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The present volume provides an annotated English translation of the last section of Dharmak¤rti's Pram¤¤av¤rttikasvav¤tti (PVSV 164,24-176,16, ad stanzas 1.312-340), which includes his final assault on the M¤m¤¤s¤ doctrine of the author lessness (apauru¤eyatva) of the Veda. Dharmak¤rti draws out the apparently fatal consequences of this doctrine: If the Vedic scriptures are without an author, hence without an underlying intention, they can only be meaningless. Even if they have a meaning, it must be supersensible. But then, claiming that the leading M¤m¤¤saka authorities - Jaimini, ¤abara - possessed privileged cognitive access to its supersensible meaning is not an option, since the M¤m¤¤saka denies that humans have any supernatural form of knowledge. In short, Dharmak¤rti forces his opponent to admit that the Veda is nothing but a mutus liber, a "mute book." Besides questioning the very possibility of Vedic hermeneutics under M¤m¤¤saka presuppositions, the passage translated contains interesting allusions to Dharmak¤rti's linguistic theory, his views on scriptural authority, his critique of the Veda's reliability, and his understanding of the transmission of the Veda and Vedic ¤¤kh¤s ("schools", "recensions"). The section includes Dharmak¤rti's polemics against a mysterious v¤ddham¤m¤¤saka ("ancient M¤m¤¤saka"). An introduction (pp. 7-21: "The Place of PVSV 164,24-176,16 in the work of Dharmak¤rti," by V. Eltschinger), a synopsis of contents (pp. 23-30) and two independent essays round off the volume. H. Krasser's "Logic in a Religious Context: Dharmak¤rti in Defence of ¤gama" (pp. 83-118) sheds new light on Dharmak¤rti's conception of scriptural authority and its indebtedness to Dign¤ga. J. Taber's "Dharmak¤rti and the M¤m¤¤sakas in Conflict" (pp. 119-149) explores the guiding principles of the M¤m¤¤s¤ system of exegesis and assesses the relevance of Dharmak¤rti's arguments against it. A general bibliography and various indices complete the volume.

Mimamsa --- Dharmakīrti, --- Vedas --- Authorship --- Hermeneutik --- Dharmakīrti --- Dharmakīrti --- Mimamsa - Early works to 1800 --- Dharmakīrti, - 7th cent. - Pramāṇavārttikasvavṛtti. - 164,24-176,16 --- Hermeneutik. --- Mimamsa.