Mimamsa Sutras
The founding text of the Purva
Mimamsaschool, one of the six schools
of traditional Hindu philosophy. The
Mimamsa Sutras are traditionally
attributed to the sage Jaimini, who is
believed to have lived in the fourth
century B.C.E. The Mimamsa school
was most concerned with the investiga-
tion of dharma (“righteous action”),
believed to be revealed in the Vedas,
the earliest Hindu religious texts.
Much of Mimamsa thought is con-
cerned with principles and methods
for textual interpretation, to discover
and interpret the instructions contained
in the Vedas. The Mimamsa Sutras
were elaborated in numerous commen-
taries, the most famous of which
were written by Kumarila and
Prabhakara in the seventh century.
For further information and text, see
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Charles
A. Moore (eds.), A Sourcebook in Indian
Philosophy, 1957.Minakshi
(“fish-eyed”) Presiding deity of the
Minakshi temple in the city of Madurai
in the state of Tamil Nadu. Her name
refers both to the shape of her eyes (long
and oval), and to their fluttering move-
ment, both of which are considered
marks of feminine beauty in classical
India. Minakshi was originally a local
deity, the guardian for the city of
Madurai. As Madurai became impor-
tant, by virtue of being the Pandya
dynasty capital, so did Minakshi.
According to her charter myth, Minakshi
is born with three breasts—already
a sign that she is unusual—and is
raised by her parents as a man. As she
accedes to the throne in Madurai, she
vows that she will only marry a man
who can defeat her in battle. She
fights and conquers all the kings of
the earth, but when she approaches
the god Shiva, she is suddenly stricken
with modesty and transformed from
a powerful warrior to a shy and
bashful girl. At this moment her third
breast disappears, further signifying
the loss of her special status. Minakshi
and Shiva (in his manifestation as
Sundareshvara) are married. Their
wedding is celebrated every year in
Madurai during the Chittiraifestival.
Despite her transformation in the
charter myth, Minakshi is still an unusual
goddess. The wedding of a goddess
usually marks her domestication and
implies subordination to her husband.
Minakshi, however, remains the more
important deity in Madurai, perhaps
reflecting her previous status as the
city’s guardian deity. For more informa-
tion see Dean David Shulman, Tamil
Temple Myths, 1980.Minanath
Another epithet for Matsyendranath,
traditionally cited as the spiritual
teacher (guru) of Gorakhnath, the great
yogi. See Matsyendranath.Mimamsa SutrasThe east gate of the Minakshi Temple in the city of
Madurai. The temple is dedicated to the goddess
Minakshi, the city’s guardian.