The word ‘Mimamsa’ literally means the art of reasoning, interpretation and application. This school focuses on the analysis of the texts of Samhita and Brahmana that are portions of the Vedas.
They argue that the Vedas contain the eternal truth and they are the repositories of all knowledge. If one has to attain religious merit, acquire heaven and salvation, they would have to fulfil all the duties which are prescribed by the Vedas.
The texts that describe the Mimamsa philosophy in detail, are the Sutras of Jaimini, which were supposedly composed in the 3rd century BCE. Further inroads into the philosophy were made by two of their greatest proponents: Sabar Swami and Kumarila Bhatta. They argue that salvation is possible through performing rituals but it is also necessary to understand the justification and reasoning behind Vedic rituals. It was necessary to understand this reasoning if one wanted to perform the rituals perfectly, which will allow them to attain salvation. One’s actions were responsible for their merits and demerits and a person would enjoy the bliss of heaven as long as their meritorious acts lasted. But they would not be free of the cycle of life and death. Once they achieve salvation, they would be able to break free from this unending cycle.
The main focus of this philosophy was on the ritualistic part of the Vedas, i.e. to achieve salvation one has to perform the Vedic rituals. As most humans did not understand the rituals properly they would have to take the assistance of the priests. Therefore, this philosophy inherently legitimized the social distance between the various classes. This was used as a device by the Brahmans to maintain their clout over people and they continued to dominate the social hierarchy.