganatha Jha says that Prabhakara's commentary
_B@rhati_ on the _S'abara-bha@sya_ was based upon the work
of this Varttikakara. This _B@rhati_ of Prabhakara had another
commentary on it--_@Rjuvimala_ by S'alikanatha Mis'ra