Religion and philosophy in Brahmanic orthodoxy: Kumārila's Ślokavārttika

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Kumārila (ca. 600–650), a representative of the Brahmanic tradition of Mīmāṃsā, which is particularly concerned with the exegesis of Veda and ritual analysis, is one of the most influential philosophers apart from his main adversary Dharmakīrti (ca. 600–660) and like him, greatly shaped the philosophy of the following centuries. In his Ślokavārttika, Kumārila ponders questions of ontology, epistemology, philosophy of language, ethics, religion, and many others. The codanā chapter occupies an important place in his work, since here he debates the definition of dharma, the central term of the tradition. In this context, Kumārila develops innovative models of argumentation for the truth theory of enlightenment and language, for the critique of omniscience, especially of Buddha's omniscience, and for the justification of ritual killing. Shortly after the start of the project, on 1 April 2005, Dr. Kei Kataoka assumed the position of Associate Professor for Indian philosophy at Kyushu University. Nevertheless, he was able to continue and conclude his work on the project from Japan.

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