Kumarila on Truth, Omniscience and Killing

The present volumes present a critical edition and an annotated translation of the codanasutra section of Kumarila's Mima?sa -Slokavarttika, which is a sub-commentary on Jaiminisutra 1.1.2. Kumarila is commonly regarded as having been one of the most brilliant brahmanical philosophers of the Classical Period in India, a thinker whose ideas influenced almost all later brahmanical thought. Of his works, the Slokavarttika is possibly the most important. Defending the authoritativeness of the Vedic scripture, in the codanasutra section Kumarila discusses theories concerning truth, omniscience, and ritual killing. This section is a rich source of brahmanical thought on philosophical, religious and ethical questions during Kumarila's lifetime and before. The new edition, the first serious attempt at a text-critical study of the Slokavarttika, is based on seven published editions and five manuscripts, as well as readings suggested in commentaries on the text, testimonia of other authors, and parallel passages in Kumarila's other writings. The volumes also include an introduction containing a survey of the conducted research, an investigation into the dates of Kumarila's floruit, his relationship with Dharmakirti and the problem of the B?ha??ika, as well as an analysis of Kumarila's theory of truth. A separate synopsis and summary provide an overview of Kumarila's discussions. Detailed annotations present the background of the views expressed in the verses of the text, together with detailed analyses of Kumarila's ideas. Together, these two volumes provide an extremely valuable contribution to the field of Indian philosophical studies.