Kumārila Bhaṭṭa (fl
roughly 700) was a Hindu philosopher and a scholar of Mimamsa school of philosophy from early medieval India
He is famous for many of his various theses on Mimamsa, such as Mimamsaslokavarttika
Bhaṭṭa was a staunch believer in the supreme validity of Vedic injunction, a champion of Pūrva-Mīmāṃsā and a confirmed ritualist
The Varttika is mainly written as a subcommentary of Sabara’s commentary on Jaimini’s Purva Mimamsa Sutras
His philosophy is classified by some scholars as existential realism
Scholars differ as regards Kumārila Bhaṭṭa’s views on a personal God
For example, Manikka Vachakar believed that Bhaṭṭa promoted a personal God (saguna brahman), which conflicts with the Mīmāṃsā school
In his Varttika, Kumārila Bhaṭṭa goes to great lengths to argue against the theory of a creator God and held that the actions enjoined in the Veda had definite results without an external interference of Deity
Kumārila is also credited with the logical formulation of the Mimamsic belief that the Vedas are unauthored (apauruṣeyā)
In particular, he is known for his defense of Vedic ritualism against medieval Buddhist idealism
His work strongly influenced other schools of Indian philosophy, with the exception that while Mimamsa considers the Upanishads to be subservient to the Vedas, the Vedanta school does not think so