According to Manu there
are four sources of Dharma:
The Veda, tradition, the
conduct of virtuous people and one’s own conscience,
these are declared to be the distinct four-fold sources of
Dharma. (Manu 2:12)
The primary source of
Dharma is the Veda and when we seek spiritual guidance from the Veda we are
totally confused by the immensity, obscurity and complexity of the teachings!
Therefore, how do we deal with this vast resource of knowledge? What is significant
and what is not? What do I accept and what do I reject? It is in this context
that one has recourse to the study of Mĩmāṃsa or
hermeneutics.
Hermeneutics is the study
of theories of the interpretation and understanding of texts, particularly
sacred texts. A hermeneutic is defined as a specific system or methodology for
interpretation.
Exegesis involves an
extensive and critical interpretation of a sacred text using a hermeneutic. The
word exegesis means “to draw out the meaning of” a given text. Exegesis may be
contrasted with eisegesis which means to read one’s own interpretation into a
given text. In general, exegesis presumes an attempt to view the text
objectively, while eisegesis implies more subjectivity.
The terms exegesis and
hermeneutic may be used interchangeably; however, there remains a distinction.
Exegesis is the practical application of hermeneutics, which is the
interpretation and understanding of a text on the basis of the text itself.
Traditional exegesis
requires the following:
·
Analysis of significant words in the text in regard to
translation;
·
Examination of the general historical and cultural context,
·
Confirmation of the limits of the passage,
·
Examination of the context within the text.
The term Mĩmāṃsa is derived from the
Sanskrit root “man” — “to think, consider, examine, or investigate.” Here the
term, etymologically means: “desire to cogitate” and is used to signify a
thorough consideration, examination, or investigation of the meaning of
Vedic Texts. Mĩmāṃsa is “rational enquiry”
which “attempts at rational conclusions”.
We must remember and
apply the above mentioned principles when studying the Vedic literatures and
above all understand the difference between sakala and niskala, that which is
perceivable and that which is not perceivable to our mind, intelligence and
senses. For example, we may accept and apply the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita
in our lives, however, we may not be able to prove for a fact that Krishna was
ever present on this Earth. Therefore we have to keep in perspective what we
are studying and how it should be understood and applied in our daily lives,
according to time, place and circumstance.
Applying the above
mentioned systems of interpretation to the Vedic texts, let us meditate on the
following statement:
“What is beyond matter,
spirit, manifestation, and time; that pure [state] which sages behold that is
the supreme abode of Vishnu”! (Vishnu Purana 1.2.16)
copied from the yajur veda resources australiasa.
copied from the yajur veda resources australiasa.
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